Look y'all, I'm not on quaaludes this
year!

So, last night was the 25th anniversary of MTV’s Video Music Awards. I realize that I may seem like the wrong person to review the VMAs, being that my personal music taste -- which includes Britpop, old school industrial, some hip hop and most of what’s on Ed Banger Records -- is not exactly what this network specializes in.

I’m well aware that I’m not MTV’s target demo, however, a bigger fan of the VMAs you will not find. The awards are a tradition in my house -- I have seen every one of these since I was in elementary school, and I’ve even got a good number of them on old VHS tapes in my basement.

That being said, the VMAs certainly aren’t what they used to be. Lately there’s been some terrible ones, starting around 2005 when they let Diddy host and culminating last year, in what was not only the worst VMA of all time, but a convoluted mess that was one of the worst things I’ve ever seen on television.

But, of course, I went back for more this year, ever hopeful that there will be something as great as that time the dude from Rage Against the Machine climbed up the set scaffolding and threatened to jump when Fred Durst won an award Let’s see how it went...

- Britney Spears opened the show in a skit with one of those guys from Superbad. This was largely unfunny, but I guess it showed improvement from the drugged out zombie dance she called a performance to open last year’s show. She does look about 1000 times better.

- Spears introduced Rihanna, who did “Disturbia” complete with faux-goth dancers and a personal tower a la Antichrist Superstar. I’m sure that did not escape Marilyn Manson, who at this very moment is probably writing a blog about how that bitch ripped him off. I don’t really understand what this upbeat club pop song has to do with the goth motif, but whatever. Very odd bit in the middle of the song, however, when the band pounded out a couple lines from “Seven Nation Army.” Weird White Stripes homage aside, this was well put together for what it was.

I don't know why he needed 3 belts
either, but the guy was funny as
hell, so I'm giving him a pass.

- Next up we meet this year’s host, Russell Brand. This guy is uber famous in the UK and kinda nobody here. You might remember him from Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but you also might not. He referenced this, commenting that there might be a problem because his persona “really only works with fame,” which I thought that was a great line, but didn’t go over very well with the crowd. In fact, not much of his humor went over well with the crowd, who seemed fairly uncomfortable with the whole making fun of people thing. Makes me wonder how the legendary Chris Rock-hosted VMAs of the late 90s would go over today. Crowd reaction aside, Brand was very, very funny and throughout the night proved himself to be the best thing about the show.

- The Jonas Brothers played something...Seriously, it boggles the mind that there are people over the age of 13 who find this to be acceptable music. Most notable thing about them was Russell Brand’s relentless jokes throughout the night about their much flaunted virginity promise rings. Look, I really could not care less about their moral choices, but their music is wretched, so I’m up for any reason to make fun of these tools. I got the distinct feeling people were a bit offended by Brand’s insinuation that he’d take the virginity of these teenage goodie-two-shoes (and based on the Jonas Brothers stone-faced reaction, they clearly had no sense of humor either.) But it’s comments like that that kinda make me wanna marry the guy, so it’s all subjective.

T-Pain (left) vs The dude from MCR

- Lil Wayne performed next and set a record for the number of times you can touch your crotch in three minutes. I will give him credit that, unlike the miserable performance of his I caught at V-Fest, at least there was a live band and he wasn’t rapping over his cd. T-Pain also made a guest appearance, leaving me to wonder why he raided My Chemical Romance’s wardrobe.

- Pink did her thing next. I’m not the biggest fan of this girl, but it was a neat show. MTV made great use of the fact that the awards were held on Paramount’s lot in LA, utilizing the movie sets for the performances. Reminded me of the good old days when the VMAs were special and people did unique performances you wouldn’t see anywhere else.

- Jordan Sparks presented something and managed to cram in a comment about how you shouldn’t make fun of people who wear promise rings because “not every guy or girl wants to be a slut.” Because I’m a bad person, I giggle, roll my eyes, and make a comment about how she really doesn’t need a promise ring to keep herself a virgin. Oh, snap.

- Chris Brown and Rihanna did that song where they sing over the melody of “Dragostea din Tei.” Well, I know that it’s called “Dragostea din Tei” -- you know it as that “Numa Numa” song you watched that fat kid lip sync to on YouTube.

- Christina Aguilera did a dark electro version of the first verse of Genie in a Bottle, which I rather enjoyed. This led into her new song, “Keeps Gettin’ Better,” which, to my delight, reminds me of her “Dirty” period. I like this girl so much better when she stops trying to prove what a good singer she is and just cranks out the club hits.

Why this was relegated to filler material,
I'll never understand.

- They showed 30 seconds of LL Cool J is doing “Goin Back to Cali” on the floor with the other bands who don’t matter. Are you kidding me? Also relegated to post-commercial bumper spots are Lupe Fiasco and The Ting Tings, which is a real shame, since these people are actually talented and I would’ve liked to have seen them get the benefit of real performances.

- Kid Rock was up next, and before launching into “All Summer Long,” he took a shot at all the fake people who dance and lip sync instead of being real performers. I’d like to point out that “All Summer Long” is essentially a cover of “Sweet Home Alabama,” but with different words. Kid Rock -- keepin’ it real.

- Britney Spears took home Video of the Year for “Piece of Me”. Is it me, or does that deserve a late pass like nothing else? I don’t think anybody in the world would argue that Britney is in any way relevant to today’s music scene. Not that I expected anything great to win – I don’t think a truly breathtaking video has won since The Smashing Pumpkins took it in 1996 for “Tonight, Tonight.” Hell, the fact that anything – ANYTHING – was able to beat out Justice’s "D.A.N.C.E.". last year, says that this award has very little to do with what is, in fact, the best video of the year. But it usually does have something to do with who’s the most popular, and I find it hard to believe Britney fits that bill anymore.

- And finally, Kanye West closed the show with a song no one knows. I’ve seen West live, and I can vouch that he puts on a good show, but for some reason he decided to go the extremely understated route here, which kinda gave the show a solidly “eh” ending.

Overall, I have to say it was much better than last year. Certainly not one of the classics, but watchable at least. Huge credit to Russell Brand, who was the best host they’ve had in a long time, even if barely anyone there appreciated it. And they brought the quality of the performances up, for the most part, which is a good thing. See ya next year.

- Amirah

Please let me start by saying that I’m not having some crisis about my age. I’m only 26. I have no reason as to why I’ve been reminiscing about my childhood days so much lately. Maybe I just miss them. Don’t we all? Maybe it could be because I still feel closer to being 15 than I do being 30. Either way, I’m always up late at night. If I can’t find the motivation to work or if I go to bed just to lay awake, I have no choice but to watch TV to entertain myself. Besides infomercials and really bad soft-core porn on Cinemax, the only thing to watch are reruns of old sitcoms. It got me to thinking - these shows from the 80’s and early 90’s were great! I remember as a kid hearing about how TV would be the downfall for my generation. Maybe in some instances I see where media and TV may have failed us, but overall - I have to strongly disagree with that statement.

I had a great childhood. My grandma raised me from the time I was 3 years old. She was the best parent a kid could ever wish for. Whenever I asked one of those “life” questions she always had an answer. I never got any fairy tales (ie - the stork) because she was always very straight forward and honest - without any sugar coating. Looking back now, I completely appreciate that. But there are times in every child’s life when the answer comes before the question. There are also times when life lessons heard can hit you the same as life lessons learned. With that being said… Thinking back - all of those TV shows I watched as a child really taught me a lot:

Roseanne: I had to ask my grandma what a period was when Darlene got hers for the first time in 1989. Roseanne also taught me that a family can be a family without having to be the Cleavers.

The Golden Girls: In 1985 Dorothy said that she needed to “memorize every line and wrinkle” on Sophia’s face before she was gone. My grandma was 60 at that time. I really took that advise to heart. I’m glad I did. Estelle Getty was a comedic genius - probably why she reminds of my grandma so much.

Murphy Brown: I aspired to be Barbara Walters until I watched this show for the first time in 1988. Murph was more “real”. She made it ok for a young girl to think that they can do whatever they set their mind to do - even in a field comprised mainly of men. And no, Murphy Brown didn’t teach me that it’s better to be a single mother. What I got out of that fiasco was that families didn’t have to be composed of a mother and a father to be a real family. I appreciated that.

Fresh Prince of Bel Air: Besides maybe the Cosby Show, this was the only show that was popular with the white kids from old neighborhood in the 90’s. It was so cool that if you didn’t know the theme to the show, you were a total loser. Breaking racial barriers… Hmm.. seems like a good life lesson to me!

So anyways, my point: not all TV is bad. I know that a lot of things have changed since the mid-80’s / early 90’s, but still - not all TV is bad. If you think about it, there is actually a lot more on TV that is just for kids. Back in the day, all we had was Nickelodeon - which became Nick-at-Nite after 8:00 pm. Now-a-days there are channels that run 24/7, dedicated to programming for children; something we didn’t have 20 years ago. I ended up watching things that traumatized me like Fritz the Cat on HBO late at night. And in case you didn’t know, Fritz was released in 1972 - quite a few years before the generation which was ruined by TV was born.

- Krissy

We're nearing the halfway point of the Summer movie rush, and what have you gone out to see so far? Maybe you happened upon "The Happening" and are praying M. Night is finally done for. Or saw "The Incredible Hulk" and forgot all about that emotional crapfest Ang Lee gave us. Well we've had some good and bad already but there's much more ahead....

If you missed part 1 of the preview, you can find it here.

JULY 11TH Hellboy 2 - I enjoyed the first one despite it not being a big hit. It's nice to see a non-Marvel or DC comic making it at the movies. They create nice plot lines and very different characters to work with, and what else would you see this weekend?

Meet Dave - Is Eddie Murphy still funny? Give me Charlie Murphy any day.

Journey To The Center of the Earth 3D - I just saw this trailer two days ago, and cried. How far does this former comedian have to go? Oh wait, there's another Mummy movie coming soon (ALSO SEE PART 2 OF PREVIEW).

JULY 18TH
The Dark Knight - Ah, my most anticipated movie. And that was long before Heath Ledger's death. I knew he was going to pull off the dark vision of the Joker that Jack Nicholson camped up in the original version. Don't get me wrong, he was great ("Where does he get those wonderful toys?") but I need the insane darkness of the man who killed the second Robin. A complete psychopath, and Harvey Dent on top of it. Nice foreshadowing on his bit with the line, "Some of us die as heroes, and others live long enough to see ourselves become villians".

Mamma Mia! - ABBA on the big screen and while the band is actually on tour (I think...). With the success of "Hairspray" last year, this one might just pull it off as well but opening against Batman will be really tough to get through.

Lou Reed's Berlin - One of the famed Lou Reed concerts, on the big screen. If you love music, this is a must.

Space Chimps - Going to be the greatest movie of the summer, just you wait. Monkeys in space, need I say more. How about the voice of Brock Samson?

JULY 25TH
American Teen - A poignant presentation of high school teens (there's a cliche here) set in a similar style to "The Breakfast Club" without John Hughes 80's comedy. There will be a jock, princess, criminal, misfit, and geek love triangle thing I'm sure.

Step Brothers - Will Ferrel? And he's not doing a sports movie?!? How about we throw in John C. Reilly for good measure? Nothing will top "A Night At The Roxbury" for me.

X-files 2 - Buy a billboard, and they'll make a movie. The only reason for this movie is fans started buying billboard space to advertise this flick, and higher-ups saw the demand thus bringing the classic show to the big screen again. Not a huge fan of the show so doubt this will be on my list.

AUGUST 1ST
The Mummy: TTOTDE - I never even liked the first one and now we're on number 4? Least this one will have Jet Li to kick Brendan's ass around a bunch of times.

The Rocker - I've been waiting for Rainn Wilson to make a bigger appearance on the movie screen again ever since his brief scene in "Juno". Here's top the naked drummer.

AUGUST 8TH
The Pineapple Express - The big comedy of the summer in my humble opinion. Hopefully a masterful blend of Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Half Baked.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - Didn't see the first, won't see the second.

Fly Me To The Moon - Animated flies aboard the space shuttle who look and act remarkably like Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Hell Ride - Quentin Tarantino's back! Or at least presenting his spaghetti western flick. After the success of Kill Bill, this idea's been circulating the internet boards.

AUGUST 15TH
Tropic Thunder - Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey Jr., black? This could be a real hit or miss movie.

Star Wars (Animated) - Admit it....as much as you groaned about this being made, you'll still be first in line to see it. My only comment is when will Lucas cut the crap and make the movies we want to see? The end trilogy! The complaint is the original actors will be too old to fit the roles yet Harrison Ford still passes as Indy? Also there are other actors on this planet and it wouldn't be the first movie to change the actor playing the main role (strong rumor Tobey is getting replaced for "Spiderman 4").

AUGUST 22ND
Hamlet 2 - There is no other movie this weekend. Steve Coogan is awesome. Go see "24 Hour Party People" and tell me otherwise. So go see Hamlet 2 and rock me sexy Jesus!

AUGUST 29TH
Disaster Movie - You can tell the end of the summer season when they start releasing these bad parody movies. Didn't "Epic Movie" teach them anything about how sick we are of these flicks? Doesn't even come close to touching "Naked Gun" or "Airplane."

Now pick your movies wisely this summer. Ticket prices are going through the roof plus gas ain't cheap so don't flush your money down the toilet with the rest of the crap this summer.

~StEvO

Econoline Crush version 2008

Now I'm older, wiser and bitterly cynical, it takes something fairly special to get me to raise little more than a skeptical eyebrow. The news that Canadian alt-rockers Econoline Crush have reformed has been the most recent reason for me bouncing around my room (read: padded cell) with joy. True, I'm bringing you this update somewhat late as the band announced this news some time ago, but in my defence there is an ocean or two seperating our continents AND I'm only usually allowed to communicate with the outside world via messenger squirrel. True, their news might take some time to arrive but at least they work for little more than a handful of nuts, but I've digressed.

Fact remains that vocalist Trevor Hurst is back from the wilderness, metaphorically speaking, following a sabbatical fronting his solo band, simply called Hurst, who released one superb EP, 'Wanderlust' back in '05. Along for the ride in Econoline Crush v2.0 are guitarist Kai, bassist Scott Whalen and drummer Brent Fitz. Worryingly, Hurst aside, none of this current roster have actually been in a previous incarnation of the band, but a quick blast through the new tracks featured on new album 'Ignite' reveal that EC of 2008 can still knock out some concise pop rock gems, chock full of ice cool riffs and pulsing with an electronic groove that's somewhere between Stabbing Westward and Gravity Kills. Most impressively of all, Hurst's voice sounds better than ever. Sharing a sound consistent with that of their second album, the awesome 'The Devil You Know', 'Ignite' is produced by Sylvia Massey. For a preview head on over to their MySpace page and tell 'em Blendetta sent you…

- Giles Moorhouse

Check out the video for Econoline Crush's "Dirty":

Shy Child being awesome

Shy Child Rocks!! They are freakin awesome. I didn't really listen to their music till I came across these interviews that they did. They were hilarious.

Check out the interview: Shy Child @ UncensoredInterview.com

- Mika

In case you've ever wondered what the lyrics to Pearl Jam's - Yellow Ledbetter are, here you go:

Back before the internets ruined everything

Remember when you went to the News Center and labored over the music magazines to find that one that had 2 sentences under a tiny picture about a band you loved? You bought it and proceeded to cut it up and hang every little piece of paper having anything to do with them all over your room. You listened to that old tape over and over again while working tediously on finding every little caption you could, covering your notebook, folders, and dividers.

When you walked into the aisle and saw the band's name was on the cover of another magazine, you got so excited you couldn't wait to flip through and find what was the single paragraph about their tour that wasn't even coming near you, but that didn't stop you from reading it 3 times.

You know what? I really miss the days of sitting with my the radio in the afternoon when the DJ announced that they would be playing that new song from the upcoming album with my finger on the record button so I didn't miss even the first note. The excitement of what the album was going to be like when I got it, watching the clock at school all day waiting to get out so I could go to the record store on release day, and how I played it to death once I did. I miss my old boom box, back when I actually - yes I'm going to admit to owning and wearing - band t shirts.

I miss being that excited over the potential of new music.

- Kali