It seems LaLa.com also allows you to embed full albums so I think something new I might try is just throwing an album onto the site every week and giving it a listen. A decent way to try out new bands. Feel free to comment here on the album or to suggest new groups. Not all albums can be embedded like this so it's a select group that will make The Tryout.

This first group is a side project from one of the members of Secret Machines, who did "Nowhere Again" which was one of my favorite songs from a few years ago. This seems completely different from Secret Machines but it's pretty good. One listen and I decided to pick up the album.

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"The United States of Tara" is now airing on Showtime's website. When you get to the site, just type in TARA as the password. The show is an idea from Steven Spielberg, a housewife had multiple personality disorder, and her family has to live with her ailment. The show was written by Diablo Cody of "Juno" fame. So what did Soulhonky.com think?

Because it is all played as oddly normal (Oddly Normal might actually be a better title to the series), there isn't really much to the pilot. It's basically the family learning to live with something they already seemed accustomed to living with. I'm really not sure if the approach they've taken is the right one. Part of me thinks that the show would be more interesting if it focused on the family dealing with Tara as opposed to Tara being the lead.

But perhaps my biggest gripe about the show is that it committed the cardinal sin of 2008, moving too fast. The show starts with Tara discovering a prescription for morning after pills in her daughter's room and later T, one of the alter-ego (or alter-ids, in this case), tells the daughter that the mom was snooping. This would seem to be a great set-up for an episode; the kid being upset about the invasion of privacy/lack of trust, the mom dealing with an inner lack of trust since she doesn't know if one of her personalities is going to do something she wouldn't or unveil something she's hidden. Instead, there's a little throwaway jokey line about the mom violating the girl's trust, and then the show moves on.

I'm no Diablo Cody hater but I'm not sure she's the right person for this show. I don't mind the witty banter that many people harp on but the bigger issue is that I'm not really sure she can deal with these deeper issues. I liked "Juno" for what it was, but what it was was a popcorn comedy about teen pregnancy. There was no real insight or deep character moments; it was a lightweight version of "Saved!". This show would seem to call for more insight than wit. This isn't to say that Cody can't write a great show based around this premise but I have a feeling it will be more Mind of a Married Man-level fare. 

Posted by SoulHonky at 02:27 PM | Permalink | Comments ()

Here's a listing of the songs that I listened to most this past year, according to my ITunes play count. There are a lot of instrumentals on the list because that is what I usually listen to when writing. I have a playlist of ambient, trance and soundtracks that I play when writing as background music. So while they might be on the most listened to list, I might have never actually listened to them. Still, here's the list.

1. New Shoes - Paolo Nutini (38 plays)

2. Use Somebody - Kings of Leon (24 plays)

3. Hop a Plane - Tegan and Sara (24 plays)

4. Welcome, Ghosts - Explosions in the Sky (23 plays)

5. Faster - Rachael Yamagata (22 plays)

6. Eye to Eye - Clint Mansell (21)

7. Ghosts of a Future Lost - Clint Mansell (21)

8. El Paso - Harry Gregson-Williams (21)

9. Walcott - Vampire Weekend (21)

10. Adam's House - Clint Mansell (20)

11. It's Natural to Be Afraid - Explosions in the Sky (20)

12. So Long, Lonesome - Explosions in the Sky (20)

13. Your Hand in Mine - Explosions in the Sky (20)

14. From West Texas - Explosions in the Sky (20)

15. Sex on Fire - Kings of Leon (20)

16. Manipulated Living - Michael Andrews (20)

17. Sidedish Friend - Rachael Yamagata (20)

18. Sweet Ones - Sarah Slean (20)

19. M79 - Vampire Weekend (20)

20. Lump Sum - Bon Iver (19)

21. Skinny Love - Bon Iver (19)

22. Harrison Takes a Fall - Clint Mansell (19)

23. Spit on Your Love - Mando Diao (19)

24. Bodysnatchers - Radiohead (19)

25. Creeps Me Out - Ima Robot (18) 

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"I'm not a candidate; I'm part of a movement."

That line is probably the most important in Milk, not just because it defines the drive and passion of Harvey Milk but also because it tells us what the movie is about. While Milk is a very interesting look at the rise of Milk and the gay rights movement, it seems more about the latter than the former. The movie starts by focusing on Harvey's life and struggles but that is all quickly overwhelmed by the politics and the movement. 

In the end, we're really left with no real portrait of Harvey the man. We are shown his biggest battles but his private life remains a mystery. His struggles with his lover Jack aren't really fleshed out (no pun intended) and we just see Diego Luna's character as a boy toy/headcase. We have love scenes but little love itself. Men are picked up easily and the only emotion comes when they're leaving. And I have to admit, part of me was intrigued most by Josh Brolin's Dan White, a man who was fighting a losing battle that he may not have believed in but believed he needed to fight. 

The most confusing part, however, was why this film wasn't released before the election. No, I don't think it would have changed the outcome of Prop 8 but the studio lost a ton of free publicity by not throwing themselves into the political maelstrom. Perhaps they feared that some people might have pulled away from the film, not wanting anything to do with Hollywood's political posturing but I doubt those people were going  to see the film no matter when it was released. 

All that being said, it's a very strong movie with some incredible acting. Sean Penn has to be a frontrunner for the Best Actor Oscar. I thought it dragged a bit in the middle but it's still one of the year's best and gets a SoulHonky recommendation, whatever that is worth.

Posted by SoulHonky at 01:28 AM | Permalink | Comments ()

With Christmas readily approaching, an interesting alternative gift option is ThinkGeek. The site bills itself as "Stuff for Smart Masses" and while it does have some nerdy gifts (like a Princess Leia poster), it also has some cool gag stuff like the personal soundtrack t-shirt.

This amazing new wearable audio solution features a working speaker embedded into the front of the shirt and can play music or sound effects appropriate for any situation. It's just like starring in your own movie.

So basically, now when someone says something stupid you can hit a button and cue a record scratch. There also more reasonable gifts like military strength flash drives, a watch that also works as a flash drive, and portable cell phone chargers so you don't have to scramble for an outlet when you're on the road.

Posted by SoulHonky at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments ()

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The Year of Living, Actually didn't go exactly as planned so it's time to renew the failed vows of the past year. And since one of them is to not procrastinate, what better way to turn things around than to not wait for January 1st to start? So here are the resolutions.

- Get In Shape: I'm getting close to a decade of being in crap shape. That's pathetic.

- Quit Drinking: Nothing good comes out of it. 

- Read a Book a Month: Not much, I know, but I barely read at all so it's a start.

- Write Every Other Day, at least: I'm going to try to write every day but it might be better to start with a more manageable goal. 

- Stay in Touch: I'm terrible at keeping in contact with people and need to do a better job of it.

- Cut Message Board Time by 75%: I waste entirely too much time on internet message boards.

- Be More Productive, Less Critical: This doesn't mean that I'm going to like crappy movies but I should just figure out what to take from them and move on. 

That's a good start. Let's see how it goes.

Posted by SoulHonky at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments ()