R.I.P. Elizabeth Taylor

March 23, 2011 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment

Very sad to hear about the passing of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor today at the age of 79. Being a 25 year old, I didn’t experience the magic first hand nor am I well versed in her filmography. My generation is familiar with her many marriages, Michael Jackson’s kind-of strange relationship with her, huge diamonds, and her refusal to appear on the Krusty the Clown Comeback special (also Simpsons trivia: she voiced Maggie Simpson’s first word). HOWEVER- being a 25 year old who loves film in the age of technology, I have had my gut-wrenched by the powerhouse of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”; I have called people ‘Maggie the Cat’ and ‘Big Daddy’ thanks to “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”; and I generally don’t care if it is really Elizabeth singing in “A Little Night Music”, that’s just a good movie.

Upon hearing the news, one of the first things to come to my mind, and one of my first memories of her, was Elizabeth Taylor at the Freddie Mercury tribute concert for AIDS awareness. I remember watching this and about to fast forward her speech on AIDS prevention, when someone in the crowd yelled out- “GET OFF THE STAGE”, to which Taylor responded “I’ll get off- I’LL GET OFF IN A MINUTE. I have something to say.” That bit of serendipity led to me seeking out more of her movies. Here is that speech:

“I promise I won’t sing.” – Elizabeth Taylor (R.I.P.)

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Elizabeth Taylor, Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert

Welcome Back 120 Minutes

March 18, 2011 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment

Pretty excited about the return of 120 Minutes. Not that I’m going to watch it, but just to know it exists gives me a very calming, pleasant feeling.

I was in 4th grade when I was allowed to stay up late enough (in summers only) to watch the show, and I really did balk at mostly everything thing the show threw at me. But they played Oasis and that ‘Istanbul’ song I heard once before- so I was always curious to watch the show. What I mostly remember is how weird Tool videos were, and how awesome a name-dropper Matt Pinfield was/is. It also was my first experience in music snobbery (imagine an 11 year old describing Radiohead).

Really though, as I got older and into college- the process of binge-listening to records was made much more easier thanks to remembering bands from 120 Minutes (“Sonic Youth makes a lot more sense now.”) So thanks 120 minutes. You made me one weird little kid.

For nostalgia’s sake, here is the classic 120 Minutes intro in all it’s head-tattoo, math equation glory:

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 120 Minutes, alternative, matt pinfield, mtv

It’s Schaal Good

March 11, 2011 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment

You may not know her by name yet, but in my pantheon of comedic integrity Kristen Schaal is a world champion.

Yesterday, I came across  the new video for The National “Conversation 16″, which stars  Schaal as The President of The US, Jon Slattery (Mad Men’s Roger Sterling) as the in-love-with-her bodyguard, and James Urbaniak (Venture Brothers) as The Russian President:

Schaal’s getting to be a pro at  in music videos, as she was the mutiny deliverer in ‘Mutiny, I Promise You’ for The New Pornographers. She also came up with the concept for ‘Conversations 16′, and is generally killing it with everything she does. Schaal has an impressive list of credits to her name (from ‘Toy Story 3′ to ‘Xavier: Renegade Angel’; and stealing the show on ‘Modern Family’ and ‘The Daily Show’), and performs live way more than she needs to in NYC (check out the brilliant variety show ‘Hot Tub’ , which she co-hosts along with co-mutiny deliverer/frequent collaborator Kurt Braunohler, before she becomes too big to do it [there's one this MONDAY]).

My hope is that Schaal can appear in 80% of music videos released over the next 4 months than transition into movies and win an Oscar while hosting the very same, critically-loved Oscar ceremony. I don’t doubt her abilities, but if you do- please see the following clip of Schaal’s breakout character Mel, the lone obsessed fan, on Flight of The Conchords.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: flight of the conchords, hot tub nyc, kristen schaal, the national

God’s Gift to Music

February 22, 2011 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment

I’ll admit to watching The Today Show, but- I do so as a cynic. It is live TV and therefore a chance for numerous hiccups to occur. For instance, this morning a man jumped over the barricade. The NY Post reports that he was from Brooklyn, while Al ‘Super Soaker’ Roker says he yelled that he was “God’s Gift to Music.” So while it is debatable that God’s gift to music would come from Brooklyn, the real divine evidence is getting Meredith Viera to scream ‘Jesus’.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Al Roker, Live TV, oops, today show

Scamps like us, Baby we were Born to Brunch

February 9, 2011 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment

Last night at Brooklyn’s Bell House, I had the pleasure to witness a reading of possibly the greatest fake Rock ‘n Roll anecdote collection (category: humor) ever released. Of course I am biased, as this book was written by my personal hero- Jon Glaser.

The book is called “My Dead Dad was in ZZ Top” and finds real (re:fake) evidence to support stories such as: Bruce Springsteen actually intended to call the song ‘Born to Brunch’ but spilled liquid on the ‘b’ and ‘ch’ (the book has the original breakfast/lunch lyrics). Or did you know that all songs written by Bob Seeger are about him being a werewolf?

The night was presented in the best possible climate for a comedy show: Resentment and Remembrance of Jon’s father (Note: Jon’s real father is not dead and was not in ZZ Top). Guest stars included: Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo, Comedian John Hodgman, Scott Adsit of 30 Rock, Zoe Lister-Jones (Glaser’s co-star in ‘the show you should be watching’ Delocated), Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, and Paul Rudd of movie fame.

I was lucky enough to have a great seat, and close to competent enough to use my camera phone to grab some pictures:

That lil' scamp himself, Jon Glaser

Jon Glaser embracing Jon Hamm--- aka "Glased-Hamm"

The shadowy Paul Rudd did a great Jay Leno impression, a good Jay Leno impression, and an okay Jay Leno impression

I’ve already read through the book and am now in the mode where I will continuously talk about it until you buy it for yourself. If you’re a fan of not taking Rock Music’s sometimes pompous attitude seriously, and are amused by boxer Leon Spinks attending a Kings of Leon concert (back when they were called Kinks of Leon) thinking that he was attending a book signing for his string of Romance Novels—yeah, this book is for you.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Bellhouse, Delocated, Jon Glaser, Jon Hamm, My Dead Dad was in ZZ Top, Paul Rudd

Famous Flubs of the National Anthem

February 7, 2011 By Caleb Shively 1 Comment

Christina Aguilera: Grammy Winner, former Mousketeer, Cher co-star, and now Anthem Flubber.

At the biggest stage, possibly, ever to hear the National Anthem– Xtina didn’t remember that it was ramparts that we watched.

She really is a ‘Genie in a Bottle’ in that she wishes this never happened… At least she’s not alone in ruining a song most of have had memorized since kindergarten:

Here is Olympic Great Carl Lewis, who at least isn’t a professional singer:

There is also the case of when Opera singer Enrico Pallazzo forgot the words to the anthem at a Dodger game with the Queen of England in attendance:

My favorite National Anthem flub story: Natalie Gilbert. This young girl was voted by fans to sing the National Anthem, and well, she loses it… UNTIL:

That’s a head coach of a professional sports team, taking the time before a very important playoff game to help a stranded little girl out. Heart warming, isn’t it? If only say, Roseanne Barr would’ve come out and helped Christina scream the rest of the anthem instead of every other word

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Carl Lewis, Christina Aguilera, Enrico Pallazzo, Flubs, Mo Cheeks, National Anthem, The Naked Gun

Colbert Report issues SELL-OUT OFF: Vampire Weekend vs The Black Keys

January 12, 2011 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment
The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
MeTunes – Grammy Vote – Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney & Ezra Koenig
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

On the Colbert Report last night, Grammy-winning artist Stephen Colbert filled out his Grammy ballot. After giving his best new artist vote to Justin Bieber, the category that caused him the most trouble was ‘Best Alternative Rock Album’ (alternative). Since ‘best’ no longer means most sold- Stephen brought out leading Black Keys scholars, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys, to debate with a leading Vampire Weekend guru, Ezra Koenong of Vampire Weekend, to help him cast his vote.

The result was classic Colbert, filled with terrific lines (“For the record: I have never liked music. It’s just organized sound.”) and an inevitable gang-style brawl between the bands. Kudos to both Vampire Weekend and The Black Keys for not taking themselves too seriously, and for talking about who’s songs worked better in commercials and who has sold out the most.

Filed Under: Blog

Must-Read Media Predictions for 2011

January 5, 2011 By Caleb Shively 1 Comment

We’re seeing plenty of tea-leaf reading for media in 2011 this week. Here are three stories that got us talking here in the office. What are your media predictions for the new year? Let us know what you think….you can also comment on our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/shorefire

* MASHABLE offers a bold forecast for 2011 in which media evolves at an even faster pace, with news increasingly coming in mobile formats that will be more personalized and interactive.

10 Predictions for the News Media in 2011
http://on.mash.to/dPdalJ

* THE NY TIMES’ David Carr foresees further integration of TV and social media in which they share one screen, and “checking in” goes beyond physical locations to include cultural events as well.

The Great Mashup of 2011
http://nyti.ms/g9iNlX

* BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK thinks that one of the most important resolutions for 2011 is to find links between offline, online and social media and integrate them together.

Eight Social Media Resolutions for 2011
http://bit.ly/fgZIs2

Filed Under: Blog

Ladysmith Snack Mambazo

December 30, 2010 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment

One of the great things to happen in 2010 was the evolution of “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”. What started out as a nervous fanboy vibe has deftly turned into a fertile ground of absurdity and silliness. From having Bruce Springsteen sing “Whip My Hair” to having Wesley Snipes shooting a cheescake into a basketball hoop, the Late Night crew has kept the spirit of ‘It’s past midnight, why are you watching this’ alive and thriving.

One of my favorite clips of the past year involves an appearance by the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Here’s hoping for more collaborations of the beautiful vocals and lyrics like “15 grams of fat per serving, made from freshest dairy from local farms and low in sodium”. But really, nothing is gonna make me smile like a synchronized dance-shake while harmonizing the words: “Slow down, don’t get brain freeze”.

Filed Under: Blog

How to Justify Your Year End List to Yourself

December 17, 2010 By Caleb Shively Leave a Comment

It’s fun reading different ‘Favorite Album of the Year’ lists. It causes arguments, agreements, and mostly serves as a reminder of albums that I forgot about that came out this year.

But how do you know your own personal list is correct? Is your list a matter of impulse or did you spend more than 30 minutes deciding between which should be listed first between your #8 and #9 records? Is your opinion way off from current trends or a whole bunch of records you are completely biased to? In 2010 (and in theaters today)- HOW DO YOU KNOW?

The easy answer is that it doesn’t matter, and your list is great because YOU made it.

The hard answer? Analyzation!

Today marked the day that one of the internet’s most popular best-of-the-year destinations- Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of 2010- was revealed to us. Now, to justify my own personal list to myself, I am going to analyze and compare my top 10 albums to that of the Pitchfork 50. Doing this, I hope to scientifically validate my own unique personality through the means of a much more popular website. I am going to list my ten favorite albums from 2010 and see how they stacked up to Pitchfork’s:

10. New Pornographers – Together

PITCHFORK: Not ranked. Off to a bad start.

9. Suckers – Wild Smile

PITCHFORK: Not ranked. BUT- they are a featured video on the homepage! That counts for something.

8. Wild Nothing – Gemini

PITCHFORK: #49! Finally some official list cross-over. And I thought I was losing it! Thank goodness their list goes 5 times as long as mine.

7. Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can

PITCHFORK: Not ranked. Hmm. Well, this is #7 and not #1 for a reason, and that reason might as well be because Pitchfork simply gave it an 8.1, right?

6. Gayngs – Relayted

PITCHFORK: Not ranked. That’s two records in a row I really enjoyed, but don’t see a website enjoy as much? What happened Pitchfork? We used to be so close?

5. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today

PITCHFORK: #9. WE DID IT! Yay! 9 out of 50 is kind of close  (not at all really) to 5 out of 10. Well, they’re both in our top ten. We’re not best friends yet, Pitchfork, but we at least can say ‘hi’ to each other in the hallway between classes.

4. Beach House – Teen Dream

PITCHFORK: #5! Whoa. My 4 is your 5! Scientifically speaking, we’re best friends now and should braid each other’s hair to celebrate. But, ya know, this was a great album. It was on a lot of lists. This doesn’t prove anything yet.

3 Pit Er Pat – The Flexible Entertainer

PITCHFORK: Not ranked. OK. I am in strong disagreement with Pitchfork now. To take the high road: I like my list better anyway.

2. Joanna Newsom – Have One on Me

PITCHFORK: #7. Alright, this is somewhere close to back on track. My second favorite album is in the top 10. My list feels stronger, more resilient, ready to take on the world.

1. Zola Jesus – Stridulum

PITCHFORK: #37. Well at least my favorite album is on your list. The lower ranking given to this album makes me feel validated AND unique at the same time. I’m at peace with this. Pitchfork’s #1 album (My Beautiful Dark Fantasy) was my #18 favorite and I just made that #18 up. It’s all pretty arbitrary after 10 really.

So to summarize: 5 off my list also made Pitchfork’s list. That’s half of my list being listed as ‘hip’ or ‘cool’ or ‘another word’.  Pitchfork and I even had 3 crossovers in our top tens! And my #1 album wasn’t listed too high. Overall, my list compares slightly above averagely enough for me to forget about it in 3 months, and put myself through these same emotions for next years list. So to translate that more clearly, Pitchfork would give my list a 7.4

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: pitchfork, top ten
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