I know it's not Friday and it's been awhile...

...but let's talk about Glee. How I adore this show, even though I have only seen one episode. I am anxiously awaiting the next episode when it starts airing regularly next month. I have never seen a show quite like this one and it's unique plot and one of a kind characters make it a must for me.

Letty and I recently went to a cast signing and Q&A, and everyone was incredible. The entire cast was amiable and kind and made the whole experience well worth the wait in line and cost of the t-shirt. Cory Monteith, who plays Finn, was funny and outgoing and Lea Michele was just as adorable as she seems on screen. All of the 'gleeks' were there in addition to Cory and Lea, including Dianna Agron, Chris Colfer, Kevin McHale, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, and Jenna Ushkowitz. They were all so friendly and open, and it made me like them even more.

The show itself is genius and the cast just makes it better. Jane Lynch is impeccable as she often is and I think I would watch the show just for her if nothing else. Lea's voice is a force to be reckoned with and paired with the other talented singers, it's magic. It's hard to single any one voice out with this crew, because Amber, Jenna, Chris, and the rest of the cast are all amazing as well.

To make a long story short, this show is funny. And you can root for the characters. Or hate them in a way that only good writing makes you love to hate someone. The writing is great, the acting is great, the choreography is great. It's all great. Watch the pilot on Fox.com and then catch new episodes on September 9th, because it's you know, great!

...Hen

Rant.

I'd just like to take the time to say that I think NBC choosing to broadcast Leno five nights a week in prime time is nuts. Maybe I'm the only one, but that seems counter-intuitive. Perhaps it's cheaper. But then again maybe they shouldn't have picked up two medical dramas that look remarkably like reincarnations of ER or perhaps another show that's on a different network about a hard working nurse.

If NBC would put some of that money to use promoting, and airing, their great shows like Chuck, perhaps other networks wouldn't feel so inclined to mock their methods. Or maybe I'm just biased. Either way, pardon this random rant.

...Hen

See for yourself!

So, in case anyone needed further proof of how awesome Jack's Mannequin is live, here's a little visual evidence.

The video is short but catches the chorus of Swim.

Seriously, they put on an amazing show and I once again recommend seeing them perform. I promise I'm done gushing now. Enjoy!

...Hen

There's a lot that I don't know, there's a lot that I'm still learning...

OK, so I know it's Friday and technically a day for all things TV, but I'm going to rewind and go with a missed music post from Wednesday. I am going to delve into our first music post with one of my favorite albums at the moment. Actually, it's been one of my favorite albums since its release in September of 2008. Jack's Mannequin, The Glass Passenger, is seriously great at every level. I know there are many out there who would argue that this CD isn't even the best of all his albums. I, on the other hand, love every track on this CD which makes it special in my opinion.

My favorite song from the album is the third track, Swim. It rings with the struggle McMahon faces from his battle with leukemia which he was diagnosed with immediately after cutting his last CD, Everything in Transit. My family is no stranger to cancer and this song particularly struck a chord in me. The lyrics can be applied to any struggle, internal or something physical like an illness. McMahon's voice is impassioned and clear and I find it especially easy to connect with him on this track, even more so than the others.

Each song is a progression through to the next one and the entire album rolls together seamlessly. This is one of the easiest CD's to listen to from track one straight through to the last song.

The other song that stands out for me is Hammer's and Strings. There's something in Andrew's voice that compliments the music so well that it sounds more like you're standing feet away from his piano in a quiet room rather than listening to it pumping through your speakers. As cheesy as this may sound, there is a lot of truth in his voice that really comes through, as if you're the friend he's singing about, lamenting to your friend Andy. Not to mention that this is one of those bands that sounds just as great live as they do recording in a studio. Trust me, I saw them in concert with The Fray a couple of weeks ago and have never really felt anything like that before. Each time he opened his mouth to sing, I would turn to Letty and grin or laugh or suppress a girlish squeal, which is something I refrain from doing a lot. They put on an amazing show and I highly recommend seeing them live. Letty and I decided we would follow them on tour if we weren't decidedly incapable of doing so financially.

I really love this CD and I know that much is obvious, but I heartily recommend that everyone listen to the album at least once all the way through, from beginning to end. You're judgement after that isn't up to me, but then if it were, everyday would spin to a soundtrack filled with Jack's Mannequin.

...Hen

Let's start off by saying, this is NOT a love story.

I'll be honest, when I first decided to go see (500) Days of Summer, I was seeing it for Zooey Deschanel. She's beautiful, she's a wonderful actress, and her voice is like heaven. It also doesn't hurt that she's engaged to Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard (as much as it pains me, I won't talk about music. Or my insane love for DCFC). I know I may have been a little late to the party, but really, she had me in the first notes of her rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" in the movie Elf. But this post is about a movie, not an actress.

While I tend to shy away from Indie films (I have a tendency to find them a bit pretentious), I must say that (500) Days of Summer was a pleasant surprise for me. I almost groaned audibly as I realized that the timeline jumped around instead of staying in chronological order (I usually get frustrated as I spend half the movie figuring out the when rather than the what is happening), but in this movie, it worked. I found that the uneven timeline added value and further depth to the story, rather than detracting from the plot as a needless distraction. And the acting was good, to boot!

I'll admit I was afraid that I'd have constant 3rd Rock from the Sun flashbacks while watching Joseph Gordon-Levitt on screen, but he did a fantastic job. His portrayal of Tom (a failed architect turned greeting card writer) was surprisingly refreshing. Considering every male character in this genre tends to give me the same vibe (let's face it, they're wusses), I was surprised to find myself sympathising with him despite the gender role reversal central to the movie's theme. He's pushing for commitment from Deschanel's character, Summer, while she claims she's "not looking for anything serious."

While this deviation from typical gender stereotypes could've easily turned me off to the movie (frankly, I like my men to be men), I thought it was an interesting take on modern relationships. But that's all I'll say about that. Moving to less controversial subjects...

The karaoke scenes. Hilarious, and well-executed. I almost jumped out of my chair in excitement as Zooey Deschanel stepped up to the mic for her rendition of "Sugartown." Seeing how this would've been my second seemingly irrational response to a song in the movie (I'd already freaked out in the beginning as Regina Spektor played within the first five minutes), I restrained myself. Then, I entirely pre-judged Gordon-Levitt, thinking he'd be painfully awful when it was his turn for drunken karaoke. In reality, he was pretty damn good.

Did I mention how excited I am about the soundtrack? Especially when I found out She & Him was on it.

I feel like I should apologize that the thoughts and assorted ramblings in this post seem randomly thrown together. There's so much to say about this movie, and I'm having some difficulty getting it all in while trying not to put you to sleep with copious amounts of words.

All in all, I was glad that the movie felt like a realistic depiction of real-life events, just as I felt it had promised me. It's nice when things surpass your expectations (however cynical those may be), and (500) Days of Summer certainly did the trick for me.

Letty

It's never safe in the car...

So since it's Friday even if it's a little late, let's talk television. In honor of this inaugural TV discussion, I'd like to start with one of my favorite and most under-appreciated shows on the air right now, Chuck!

I'll keep this fairly short because I would go on forever if I didn't set a limit for myself. But let's begin with the basics. This show is hilarious. From the lead actors, to the story line, to every one of the supporting cast, Chuck is perfectly funny. In case you've never seen the show, and I highly recommend you rectify that unfortunate fact if that's the case, the premise revolves around an adorkable guy named Chuck who works at an electronics store after he was unceremoniously expelled from Stanford five years prior. One afternoon, Chuck receives an email from his ex-roommate, who is a spy and also the reason he was expelled, that is embedded with all of the secrets of the US government. Come to find out it is called the intersect and obviously very attractive to enemy agencies of foreign countries. Now, Chuck experiences 'flashes' of government intel when triggered by some sort of sensory stimulation. The CIA and NSA send their best agents to act as his handlers and the rest is television genius in my opinion.

Zachary Levi is brilliant as the lovable Chuck and his comedic timing is perfection. Throw in Yvonne Strahovski and Adam Baldwin as Sarah and Casey, his overprotective and sometimes reluctant handlers and you've got one of the funniest and most enjoyable trio's on TV right now. The growing and strained love story between Chuck and Sarah would keep me tuning in every week on it's own but it is only one element to this original and wonderful show.

The supporting cast boasts talented actors such as Sarah Lancaster as Chuck's beautiful and caring sister Ellie and Joshua Gomez as his loyal and eccentric best friend. There are numerous other actors who make this show good, like Ryan McPartlin as Ellie's fiancee and Vik Sahay and Scott Krinsky as two of Chuck's vibrant coworkers. Not to mention all the incredible guest stars that make memorable appearances.

So much for keeping this short I guess.

At the helm of this great show is Chris Fedak and Josh Schwartz to whom I can only say thank you for bringing such a unique and funny show to NBC. That said, I can only hope the execs at NBC realize what a gem they have and give Chuck it's full support. After a near miss with the third season, the fans rallied and demanded the network give this deserving dramedy it's due. Now Chuck will return in March after the 2010 winter Olympics with a shortened season and while I find this decision disappointing and disheartening, I suppose I must be grateful for any kind of third season at all.

All in all, Chuck is the epitome of clever and creative television and I hope it gains the respect it deserves. At any rate, I will tune into NBC for as long as Chuck is on the air. If the day comes that the Peacock decides to pull it from it's lineup, I may very well rethink my viewership.

So watch Chuck and laugh... a lot!

...Hen

Thursday Night Book Club

So I was thinking we should designate a day every week for a discussion of our favorite books. Thursday sounded right to me. Every Thursday evening, we can come here to discuss a book of our choosing; sounds simple, right?

While we're at it, maybe we can pick a day for movies, TV, and music as well. Let's say Monday we delve into our favorite films or at least the ones we've seen recently. Then on Wednesday we can talk about the latest in music and Friday can be dedicated to television. The remaining days can be left for whatever topics that are presently weighing on our minds.

Thoughts, suggestions? Or all out disagreement and outrage at such a preposterous idea?

...Hen