Heat Check

It’s been awhile, so I guess it’s time for my latest installment of the Hot List. Let’s jump right in.

Things I’m hot on:

Veronica Mars: Remember reading Encyclopedia Brown mysteries as a kid. I do, and they were the best books evah. Well this show is pretty much like that. Only Encyclopedia is in high school and he’s an extremely good looking female. Throw in more adult themes, the best television father since Richard Mulligan as Harry Weston in Empty Nest. The shows also very funny but it’s the stories lines that suck you in and make the show worth watching. The first season is out on DVD. I strongly recommend renting it. You’ll get hooked.

NCAA MVP Baseball 2006 and Mario Soccer: I’ve barely played it, but it’s awesome. They just kept the engine from MVP ’05 and added in college teams and recruiting. So cool. As for Mario Soccer, I’ve only played it once. But it brought back fond memories of playing Mega Man Soccer* So I immediately loved it. When arcade soccer games are done write I’m not sure if there’s any thing better then that.

Destroyer – Rubies: If you haven’t heard this album yet that’s probably because it’s not out yet and you don’t illegally download music. But this CD is really good. The open track, which is also the title track, is 9 and a half minutes of musical genius. After listening to it you feel confident that the CD has no where to go but down, the song is that good. However you’d be mistaken because it’s not even the best song on the CD. That title belongs to Looters Follies. I’d tell you more but you really should just listen to it yourself.

Other Musical Shout Outs: (A= Album, S=Song)
Rhett Miller – The Believer (A): Another great albums combing a.m. pop and alt. country. While there’s no song on here as good as Come Around or Our Love, this is a better CD then the Instigator or the last Old 97’s album. Highlight songs include: Meteor Shower, Singular Girl, I Believe She’s Lying** and Question.
The Strokes – You Only Live Once (S): Overall the Strokes new album was a disappointment. But this song is one of the best they’ve ever done. Just a really hot song with one of the best riffs I’ve heard in some time.
Atmosphere – Little Man (S): Another good artist who’s new album was only sub par. But the Little Man might be the best song he’s ever written. Some may claim he stole the premise of the song from Slim Shady, which is true. But he pulls it of better the Marshall so I’m ok with it.
Jenny Lewis w/ the Watson Twins – Handle Me with Care {Feat. Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst and M. Ward} (S): Covering the Traveling Wilburs Lewis in the gang put out this gem. The song is easily better the original but maintains the oldie feel. It’s pretty good.



Things I’m not hot on ( a.k.a. The Not Hot List):

The Lute Olson-Roy Williams Verbal Foliation Fest: Every time Lute and Roy’s teams play each other both go out of their way to talk about how great the other is. Listen I’m all for coaches respecting each other, but these two go to far. In fact I’m pretty sure that they’re both doing it.

Arizona’s Season: Listen I don’t want to write about it, you don’t want to think about it, but there’s no escaping it. It’s just sitting there like a gigantic third nipple that can’t be ignored. So I just going to say a few things and then well be done with it. This team is dumb, easily the lowest basketball IQ of any U of A team I’ve ever seen. But this team still has enough talent that if everything clicks at the right time they could beat anyone. But the real problem with this team is the lack of a star. Our top 3 players: Shakur, Adams and Williams are all 2nd fiddles. This team lacks a great player to push everyone else over the top. If J-Mac had been healthy I truly believe he would have been that player. The above mentioned player would be able to just play to their strength as oppose to playing over their heads. But J-Mac’s not healthy, So instead we see a team that’s completely unable to get over the hump game after game, and it’s slowly killing me. I still believe this team could make the tournament, but who knows. The best thing to do is to watch this team and try to have no expectations, then maybe the games would be enjoyable. Well I'm going to stop talking about this and go do something more enjoyable, like peeling of my entire toe nail some pilers.

Things I’m hot on, but really wish I wasn’t (a.k.a Guilty Pleasures):

Nickleback – Photograph: Yeah it’s a horrible song. And yes it’s a musical personification of abortion. But has any song ever been funnier? I mean I don’t ever want to hear it, but if it comes on the radio there’s no way I’, changing it. I mean just listen to the passion he sings with when he says the line “And what the hell is on Joey’s head?”. I have a feeling that years from Nickleback will reveal to all of us that they were just trying to be funny with all their songs; they were never actually trying to put out good music. Then I feel vindicated for my love affair with this song. I mean c’mon, it’s the highest of high comedies.

The Family Stone: Few movies have ever run the gauntlet of emotions with me quite like this one. First it for most the movie was pretty sh*tty. There were about two redeemable characters in the whole film. And it was manipulative as all hell. But it also had Rachel McAdams, who just might be the most beautiful women alive. It also involved Luke Wilson and Paul Schneider, two man crushes of mine. So I guess all in all it wasn’t horrible. In fact I kinda of enjoyed. But don’t tell anyone.

Until We Meet Again

* Which might be the best game of all-time.
** Jon Brion Cover.