My #1 song of 2004 is Float On by Modest Mouse. I've come to have a relationship with this song. When it comes on, I still get excited even six months later. When I listen to it, it makes me happy. There could not have possibly been any other song that I could put in the top slot for 2004. It was the year I discovered Modest Mouse.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Thursday, December 30, 2004
The Best of 2004- #2
#2 is Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand. Any other year, this song would have been #1 by a long shot, but it came out at almost the exact same time as my very favorite song and could never quite overtake it as the best, either during the course of the year or now. But #2 is no shame in this case- I love this song as a favorite that I will never get tired of.
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
The Best of 2004- #3
#3 is A Favor House Atlantic by Coheed & Cambria. Don't be put off by the fact that all of their tracks are part of some bizarre mythology- their stuff is addicting.
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
The Best of 2004- #4
#4 is Silver and Cold by AFI. This was my favorite song for the first half of the year. Then I became aware of Modest Mouse in June.
Monday, December 27, 2004
The Best of 2004- #5
#5 is Ocean Breathes Salty by Modest Mouse. This song being so great is what prompted me to make my first CD purchase in 4 years.
Sunday, December 26, 2004
The Best of 2004- #6
#6 is Somebody Told Me by The Killers. Tomorrow, the Top 5 starts. I've come so far.
Friday, December 24, 2004
The Best of 2004- #7
#7 is Ch-Check it Out by the Beastie Boys. I don't agree with their politics, but this one didn't touch on that so I allowed it to get stuck in my head...over and over.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
The Best of 2004- #8
#8 is Such Great Heights by The Postal Service. Nice to see that the USPS backed off suing the band and instead are trying to get them to be spokesmen. Something working out well for everyone instead of more legal nonsense.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
LOST- Episode 4: Walkabout & Episode 5: White Rabbit
LOST- Episode 4: Walkabout
I was psyched for this episode because we were finally going to learn more about the mysterious Mr. Locke. All we know about him so far is that he likes board games and he believes in miracles. I would too if 48 people survived a plane crash.
We open with a flashback to Scene 1 Episode 1, this time seen through the eyes of Locke. He appears understandably dazed and makes quite a dramatic effort to put his shoe back on. Walt's dog awakens him as well as everyone else by barking at something rummaging through the plane wreck. Jack thinks it's Sawyer again, but no dice, he's right behind him. Soon we find out what happens when animals attack and everyone scatters. When the creatures run off, Mr. Locke informs us that they were boars. He looks pretty pleased about this.
The speaking parts discuss what to do with the bodies since they're attracting animals. Dr. Jack says burn them- everyone else seems a little more cautious and respectful of the dead. Next day, Sayid seems upset about Jack's decision and the fact that Jack is the one who makes the decisions. He tells Kate that he is making an antenna to track the signal the French woman put out. He rightly points out that if a distress signal has been playing for sixteen years, it must have a power source.
Sawyer and Hurley fight over the last packets of airline peanuts- here comes Jack to break it up again. Crisis # 57 is revealed- there's no more food. Mr. Locke helpfully suggests they hunt- making his entrance by throwing a knife in the general direction of Sawyer. Way to make a point. And if you're wondering how he got a set of hunting knives on the plane, well, he checked them of course. Hmm.
We flashback to a closeup of Locke getting a phone call where he is addressed as Colonel and told the rendezvous point is secure. Alas, it's all a camera trick because when the camera pans back we see poor Mr. Locke stuck in an Office Space cubicle (complete with TPS reports). His boss rudely gets on his back for personal calls at the office, even if they were for role-playing purposes. Locke gives bossman Randy the evil eye, but gets back to work.
Back to the present,Jack wonders why Kate always wants to go on the adventures into the mysterious jungle. She shows him Sayid's antenna. Meanwhile, Michael tries to convey to Sun that he wants her to babysit while he goes on the wildboar safari. Wasn't there anyone around who speaks English? I'm just saying. And where is her hardcase partner to put a stop to this nonsense?
Claire asks Jack if he would like to lead the funeral service at the body burning that night, but he blows her off. Our good doctor seems awfully cold to the idea of remembering those who were lost (for good). What kind of doctor lacks sympathy? I'm sure we will find out eventually.
Elsewhere, Boone scoffs at the idea that Shannon can catch fish. So later, just as Charlie is about to hit his ever-dwindling stash, Shannon asks him if he knows how to fish. I have a feeling she's used this strategy before- the one that says guys will do anything for a beautiful girl.
Boone talks Jack into talking to the old black woman who is sitting alone mourning her husband and not eating. Now an exclusive transcript of Jack's thoughts: "Why is everyone deferring to me? Did I ever actually declare myself the leader? Oh well, I'll do it." Anyway, Rose ain't talking to nobody, not even the leader.
Locke finally corners a boar but Michael blows it by loudly questioning the Colonel's hand signals. Everyone goes down and Michael has gotten gored in the leg for his troubles. Mr. Locke checks to make sure his foot is still there. Flashback to the office breakroom, where Locke is playing a wargame complete with little GI Joes. Randy stops by to ridicule him again. He was never in the service, he'll never go on a Walkabout (Australian safari adventure thing). Locke mumbles that he took vacation time, he is going and oh yeah, don't tell him what he can't do. When Locke wakes up from the flashback, he ignores the injured Michael and goes off to find the boar, leaving Kate and us wondering why he is acting so strangely and why he called her Helen.
Sorting through the wreckage, Claire finds an envelope with Sayid's name on it. It's a picture of an Arabic woman which he fingers longlingly.
Flashback again, Locke is on the phone withHelen telling her how great it was to tell Randy off (gee, that's not the scene I saw) He invites her to go with him on his expedition but she says it's against the rules to see customers. Ouch! Is anything what it seems with this guy?
Back to reality, Kate climbs a tree to try and get a signal with Sayid's antenna. Unfortunately, G.I.M. (Giant Invisible Monster) decides to strike, knocking the device out of Kate's hands and breaking it. At the same time, Locke thinks he's onto a boar but is actually onto GIM. I scream at the TV "No, not Mr. Locke! He's my favorite!"
Michael and Kate return less than triumphantly- Walt wants to be impressed with Dad but it's hard when they are missing one team member and Dad has to admit he lost a fight to a boar. Charlie brings a fish to Shannon but has his bubble burst when Boone reveals that he has been manipulated. At the shore, Rose pipes up about her husband. Jack invites her to the funeral to say goodbye to him, but she tells him he is not dead. Denial ain't just a river, baby. Oh, and Jack, try to ignore that mysterious man in black looking at you from a distance.
Kate pulls Jack aside and tells him that Locke is gone, but before he can even mourn he sees that weird MIB again and goes after him this time. In the woods we find that, hooray, Mr. Locke is not dead! And he comes bearing a 200 lb boar!
That night, the funeral begins with Claire reading off everything she could find out about the dead. Everyone is there except Jack who sits on the beach alone. Michael thanks Locke for killing the boar. Locke responds with a look on his face that says, "Hey, I didn't do anything except hide behind a tree and pee my pants while GIM did all the killing and I made off with the body like the scavenger that I am." Yes, I got all that from one look- the show is that darn good.
Final flashback and this one is a shocker. Locke is denied his place on the Walkabout because he is in a wheelchair! But it's his destiny, man! Don't tell him what he can't do! Back to the crashsite where suddenly, Locke can walk! That was the miracle he told Walt about, that was why he kept wiggling his toes to make sure they were still there- because he could! That's why Randy ridiculed him for signing up for a "Walk"about! So there ya go all you invalids- just get in a plane crash and everything will be all right! Inspiration in the form of Lost.
LOST- Episode 5: White RabbitWe open through the eyes of a young boy being told to stay down by a bully. Apparently not wanting to lie there and watch his friend get beat up, the boy gets up and takes a beating of his own. Bully: "You should have stayed down, Jack."
Back to "live" action, Charlie, who is in a panic, wakes Jack up and points out to sea, where a woman is screaming for help. Charlie would go himself, but he has little hobbitt legs...I mean, he can't swim. Shirt torn off for the ladies, our hero, Dr. Jack scrambles into the water and pulls up, not the woman, but Boone who, turns out, is an even lousier lifeguard than we first imagined. Making a life or death gametime decision, Jack decides to bring Boone back to the beach and then head back out to get the girl. These people defer to the hero so much! Is there no one else among the forty-plus who can swim? Anyway, will Jack make it in time? We won't know before commercials.
Cue creepy LOST opening title. We're back and Boone is on the beach looking depressed. Elsewhere, Kate gives Jack the vital statistics on the woman he failed to save. Yes, failed! He regrets that he had never even spoken to her. RIP, Joanna who liked to swim. And we're down to the final 46. Jack half-heartedly tries to justify his actions but is distracted by that guy in the suit again. This time the guy is standing in the water, so we pretty much know that he's in Jack's head now. Kate confirms this by not seeing him and asking when the last time the good doctor got any sleep.
Sun has a subtitled conversation with Jin about how everyone is ignoring them and no one is coming to rescue them. Jin assures her that they don't need anyone else and if she needs someone to tell her what to do, she's all set with him around.
Elsewhere, Sawyer has opened up a shop where he barters all the stuff he stole from the wreckage. One guess what he wants to trade Shannon his bug spray for. To hammer home what Sawyer is up to, Claire complains to Kate that she can't find a hairbrush in anyone's luggage. Such vanity in these women! You're pregnant- shouldn't you be looking for vitamins or something?
Hurley and Charlie come to Jack with Crisis #72- they are running low on drinking water. Jack wants no part in the decision making process- a fact that is lost on the two knuckleheads who follow him around like puppies. He finally has to yell at them: "I'm not deciding anything!" This stuns the boys who respond with a weak, "Why not?"
Flashback time- this week we are obviously invading Jack's memories. This one is post-bully fight and Daddy dearest is in his fancy study drinking and looking over his son with restrained disdain. Dr. Dad relates the tale of how he came home today unaffected by the death of a small boy on the operating table as if this cold-heartedness is something to brag about. His point is that if you can't handle failure, don't become a doctor- in fact, never even make decisions! He thinks Jack doesn't have "what it takes."
Boone wakes Jack from his thoughts and angrily tells him he should have left him and gone after the drowning Joanna. Jack tries to walk away, but Boone follows, asking the question Jack has been asking himself- who made you the leader? Jack ignores him and heads straight into the jungle to chase that wacky man in the suit again. The realization that this is his father literally bowls him over.
We head back to Jack's flashbacks where Mom informs a fully grown Dr. Hero that Dad has run off again. Jack tries to beg off the job of bringing him back, but Mom insists. In the Lost tradition of providing more questions than answers- Mom blasts her son by telling him "You don't get to say 'I can't'- not after what you did!" Jack looks remorseful and reluctantly agrees to retrieve his father from, where else but, Australia.
Back on the beach, Walt runs up to Kate with the terrible news that Claire has fallen down from the heat. Since Jack is in the jungle, our replacement heroes of Charlie and Michael carry her into the tent. All she needs is some water, but unfortunately, someone has swiped it all. Kate, Sayid and Locke decide it may be time to look for a water source since things could start getting ugly. Even in these extreme circumstances, sexist barriers remain solid as Sayid shoots down Kate's offer to go look, but agrees to let Locke go off alone. Locke may know where to look, but after last week, one has to get a little nervous when people head into the jungle by themselves.
Speaking of which, Jack is currently in a desperate state as he chases after his father who is staying one step ahead of him by simply walking or reappearing behind him. Hmm, maybe that's a clue that he's not really there, Jack, old buddy. Flashback to Australia, where a hotel employee informs the good son that Dad hasn't used his bed and has been in quite the drunken stupor when seen. Jack confirms this by finding a lot of empty bottles of pills and alcohol. Dad also left behind his wallet- never a good sign.
Now deep in the magic jungle, Jack is just about to catch Dad this time when he trips and tumbles down a hill, leading to him hanging precariously from a cliff. I was filled with such fear that I could barely listen to Stuart Scott and Subway Jared telling me to buy their food. My fears were groundless, however, since Mr. Locke knew exactly which way Jack went and arrives on the scene to rescue him. When asked if he is okay, Jack cracks up laughing, because that is such a dumb question.
In the tent, Claire wakes up and bonds with Charlie by making fun of Mr. Locke. Could there be romance in the air? Outside the tent, Hurley rats out Jin and Sun for having water. Sayid and Kate try to break the language barrier and manage to get Jin to point at Sawyer. Kate wants to confront the rat, but Sayid convinces her to wait and follow him to his stash. They don't have to wait very long since Sawyer goes there in the next scene. They tackle him and make accusations but of course, he is once again a red herring. Water has no value to him since it's eventually going to rain- he traded his last bottle with Jin for a fish. That should rejuvenate the struggling crashsite economy! That sarcastic jerk tops things off by tossing Kate the Marshall's badge- she's the new sheriff in town!
Mr. Locke feebly tries to catch dripping water off a leaf while simultaneously giving Jack a much needed pep talk. Neither works very well- Jack says he doesn't have what it takes (wherever did he get that from?) Locke changes the subject by asking him why he's out there. He assures Jack that he is notgoing crazy and that there is magic on the island. Even though it is technically impossible for Jack's father to be there, he asserts, it might very well be possible in this special place. I can't do this scene justice- here is a transcript of what the great Mr. Locke says:
"I'm an ordinary man, Jack. Meat and potatoes. I live in the real world. Not a big believer in...magic. But this place is different. It's special. The others don't want to talk about it because it scares them, but we all know it. We all feel it. Is your white rabbit a hallucination? Probably. But... what if everything that happened here...happened for a reason? What if this person you're chasing is really here?"
Jack: "That's impossible."
Locke: "Even if it is- let's say it's not."
Jack: "Then what happens when I catch him?"
Locke: "I don't know, but I've looked into the eye of this island- and what I saw... was beautiful."
Locke then goes off to find more water. Jack would like to come but Locke insists that he stay out there to finish what he started. "A leader can't lead until he knows where he is going."
Flashback to the morgue, where we learn that Dad's last drinking binge has killed him via heart attack. Jack sheds a few tears both in memory and around the jungle fire he has somehow made. He is stirred out of his thoughts by the sound of ice rattling in a glass... a familiar sound heard in the 'Dad's study' flashback. Jack does some more jungle stumbling- this time in the dark and finds, of all things, a waterfall. Oddly, there's a doll in the water- Jack follows a trail of dolls to more plane wreckage where sitting innocently in the mess is a coffin.
This triggers yet another memory scene where Jack argues with the airline counter girl about getting his Dad's coffin onto the plane. I think we can assume that he succeeds. Back in the jungle, you get no prizes for guessing that the coffin is empty. Jack wrecks the thing to pieces with a convenient pipe.
At camp, Boone is busted as the one who stole the water. Turns out he wanted to take Jack's place as the leader by rationing the water himself without bothering to tell anyone. Nice plan, genius. Before hecan be properly lynched, Jack emerges from the jungle to put a stop to the chaos. Destroying the coffin being pretty good catharsis, Jack is ready to be a leader and gives a nice, inspiring speech about how they need to stop waiting to be rescued and start worrying about organizing and surviving.
With peace restored, everyone drinks the rest of the water (tomorrow they'll get more from the waterfall). Sun thanks Jin for getting her water and Jin tells her, "That's what husbands do," finally making their relationship clear. Oh wait, maybe he could be reminding her that they were going to be married and aren't yet. Change that to almost clear. Sawyer asks Boone how it feels to be the new "Island's Most Hated" while Jack tells Kate that his father died. And that is that. We fade to black before they show everyone peeing from drinking so much water before bedtime.
Next week: Jin attacks Michael and vice versa, the speaking parts stumble across some skeletons and Locke knows who Charlie is and what he's after...
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
The Best of 2004- #10
#10 is I Miss You by Blink 182. I've liked almost every Blink song, but I believe this is their first top 10 finish for me.
Monday, December 20, 2004
The Best of 2004- #11
#11 is Buried a Lie by Senses Fail. It sounds like it's about necrophilia- but it's really about a murder investigation. Quite an interesting song!
Sunday, December 19, 2004
The Best of 2004- #12
#12 is I'm Not Okay (I Promise) by My Chemical Romance. The highest ranking of the "songs I initially hated but then started to like"- a big category most years.
Saturday, December 18, 2004
The Best of 2004- #13
#13 is Duality by Slipknot. If you had told me a year ago that I would like a song by Slipknot, I would have said you were crazy!
Friday, December 17, 2004
The Best of 2004- #14
#14 is Slow Hands by Interpol. I want to say that if I had composed this list a few weeks later, this would have been higher due to its long reign on my weekly Top 10, but it's not true. I still like 1-13 better. I must listen to too much music or something because I like a lot of stuff...
Thursday, December 16, 2004
LOST- Episodes 1 & 2: The Pilot
The show opens with an extreme close-up on a closed eye which suddenly opens wide with fear. The camera pulls back to reveal a badly beaten man lying on the jungle floor. He turns his head at the sound of a noise, but it is just a dog. A dog? Yes, things are getting weird already. The man stands up and gives himself a quick check-up (bad cut on his back). He finds a small empty liquor bottle in his pocket which seems to spark his memory so he takes off running through the jungle. After passing a shoe hanging from a tree, he arrives at a clearing where all seems peaceful- until he turns a corner around some brush and sees the horrific aftermath of a plane crash.
The scene is chaotic- one of the plane's engines is still roaring away, people are screaming and running around aimlessly. Some are helping the injured while others are calling out for loved ones. A man is trapped under some wreckage just under the engine and our man runs over to help, instructing others to do the same. They manage to free the man but he has unfortunatley lost a leg. Our man notices a distressed pregnant woman and runs over to help her next. She is only eight months pregnant but is having contractions.
As two men drag away the man who lost a leg, they try to warn another guy to stay away from the engine, but it is too late. The guy is sucked right in, causing a huge explosion. Debris flies everywhere causing even more panic. Our man instructs the woman to stay still and she will be fine. He calls over to a large man and tells him to keep an eye on her and if there's any trouble to call him. The large man asks his name- it is Jack.
Our hero Jack next dashes over to inform a young man that he is performing CPR incorrectly. He takes over the process and when the boy suggests poking a hole in her throat with a pen, Jack doesn't object and sends him off to find one. With the young man out of the way, Jack is able to focus and bring the unconscious woman around. Just then, he looks up and notices the plane's wing hanging precariously over head and about to fall. He makes a mad dash over to the pregnant woman and the large man, yelling for them to move. The three stumble out of the way just as the wing falls to the ground, causing yet another explosion. After making sure they are okay, Jack tells them to stay put and begins to wander around the crash site. He digs through a suitcase and finds a sewing kit on the very first try.
With things settled down for the moment, Jack goes off alone to check on his injury, which looks pretty bad upon closer inspection. A young woman is walking nearby and he calls to her, asking if she has ever used a needle. He asks her to stitch his wound and though she initially seems horrified at the idea, she agrees to do it.
The sun is starting to set and people have begun to process what has happened to them. The pregnant woman stands on the shore quietly. The man who helped Jack rescue the guy under the engine sits on the beach and stares out at the ocean. The large man is stacking some of the airline food together. The young man who found the pens tries his cell phone but can't get a signal. A Middle Eastern man is building a large fire and asks a scruffy young guy for help. His name is Charlie, the Middle Eastern man is Sayid.
Back to Jack, where his new helper informs him that she may throw up on him. He reassures her and she observes that he doesn't seem afraid. He lets her in on his secret. He is a doctor and during his first surgery, he messed up pretty badly and got really scared. He then made a conscious decision to let the fear rule him, but only for five seconds. He even demonstrates how to count to five in case she doesn't know. After that, he explains how he regained control, sewed his patient up and she was fine. The woman says she would have run for the door in his position, but he does not believe her. "You're not running now," he points out.
Night has fallen on the beach. Sayid is sitting with Charlie wondering where the heck their rescue team is. Elsewhere, a young woman is occupying herself by painting her toenails. The young man who couldn't perform CPR sits down and offers her a candy bar, which she scoffs at. They know each other- he calls her Shannon and suggests that she eat something since they might be there for a while. Shannon, however, is insistent that she will eat on the rescue boat. The large man is passing the airline food out to people and checks on the pregnant woman. She is hanging in there. He gives her two helpings of airline food. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. An airline food joke- I'm so witty! Near a fire, a Korean man informs his wife that she is not to leave his side. Follow him wherever he goes. Don't worry about the others. Nice guy!
By flashlight, Jack is tending to a man with a big piece of metal sticking out of his gut. The woman Jack has befriended asks if the man will live. Turns out, the guy was sitting next to her on the plane. Moments later, they are by the fire discussing the crash. Both the nose and the tail of the plane broke off, but they are not on the beach. Jack suggests that if they can find the cockpit, they can send out a signal with the transceiver. They finally introduce themselves (her name is Kate), and they decide to go looking together in the morning. Before they can kiss or anything, a loud rumble from the jungle gets everyone's attention. Whatever is making this horrible, roaring, clanking, gurgling, howling, monstrous sound is tearing down trees as it moves around. Shannon's friend gets up to investigate, so that Shannon can call after him and reveal that his name is Boone. Everyone gathers around to watch the trees being sucked down and look fearful.
After commercial, we are on the plane still in flight, where Jack sweet talks the stewardess into giving him a second tiny bottle of alcohol. He sucks it down and stands up, only to be nearly knocked over by Charlie, who seems to be in a bit of a hurry. The black woman (who is the one Jack saves later with CPR) comments that the man really had to go. Just then they hit some turbulence- the very second that Jack tells her everything will be fine, they reach critical mass and people start hitting the ceiling.
The next morning, Jack stares out at the ocean as people speculate on the nature of the noises they heard the previous night. Someone said it sounded familiar. Kate interrupts Jack's thoughts and asks if he is ready. He tells her that if she is really coming, she needs better shoes. As she removes a pair of boots from the feet of a dead person, she looks up to see the gentleman who helped Jack in the beginning watching her. He smiles to reveal an orange in his mouth. When this classic bit of comedy gets no reaction, he frowns and proceeds to eat the orange. I guess Kate was too absorbed in stealing from the dead to be in the mood for a cheap laugh.
Speculation continues in a small circle of people, most of whom we've seen already. A black man says that whatever the thing was, it wasn't natural. The large man approaches and says that there are a lot of B-O-D-Y-S in the plane. He was trying to avoid saying it in front of a small black boy, but the kid actually corrects his spelling. Sayid agrees with the big guy that they must do something. Shannon, who still thinks someone is coming says to let the rescue team deal with it. Jack comes over and reveals his plan to go to the cockpit and picks up Charlie as a third team member.
As they trek through the jungle, Kate asks Charlie if they have met before. Apparently, she only recognizes him because he is bass player in the band Driveshaft. Before Charlie can fully break into song, Jack tells them they have to keep moving. Maybe he saw the dog creepily watching them again. Abrams is taking film lessons from Homer Simpson now..if you do a close-up of it with shifty eyes, people will start to suspect the dog!
Without warning, it begins to rain quite heavily. As everyone on the beach is running for cover, the strange jungle noises begin again. Jack and company reach their destination and begin a difficult ascent up the crooked front of the plane. Jack breaks open the cockpit door and as they look for the transceiver, the pilot startles them by stirring to life with a cough. He grimly informs them that when their radio went out in the air, they made a detour to Fiji. When they went down, they were a thousand miles off course and therefore all rescue operations are looking for them in the wrong place.
It seems Charlie has disappeared for the moment so Kate looks around and finds him hastily coming out of the bathroom. Before she can question him, the whole plane starts shaking again and the roar of whatever is making the trees fall down are heard coming from right outside. Everyone tries to look out the fogged up windows, but it is the pilot who makes the fatal mistake of crawling through the broken windshield. He is sucked away by an unseen force as the roars grow louder. Blood splatters across the windows and Charlie asks, "What the hell just happened?" As the plane shakes again, our heroes don't stick around to find out- they make a mad dash out of the wreckage and into the jungle. Don't worry, Jack made sure to grab the transceiver first. In the confusion of running for their lives, Kate becomes seperated from the group because Charlie tripped and Jack went back to get him. As the rain continues to pour, Kate cries with fright and begins to count, just like Jack taught her. She's a little slow at it- that must be why Jack had instinctively told her what numbers to say earlier.
Back from break, Kate is still alone and now seems to be hearing voices whisper in the dark and stormy jungle so she ventures forward. Charlie comes up from behind her and after scaring her half to death, tells her that Jack saved him but they became seperated. It stops raining just as suddenly as it started and Kate decides to go back for Jack. All is eerily quiet- Kate steps into a puddle and finds the pilot's winged badge. Jack stumbles out of some brush and says he didn't get a look at whatever the thing was. Charlie looks up and asks how that could have happened- what he is referring to is the mangled and bloody body of the pilot perched in a tree top. Gross!
On the way back to the beach, Jack is playing with his new transceiver toy, but it doesn't seem to be working. Kate finally gets around to asking Charlie what he was doing in the bathroom- he was getting sick. He calls himself a coward, but Kate disagrees. Charlie stops and lets the others walk ahead. See, you can't walk and have a flashback at the same time. On the plane, Charlie seems tense and is doing a lot of nervous fidgeting. He fends off the flight attendant's attempts at assistance, and gets really agitated when he looks back and sees the airline personnel talking and heading his way. He gets up and takes off down the aisle, nearly knocking over Jack. With stewardess in pursuit, Charlie desperately tries to find a bathroom to hide in. When he gets inside one, he removes his shoe and takes out a secret stash of drugs. Turbulence rocks the plane, a man knocks and asks if he is all right. Charlie ingests some of his drug,drops the rest in the toilet and then all hell breaks loose. Charlie hits the ceiling with a thud and stumbles out of the bathroom just in time to see a food cart rolling toward him. He moves out of the way, clamors into a seatbelt and hooks himself up to an oxygen mask.
Back at the beach, Shannon is sunbathing in a bikini. When Boone asks her to help sort out the luggage, she refuses, continuing to insist that their rescuers are on the way. The pregnant woman asks if Boone is her boyfriend but she reveals that he is her brother and they don't get along too well. Shannon aks about the baby, and the woman grimly states that she hasn't felt it kick since yesterday.
As the Korean man fishes in shallow water by hand, his wife is approached by the black man who is looking for his son. The Korean man notices this and motions for her to button up her blouse. Her new friend apologizes and backs off. He walks off shouting for Walt. Walt, meanwhile, is on the edge of the jungle calling our for Vincent. He does not find his dog, but does find a pair of handcuffs on the ground. His dad catches up to him who scolds Walt for running off. Dad takes the handcuffs, looks very frightened and ushers his boy closer to him.
Back at the crash site, Sayid is in a fist fight with one of the other survivors. His opponent uses the dirty "sand to the eye" tactic and gets on top until Jack has had enough and breaks it up. The man accuses Sayid of being the one in the handcuffs and the one who crashed the plane, since he's, you know, probably a terrorist and all. The men holding them back can't seem to calm the boys down, but one shout from Kate does the trick. Once she has everyone's attention, she asks for help with the broken transceiver. Sayid says he can help, which his adversary does not react kindly to. When our heavy friend calls for a little respect amongst everyone, he gets called Lardo for his troubles. When things settle down, Boone asks Jack if there were any other survivors but is told no. Sayid says the battery on the transceiver is good but the radio is dead.
Later, Sayid is fiddling with the transceiver and the heavy guy comes over to tell him that he likes him and doesn't like the other guy. He introduces himself, finally- his name is Hurley. Hurley asks where Sayid learned all the radio stuff and Sayid reveals that he was in communications for the military and fought in the Gulf War... for the Republican Guard. That shuts Hurley up for a minute.
Ooh la la, Kate is stripped down to her underwear, bathing in the ocean. The Korean woman says something to her in Korean and points to something off camera. Kate acknowledges her and nods, cause what else can you do with that language barrier in the way? Apparently, Sayid wanted to speak with her because he tells her some bad news about the life expectancy of the batteries in the transceiver. Their best hope is to seek higher ground so any transmission they make would have a better shot at being picked up. They both look ominously over at the highest available ground, smack dab in the middle of the dangerous jungle.
And now it's time for an unpleasant close-up of the shrapnel injury suffered by the man who was sitting next to Kate. Jack's prognosis is not good and he says the only hope is to remove the metal and try to control the bleeding. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the best of medical supplies to work with. Kate tells him that she is going on a hike to send the signal. Jack doesn't like this news because of what happened to the pilot and asks her to wait for him, but she won't. Defeated, Jack tells her to run if she sees or hears anything. He doesn't tell her to watch out for that evil dog though.
Back from commercial, the Korean man is sorting out his catch of the day and slaps his wife's grabby hand away. Once he leaves, she unbuttons the top of her blouse again. Her husband has gone over to offer some of his catch to Hurley, who refuses with a laugh. Must be some pretty nasty stuff. Elsewhere, Walt is reading a comic book in Spanish. His father offers to get him a new dog when they get home but Walt just looks at him and walks away. Boone finds his sister crying alone. She thinks the guy who wouldn't let them have their seats in first class inadvertantly saved their lives since no one made it from the front of the plane. They get into an argument over how useless Shannon is being so she offers to go on the hike with Kate and Sayid. In talking her way onto the team, she expands it greatly by recruiting Charlie, who seems taken with her, and by forcing her brother to tag along to keep an eye on her. The guy Sayid was in a fight with earlier is sitting on a piece of wreckage sadly reading a piece of loose leaf paper. This inspires him to join the higher ground team. Six people for one hike with one radio? Sounds like a recipe for death!
They grab some roots and make the hard climb toward this fabled higher ground where radios suddenly work and wooden boys become real. Back at the beach, Jack is looking through luggage for a scalpel- good luck! He asks Walt's dad about his son who says that Walt is more worried about his dog. Jack reveals that he has seen the dog alive and well. Elsewhere, Walt has met the bald guy who helped Jack- he is sitting in front of a backgammon board. Walt reveals that he lived with his mom in Australia but she got sick and died. His new friend tells him he is having a bad month. Baldy proceeds to give us the history of backgammon- it's older than Jesus! Then, in a creepy moment, he asks Walt if he would like to know a secret. I hope it has nothing to do with their special places! The pregnant woman is next on the Korean's man list of people to force his fish on. He succeeds and though she looks sick, she forces it down. The food apparently wakes her baby up and she excitedly forces the man to feel her baby alive and kicking again.
Now on level ground, Sayid argues with his nemesis about when to turn the radio on, but they are interrupted by more scary jungle noises heading their way. Everyone screams and runs, except for Sawyer (that's Sayid's enemy- I know this because Kate screams for him to run- I assume they all introduced themselves before setting off on their quest). Sawyer stands his ground and pulls out a gun! He fires at the creature as it approaches and brings it down. Much to everyone's surprise, the thing is a polar bear. Boone speculates that this is what killed the pilot, but Charlie says no way, too small.
Back at the crash site, Jack is just about ready to perform emergency surgery and has recruited Hurley to help hold the guy down if he wakes up. This was a bad choice since Hurley is so squeamish, he passes out at thefirst sight of blood.
Over in the jungle, Shannon very rightly points out that polar bears don't live in the jungle (Good girl! Beautiful and smart to boot!). Kate turns her attention to where Sawyer got the gun from. He says he pulled it off one of the bodies- the body of a U.S. marshall. He deduced that the guy was a marshall because of the clip-on badge, which Sawyer also swiped. Sayid accuses him of being the prisoner in transport- that would be how he knew about the marshall. As they argue, Kate pulls the gun out of Sawyer's pocket and points it at him. Sayid tells her how to disarm it, which she does. She gives it back to Sawyer, and he pulls her close, telling her that he knows her type. She is not so sure.
Kate steps aside and hides behind a tree to have her own flashback to the plane crash. It seems she actually knows the man sitting next to her- the shrapnel guy- he is talking down to her, sarcastically suggesting "they" will believe her story since he does. Kate reaches down to pick up her juice and reveal that she is locked in a pair of handcuffs! Turbulence begins to rock the plane. Kate asks the guy for one favor, but before she can reveal it, things get worse and her friend gets knocked out by a flying suitcase. Kate fights off panic, fishes the key out of the man's pocket and puts oxygen masks on them both.
Jack is still operating when his patient wakes up. He tries to sit up and demands to know where "she" is. He means Kate we can safely assume, but Jack doesn't know that.
Sayid finally decides to try the radio and instead of sending out a message, he receives one. The transmission is coming from on the island but it is in French so they have to rely on Shannon' shaky French for translation. It is a distress signal- I'm alone now- please someone come- the others are dead- it killed them all. If that's not scary enough, Sayid's quick calculation based on the number of the times the message has looped is that it has been playing for sixteen years. Charlie asks the question of the day: "Guys, where are we?" Ominous music, a creepy LOST title screen and fade out!
Next time on LOST: Jack asks Kate what she did and Team higher ground decide to lie about what they have seen and heard.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
This Week's Top 10
I predicted Interpol would fall this week and it happened in a way I never expected. A couple of identical twins out of Canada caught me off guard with a little catchy two minute song and I catapulted them all the way to the top. Tegan & Sara debut on my list at Number 1:
1. Walking With a Ghost- Tegan & Sara- AOL Music: Tegan & Sara: 'Walking with a Ghos...
2. Mr. Brightside- The Killers- AOL Music: The Killers: 'Mr. Brightside'
3. Breakin'- The Music- AOL Music: The Music: 'Breakin' '
4. I'm Not Okay (I Promise)- My Chemical Romance- AOL Music: My Chemical Romance: 'I'm Not Okay...
5. New Slang- The Shins- LAUNCH: Music Video Player
6. Slow Hands- Interpol MTV.com: Media Player
7. Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day- AOL Music: Green Day: 'Boulevard of Broken Dre...
8. I Love You Cause I Have To- Dogs Die in Hot Cars-AOL Music: Dogs Die in Hot Cars: 'I Love You ...
9. Existentialism on Prom Night- Straylight Run- LAUNCH: Music Video Player
10. This Photograph is Proof (I Know You Know)- Taking Back Sunday- *No video yet*
The Best of 2004- #16
#16 is Take Your Mama by The Scissor Sisters. Since Utica has such a shortage of good music, I sometimes bring in my own CDs to listen to. When this song came on, the guy who I have suspected of being secretly gay, suddenly beamed with recognition and shouted, "This is the Scissor Sisters!" I thought to myself, well that proves it since they're one of the fruitiest bands around and I knew he had never been exposed to alternative music except through me. Must have heard it on the underground gay scene LOL. So I asked and it turned out he had seen them profiled on an HBO special. I don't know what kind of special it was, but it put enough doubt in my mind- the jury is still out on this guy.
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Random Thoughts
-Novel #2 is going well. It's pretty much all I think about. At work anyway.
-I stopped writing the NFL preview a month ago and no one seemed to notice...See my interest in sports is directly correlated to how well my team is doing. The Giants are so far out of it, this week I didn't even read or watch anything about football.
-Not having to listen to Utica radio stations have made me hate them even more. Just brutal to not have my Sirius at work.
-Good movies I've rented lately- Spider-man 2, Monster, Kill Bill Vol.2.
-The Bourne Supremacy was just okay. Keri wanted to watch the first one again so she would remember what the Bourne series was and it turned out to be a big mistake. Identity is a lot better. Keri didn't finish watching Supremacy and I thought you could really tell there was a different director. Second one is way too shaky in parts.
-It's been three weeks since I've had any fast food. Watch Super Size Me. Read Fast Food Nation. I implore you.
-Way to go, Chris. By all rights, this guy should have been the first one voted off Survivor and instead he comes back from 6-1 odds to take the whole thing. Makes you proud to be a man! I never really liked him, but you have to respect him and I was rooting for him at the end.
The Best of 2004- #17
#17 is Reptilia by The Strokes. Have the Strokes ever put out a bad song? I don't think so.
Monday, December 13, 2004
The Best of 2004- #18
#18 is Time is Running Out by Muse. Is there ever a finger-snapping song that isn't catchy?
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Saturday, December 11, 2004
The Best of 2004- #20
Geesh, is there really only twenty days left in the year? Where does the time go? Anyway, #20 is Big Brat by Phantom Planet. I know they're probably more well known for lending the O.C. its theme song, but. trust me, this song is a million times better. I don't know why MTV only has a 30 second click, hopefully AOL's videos will be back online when I get home, because I know they had it yesterday...
Friday, December 10, 2004
Thursday, December 9, 2004
LOST Episode 11- All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
Previously on LOST- a lot of stuff happened...Charlie wrote LATE on the bandages on his fingers, Claire rubbed her belly, Charlie told Claire he'd take care of her, Sayid warned everyone that they were not alone on the island, Claire was attacked in her sleep, Hurley started a census, Hurley mistook Ethan for Lance, Jack tried to give Claire a sedative and she took off for the beach, Hurley told Jack that one of them wasn't on the plane, and Ethan stared strangely at Charlie and Claire. Phew! I told you a lot happened. Can we get to the show please?
We begin at almost the exact point where last week's show concluded- Hurley tells Jack and Kate that it was Ethan who is the one who wasn't on the plane and he hasn't seen him since yesterday. For the sake of the show only being an hour, Jack immediately jumps to the wild conclusion that since no one has seen Ethan, Charlie or Claire for a while, Ethan must have kidnapped them. Cut to Jack and Locke racing frantically through the woods in pursuit. Locke stops suddenly and begins to find subtle clues that only an experienced tracker could find- like Claire's bag and footprints. Okay, anyone could have seen that, but Locke is still cool. Locke deduces that there was a struggle and that Island Class of 2004's Cutest Couple was dragged off. Jack starts shouting their names, but Locke says, "Shhh..." A creepy Locke moment calls for a creepy LOST title screen.
Tonight, LOST is brought to you by the upcoming motion picture event: Flight of the Phoenix. I'll have to send them a Thank You note. Back to the show: Jack and Locke continue to examine the trail. Jack wants to know how one man could have dragged off two people, Locke thinks it's more important to learn why. Locke agrees with Sayid that there are others on the island, while Jack thinks Sayid is injured and delusional. Locke wants to go back and organize a proper search party, Jack wants to just go NOW. Before they can go on CNN for a live debate, Jack runs off in the direction Locke pointed.
As he is running wildly through the jungle again, Jack flashes back to a time in the operating room when he tried his best to save a patient but failed. Dad is standing in the back of the room, telling Dr. Jack to call the time of death, but Jack continues to fight. He finally is forced to give up and angrily tells Dad to call the T.O.D. himself.
Back in Cavetown, Kate questions the wisdom of letting Jack run off alone, but Locke insists he will catch up. Kate says she is going too, which Locke is not surprised by. Boone ignores his sister's whining and tells Locke that HE wants to go too. He did not add that it's about darn time he did something on the show, but he could have. Walt wants to use Vincent as a tracker, but his dad shoots him down. Micheal wants to join the search party himself, but, you know, four's a crowd. Michael says he'll form a second search party and Locke condescendingly agrees and tells him to head in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Jack is still in the jungle, but he is tiring and looking more LOST. He stops to flashback to the aftermath of the failed operation. Dad is mad because Jack had barged into the O.R. and taken over the procedure. Jack counters that one of the nurses came to get him because Dad's hands were shaking so badly. Dad asks why, if Jack is such a better surgeon, did they call him away from lunch if Jack was already in the building. Jack asks how many drinks Dad had at that lunch. Then they do the dramatic stare down thing.
Back in the jungle, Locke catches up to Jack, who has been running in circles. Locke says, Go back, Jack and do it again- I know that makes no sense, I just wanted to go for the Steely Dan joke. He actually wants him to go back to camp because he doesn't want anything to happen to the all-important doctor. No dice, though. Locke gives up and the four set off again. By the way, Locke feels responsible for this incident because he never picked up any bad vibes from Ethan while hunting with him.
Back at camp, Michael is pretty ticked about being left behind and says so to Hurley. Walt sticks up for Locke, telling his dad all the things the guy is capable of. Michael tells his son to stay away from Locke, then leaves Walt with Hurley so he can take his own search team south, out of spite, I guess. Back in the jungle, Jack and Locke are still sniping with each other- Jack doesn't want to lose daylight by resting, but Locke needs to, cause he's like, old. Kate pulls Jack aside and tells him to lay off Locke. Jack admits to his own guilty conscience about what happened because he didn't believe Claire when she told him she was being attacked. They are called quickly back because Locke has found Charlie's "L" finger tape. Jack deduces that Charlie is leaving them a trail to follow.
Soon after that, they find the "A", but the problem is that several feet away, Locke has found footprints leading in the other direction. Faced with two trails to follow, Kate reveals her own novice tracking skills and the four split up. Locke and Boone will follow the footprints, Jack and Kate will follow Charlie's clues, and Shaggy and Scooby will go find the kitchen where the ghost will inevitably show up.
Over at the edge of the beach, Sawyer is getting an update on the situation from Walt of all people- Hurley must not be doing that great a job watching him. Walt mentions how Ethan wasn't on the manifest but Sawyer suggests that maybe he lied about his name. Walt says that that is a pretty stupid thing to lie about. Sawyer quickly changes the subject and asks where Ethan came from. Walt says he was already on the island because Sayid said there were others. The news of Sayid's return piques Sawyer's interest...
Back in the jungle, Boone learns that Locke works for a box company, which Boone finds hard to believe. Elsewhere, Jack asks Kate where she got her tracking skills. Turns out her dad was in the army and he liked to track deer. All this talk about fathers causes Jack to think back to the time when his dad tried to convince him to lie about the circumstances surrounding the patient's death on the operating table. After Dad lays on the sweet talk, tries to justify his harshness in raising his son and promises he will never operate under the influence again, Jack very reluctantly signs the false account.
Over in the caves, Sayid is resting comfortably, but the entrance of Sawyer gets his attention. Sawyer suggests that Sayid's injuries were caused by karma and that no one would blame Sawyer if he took a little measure of revenge. Sayid makes like a pro wrestler and says, "You want a shot, take it, but you will never beat me for the Intercontinental title." Then he wusses out and says that he left the camp out of shame for what he had done and had intended to never return. Sawyer asks the easy follow-up and Sayid responds with the tale of how he was captured by Danielle, who turnedall his loyal shipmates into pigs and killed all the members of her own party because she believed they were sick. Sawyer asks if Sayid believes her story about "the others". Sayid is not sure, but on his way back he heard something surrounding him.
Back at the beach, Walt is playing backgammon with Hurley but Hurley is getting frustrated because Walt continually rolls exactly what he asks the gods of backgammon to roll. A throw-away scene...or is it?
In the jungle, Boone is concerned that they have lost the trail and are just following Locke's gut. Locke changes subject and learns that Boone runs a business- one of the subsidiaries of his mother's wedding empire. Locke says it is going to rain and tries to convince Boone to head back but fails again. Either there are a lot of stubborn men on this island, or Locke is just not very good at the powers of persuasion. Incidentally, as soon as they're done talking, it starts to pour. Elsewhere, Jack finds Charlie's "T" and hears a scream. He grabs a vine and starts to climb a steep hill- Kate wants to know where he is going- she apparently did not hear the scream. Halfway up, Jack slips and falls back to the bottom. Before he can get up, Ethan appears, plants his foot on Jack's chest and threatens to kill one of his captives if Jack doesn't stop following him. Jack grabs Ethan's leg and starts a fight, but loses pretty badly. Ethan kicks him in the face and says, "No more warnings."
After commercial, we are back at the hospital where Jack sees his father talking to someone and finds out that it is the husband of the dead patient threatening to sue. Kate snaps him back to reality and doesn't seem to believe that Ethan was there since Jack bumped his head pretty hard. Kate wants to give up since the rain washed away the trail, but Jack marches off, more determined than ever. As he heads back up the hill, he flashes back to the time in the hospital board room where the case has come up for review. After learning that the woman had been pregnant, Jack revises his statement and rats out his dad, saying that it was dad's intoxication that caused the woman's death. Don't expect a Christmas present, sonny boy.
At the top of the hill, Jack and Kate discover Charlie blindfolded and hung from a tree. Jack grabs his legs and tries to hold him up, while Kate climbs the tree and cuts him down. Jack immediately begins CPR while Kate cries and holds Charlie's hand. Jack's efforts become more and more frantic until Kate pulls him away and says to stop. Jack, however, will not accept defeat yet again and goes back to pounding on the rock star's chest, until finally Charlie coughs and comes around. Good work here- even though I had heard that Dominic Monaghan would never be killed off, I believed the scene, figuring the producers had lied to throw us off. The lessons as always- I'm gullible and Kate gives up too easily.
Exhibit A for all the people who think LOST has more commercials than other shows: ABC RAN OUT of specially produced Flight of the Phoenix promos and had to go with a Wifeswap commercial to kick off the last break. It is night now and Michael returns to camp to find Jack and Kate sitting by the fire nursing Charlie back to health- it seems that though he is alive, he is catatonic and not answering any questions. When Michael asks if they found Claire, Hurley grimly shakes his head no. Jack promises Charlie they will go back out to search in the morning, but he needs any information Charlie can provide. This seems to anger Charlie, who stares straight ahead but does finally say that he didn't see anything and he can't remember anything. He does know that all they wanted was Claire. Closer to the water, Shannon is worried that her brother is not back yet. Kate assures her that they just made their own camp for the night and that there is no one Boone is safer with than Locke.
Speaking of Locke and Boone, they are still following the trail well into the night and Boone suggests that they go back. Locke asks, "Don't you feel it?" Whatever that means. Boone gives up and heads back. Locke tosses him the flashlight and Butterfingers drops it- but it's a good thing he did because it makes a verrry interesting clanking sound when it hits the ground. The two sift away some dirt and discover a large steel panel just below the surface. Locke assures Boone that they will find out what it is...but not until new episodes in January.
Next week on LOST: See it all from the beginning as the pilot is re-aired for the second time. All I can say is Thank God they did not show any previews for the next episode because that would not have made for a very merry holiday season. I would have gone crazy!
The Best of 2004- #22
#22 is I Love You Cause I Have To by Dogs Die in Hot Cars. Not a very nice sentiment, but it's a really good song anyway! Plus, the chorus makes it a little less mean when you hear the whole thing.
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
This Week's Top 10
Interpol holds onto my top spot for a third straight week- but barely. I can tell it's one of those songs I won't get tired of and may have to eventually drop it on principle like I had to do with Modest Mouse. For now, I still get excited when it comes on, so I'll leave it at #1 for now. We'll see what another week does for my tastes. The Killers are climbing...
1. Slow Hands- Interpol- MTV.com: Media Player
2. Mr. Brightside- The Killers- AOL Music: The Killers: 'Mr. Brightside'
3. Breakin'- The Music- AOL Music: The Music: 'Breakin' '
4. I'm Not Okay (I Promise)- My Chemical Romance- AOL Music: My Chemical Romance: 'I'm Not Okay...
5. Coin-Operated Boy- The Dresden Dolls- LAUNCH: Music Video Player
6. I Love You Cause I Have To- Dogs Die in Hot Cars- AOL Music: Dogs Die in Hot Cars: 'I Love You ...
7. New Slang- The Shins- LAUNCH: Music Video Player
8. Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day- AOL Music: Green Day: 'Boulevard of Broken Dre...
9. Golden Touch- Razorlight- AOL Music: Razorlight: 'Golden Touch'
10. Existentialism on Prom Night- Straylight Run- AOL Music: Straylight Run: 'Existentialism on ...
The Best of 2004- #23
#23 is C'Mon C'Mon by The Von Bondies. Most of these catchy two minutes songs hook me right away and this one was no exception.
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
Recommendations
I haven't been posting as much lately (usually just taking two minutes to update by music list)- what can I say, it's the holiday season. I've also been distracted- my second novel is finally brewing in my head and it's going to burst out of me very soon. It will even incorporate some of that little bit I started a few months ago- the few who have read it should be excited about that. Anyway, I have felt like I've been neglecting the journal- of the last ten entries- nine of them were about music. I thought I would take a few minutes to recommend some of the things I've crossed paths with in the last few weeks.
1. LOST- ABC, Wednesdays 8pm EST- OK, well that one was obvious. Seriously, this is the most engaging show I have seen in a long time and it knocks my socks off every week. I wrote a primer on it last week so you can look that up to get caught up, or even better, during the holiday season, ABC will be re-airing every episode two at a time at 8 and 9- this should get everyone who missed the boat up to speed and embiggen the fan base even more. Here's hoping.
2. Arrested Development- LOST is the best drama on television- AD is the best comedy. This one has had a tough time finding an audience and I can't for the life of me figure out why. I gave it one chance and I kept coming back for more. Hopefully the Emmy win will help and Fox is really trying now, putting it on after the Simpsons. I was sore from working even harder than normal all weekend and AD was so funny, it was torturous. The storytelling is somewhat linear, so pick up the first season on DVD and get caught up. (It's on MY Christmas list! hint hint)
3. Elf- My wife groaned when I brought this one home from the video store. She is not a big fan of SNL type humor and all she could see in her mind's eye was Will Ferrell acting like a jackass. That's what I thought it would be too, but this is a family holiday movie all the way. I laughed a lot, my wife laughed a lot and admitted it was much better than she expected and my daughter wants the movie for Christmas. It's really funny and it's for everyone.
4. Super Size Me/Fast Food Nation- Watched the documentary and then read the book, which stemmed from a recommendation on the DVD extras. I don't know how long it will last, but I for the moment, I have definitely been sworn off the fast food. Watch the movie, read the book and have your eyes opened to what the fast food industry has done to the US and the world.
The Best of 2004- #24
#24 is Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This entry comes last alphabetically by artist. I guess I just gave away that the Zutons didn't make it.
Monday, December 6, 2004
The Best of 2004- 50-26
I've decided to re-post the first half of my Best of 2004 in lost form. After all, it is a list.
50. Step Up- Drowning Pool
49. Silhoettes- Smile Empty Soul
48. Spitting Games- Snow Patrol
47. My Coco- Stellastarr
46. Who's Gonna Save Us- The Living End
45. What's Your Number- Cypress Hill
44. Here I Am- The Explosion
43. Mad World- Gary Jules
42. Getting Away With Murder- Papa Roach
41. Amerika- Rammstein
40. Give Me More- Apartment 26
39. Nowhere Again- The Secret Machines
38. Year of the Rat- Badly Drawn Boy
37. The Outsider- A Perfect Circle
36. Misfit- Elefant
35. Breakin'- The Music
34. Staring at the Sun- Simple Kid
33. Oxygen's Gone- Die Trying
32. Ride- The Vines
31. She Wants To Move- N.E.R.D.
30. 1985- Bowling For Soup
29. Alive & Amplified- The Mooney Suzuki
28. Walkie Talkie Man- Steriogram
27. A Decade Under the Influence- Taking Back Sunday
26. Somewhere Only We Know- Keane
Sunday, December 5, 2004
The Best of 2004- #26
#26 is Somewhere Only We Know by Keane. Sometimes those pretty, bittersweet love songs catch me off guard by me liking them.
Saturday, December 4, 2004
The Best of 2004- #27
#27 is A Decade Under the Influence by Taking Back Sunday. This is one of those songs I didn't care for at first. Then it was okay. Then I officially liked it and it just grew from there.
Friday, December 3, 2004
The Best of 2004- #28
#28 is Walkie Talkie Man by Steriogram. My list has a very international flavor this year. I believe this will be the only entry from New Zealand, though.
Thursday, December 2, 2004
The Best of 2004- #29
#29 is Alive & Amplified by The Mooney Suzuki. Kasey's theory on the video: "Their singing is so wonderful, it's making flowers grow." :-)
Wednesday, December 1, 2004
LOST- Episode 10: Raised by Another
Previously on LOST- they picked up the French woman's transmission and Sayid went off on his own.
We begin with an eye opening wide- it is Claire's eye and she has been awakened by the sound of an infant crying. Strangely enough, she is no longer pregnant. She hears the crying repeatedly- it leads her into the jungle where she finds Mr. Locke at a table playing with a deck of cards. But this is not just any Mr. Locke, this Locke's eyes are made out of one black stone and one white stone. He tells Claire that since she gave the baby away, everyone must now pay the price. She leaves him and finds a crib with a strange mobile hanging over it. Instead of Elmo or Winnie the Pooh, this mobile is decorated with Oceanic airplane models. Claire digs through layer after layer of blanket inside the crib but all she finds is... BLOOD!
Of course, she wakes up screaming and it takes a while for Charlie to calm her down and tell her she was dreaming. Or was she? For her hands are covered in...BLOOD! Cue creepy LOST title screen...
Back from commercials, Jack ends the suspense immediately by telling Claire that she balled her fists so tightly that her fingernails drew...BLOOD! I'll stop that now, I swear. Jack starts laying into her with the doctor questions- when he asks her how far along she is, it triggers a flashback to when she and her boyfriend, Thomas, found out she was pregnant. They are both unsure of what to do, but eventually Thomas convinces her to keep the baby.
Later in the jungle, Charlie brings Claire some tea and finally makes a real move on her, offering his friendship. Yeah right, buddy, we all know what you really want! Anyway, she shoots him down without having to say anything other than "Charlie..." After he leaves, Claire closes her eyes and thinks back to the time when she and her friend went to visit a psychic. He takes her hands and immediately proves his credentials by asking when she found out about the baby. But then things go horribly wrong! The psychic gets a pained look on his face, breaks his grip and tells Claire to leave. "What a freak!" friend says.
Back to reality, where once again Claire is sleeping soundly. That is until a hand covers her mouth and we get flashes of her being attacked. There's even the classic Hollywood knife sound effect. After break, Claire is screaming for help which arrives in the form of most of the cave boys. She says that someone tried to stab her with a needle and hurt her baby. Moments later, Hurley tells Jack that no one was found lurking around the perimeter. You know we're building toward a Hurley episode when he starts making points and revealing stuff about himself. Basically, he wants to take a log of everyone on the island, just so they know who's who. Maybe if they all know each other, they will stop attacking each other. Also, his name is not Hurley- it's Hugo Reyes (sp?).
Elsewhere, Charlie comes to comfort Claire and promises to look after her. He says he won't leave her which we suspect she has heard before. Claire thinks back to the time when Thomas came home and told her the relationship wasn't working out. Cold-hearted snake! They argue- he accuses her of getting pregnant on purpose and leaves without looking back.
The next day on the beach, Hurley has begun his census and approaches Locke. Locke answers the questions politely, making sure to be mysterious enough for Hurley to want to get away from him. Why were you in Australia? Looking for something. Did you find it? It found me. I mean, what's the point? Just say I was going on safari, my dear chap. Meanwhile, Jack and Charlie are conducting their own investigation of Claire's attack and disagree on whether or not something actually happened. Charlie defends his would-be girlfriend's sanity and storms away. I've been watching Jack in slow mo and fast forward a lot now and he tends to look down or back and forth a lot. I think this is Matthew Fox brilliantly conveying the uncertainty inherent with having leadership forced on him. Whether he is or isn't doesn't matter now- either way you will not stop noticing it and will join me in calling him Bobblehead. Back to Hurley, who has met Ethan Rom from Ontario. He was the guy helping Locke hunt last time. They make awkward small talk and Hurley excuses himself. Now why would they make a point of showing that guy, you ask? I heard he's Tom Cruise's cousin, that's why.
Jack returns to Cavetown and tries to convince Claire that pregnancy has caused her to go off the deep end or something to that effect. He even offers a mild sedative. Obviously, Claire doesn't take kindly to this and storms off, determined to return to the much safer beach. As she walks through the jungle, she thinks back to the time when she knocked on the psychic's door, determined to find out what had freaked him out so much. He agrees to try again and this time things get even weirder. He insists that the baby is in great danger and must have its mother in its life in order to protect it. Claire MUST NOT give the baby up for adoption. Slightly freaked out herself now, Claire blows off his advice and leaves.
This is rare. We return from a commercial in a new flashback scene. The psychic is now calling Claire in the middle of the night begging her not to give up the baby. This is one psychotic psychic. That's almost a tongue twister! Maybe not. Back in the jungle, Charlie catches up to Claire and tries to talk some sense into her. She says she's not crazy and keeps on walking.
On the beach, Shannon and Boone are not taking kindly to Hurley's questions. Boone suggests that Hurley would have a lot easier time of it if he just obtained the plane's manifest. This is, of course, possessed by Sawyer. Hurley asks real nice like and gets surprisingly little resistance from Sawyer. Maybe if they keep getting along, they can start an Alias fan club. Get it?
Back to the jungle again, where Claire and Charlie continue to argue until they are interrupted by Claire going into labor. Charlie rolls up his metaphorical sleeves and is prepared to deliver the baby, but Claire insists that he go and get Jack. Even more so after he reveals that he is a recovering drug addict. So Charlie runs off, bumps into Ethan and passes him the Jack-fetching baton, so that he can go back to Claire.
While Charlie was gone, Claire kept herself occupied by flashing back to the time when she was about to sign over her baby to a Melbourne couple. Things were going smoothly until not one, but two pens were out of ink. We in the writing business call that a sign. Claire apologizes and leaves, saying she can't do it. The actress playing the adoptive mother really gets the most out of her scene, tugging at my heartstrings by shouting NO! Powerful stuff, whoever you are. In the very next scene, Claire is knocking on the psychic's door, asking him what his proposal is.
In the present, Charlie returns and Claire tells him about the psychic. The writers make up for all the times they wrote Claire out by giving her yet another flashback scene. In this one, the psychic has completely changed his tune and is no longer recommending Claire raise the baby herself- instead he wants to give her $12,000 to go to LA and give the baby up. Charlie helps her realize that the psychic was yanking her chain about the couple in LA- he just wanted to make sure she was on the doomed plane so she would be forced to raise the baby herself. Now that she thinks about it, he WAS pretty insistent that she get on Oceanic Flight 815 tomorrow. That's Oceanic... Flight 815... tomorrow!
Elsewhere, we finally get a glimpse of Sayid as he limps through the jungle in quite a hurry. Then Charlie and Claire decide to get up and go back to the caves. Turns out she was just going through some false labor and she is fine for the moment.
In Cavetown, Sayid stumbles into camp panicked and dehydrated. He tells Jack, Kate and Locke that he found the French woman and that they are not alone. Hurley races through the brush and gives our heroes some more interesting news. The manifest and his personal census don't match up entirely. One of them was not on the plane...
And not coincidentally, we see Ethan greeting Charlie and Claire on the path back home. He is looking super creepy, so Charlie instinctively puts his arm around Claire and we fade to black as both look fairly distressed.
Next week on LOST: Kate, Locke and Bobblehead pursue Ethan, who has somehow dragged off both Charlie and Claire, while Sawyer looks for revenge against Sayid. Then Ethan puts his foot on Jack's chest and says, "If you don't stop following me, I will kill one of them!" Oh man, I can't wait. You can't even tell who the flashbacks will be about- Ethan?
Coming for Christmas: The talking Kate doll with her two break-out catch phrases- "What do we do?" and "I'm coming with you!" Order now.
This Week's Top 10
I am finally free from the shackles of Utica radio. I got my Sirius hooked up properly and now I no longer have to drive around in silence or listen to the same CDs over and over. Sirius is so cool, I now have to get one for Keri for Christmas.
1. Interpol- Slow Hands- MTV.com: Media Player
2. Breakin'- The Music- AOL Music: The Music: 'Breakin' '
3. I'm Not Okay (I Promise)- My Chemical Romance- AOL Music: My Chemical Romance: 'I'm Not Okay...
4. I Love You Cause I Have To- Dogs Die in Hot Cars- AOL Music: Dogs Die in Hot Cars: 'I Love You ...
5. Mr. Brightside- The Killers- AOL Music: The Killers: 'Mr. Brightside'
6. Boulevard of Broken Dreams- Green Day- AOL Music: Green Day: 'Boulevard of Broken Dre...
7. Buried A Lie- Senses Fail- AOL Music: Senses Fail: 'Burried a Lie'
8. Misfit- Elefant- AOL Music: Elefant: 'Misfit'
9. Somewhere Only We Know- Keane- LAUNCH: Music Video Player
10. Golden Touch- Razorlight- AOL Music: Razorlight: 'Golden Touch'
The Best of 2004- #30
The top 30 begins with 1985 by Bowling for Soup. Not too many "funny" bands make it big. I was glad to hear this one get some radio play.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
The Best of 2004- #31
#31 is She Wants To Move by N.E.R.D. She wants to move because she's hearing this song. Good one, Captain! LOL
Monday, November 29, 2004
The Best of 2004- #32
#32 is Ride by The Vines. Closing in on halfway- the songs are getting really good now :-)
Sunday, November 28, 2004
LOST Primer- Parts 2 & 3
Okay, last time I covered exactly who everyone stuck on the island is. That can be found here: LOST Primer PART 1
This time we're going to cover some important stuff you need to know and even more importantly, the major questions that we do not know the answers to yet- this is the part that makes the show really fun.
Part 2: The Mysteries of the Island
-At least 48 people survived the plane crash. How is that possible?
-Jack, Kate and Charlie ventured off to find the cockpit in the jungle. When they found the pilot he was alive, but not for long. He was sucked out the window and killed by a giant creature of some kind. What exactly was that thing?
-Kate, Sayid, Charlie, Boone, Shannon and Sawyer sought higher ground to broadcast a distress signal. Instead, they picked up the transmission of a French woman. (later revealed to be Danielle, alive on the island) The broadcast has been playing on an endless loop for 16 years. Where is it getting its power source from? Does it have anything to do with the giant cable Sayid found? How does Danielle have all the stuff she has? What does she mean when she says "it killed them all"? Who and where is Alex, her child? Who are the whisperers she claims to hear? The French woman angle has easily raised the most questions with many possible explanations.
-While seeking higher ground, the group was attacked by a polar bear. How on Earth did that get there?
-Jack was able to see his father walking around the jungle. Was he really there or was it all in his head?
-How did Locke survive his encounter with, presumably, the same monster that killed the pilot?
-Jack, Kate, Locke and Charlie stumbled on two skeletons laid to rest in a cave. Who put them there? And why was one of them carrying black and white stones?
-Does the island really give you what you want, if you give it something first? Locke seems to think so...as soon as he made Charlie give up the drugs, Charlie looked in the trees and found his beloved guitar.
The Mysteries of the Survivors:
Jack: Jack's mother told him he was obligated to find his father because of what Jack did. What did he do? Where is Dad's body since we know he wasn't in the coffin? Is he really walking around the island?
Kate: What crime did she commit and why did the Marshall insist that she was so dangerous and not to be trusted?
Locke: How is he able to walk all of a sudden? Was it island magic? What exactly happened when he saw the monster? What does he know about the island? He claims that he has looked into the eye of the island and what he saw was beautiful. And, basically, what is his deal, anyway? He genuinely helped Jack and Charlie but why did he encourage Sayid to confront Sawyer by giving him a knife? And why has he seemingly agreed to teach Walt how to hunt when he knows his father doesn't approve?
Sawyer: What is his real name? Why was he on the plane?
Sayid: Who whacked him over the head just when he was about to locate the source of the distress signal? It almost certainly wasn't Danielle. How did Sayid get out of the military and end up on a plane bound for LA from Australia? And is Nadia still alive?
Jin: What exactly does Sun's father make him do for a living to come home covered in blood that is not his own? What is the significance of his father-in-law's watch which he seems hellbent on protecting?
Part 3: The Relationship Chart:
Finally, I know if I was going to try and get into a show after missing some of it, I would want to know what every character has to do with another. The first scene I ever saw in Six Feet Under was David being bailed out of jail by Keith. I had no idea what their relationship was until I went back and saw the first few episodes. I don't want that to happen to you. Here is a complete Relationship Breakdown for LOST.
Jack-Kate: Jack and Kate were fast friends after she stitched up his wounds and they ran off to find the cockpit together. Kate is definitely attracted to him, but how he feels is unclear. Right now he has been much more concerned with everyone's safety and survival than with flirting.
Jack-Charlie: Charlie has been one of the ones deferring to Jack as the leader. They reached a more level relationship when Charlie rescued Jack from the collapsed cave. Jack is one of the only ones who knows about Charlie's addiction and covers for him.
Jack-Locke: Locke recognized how everyone treats Jack and encouraged him to find what he was looking for in the jungle of mystery. They don't interact much but there is mutual respect there.
Jack-Sawyer: They are definitely at odds. Jack's Dudley Do-Right personality clashes with Sawyer's bad boy attitude. When Jack was saving his life, Sawyer admitted that, roles reversed, he would want Jack to die.
Jack-Sayid: More subtlety to their rivalry here. Sayid obviously resents Jack being treated like the leader, and Jack for his part has been careful to not step on his toes too badly. The tension does not keep them from working together, as evidenced in the torture sequence.
Jack-Claire: Claire obviously needs the services of a doctor. They are friendly, though Jack had to tell her to back off when she originally wanted him to lead the memorial service.
Jack- Sun: Sun has been seen assisting Jack as he tends to the others.
Jack-Jin: No interaction that I can remember.
Jack-Hurley: Hurley has been Jack's assistant on more than one occassion either willingly or unwillingly. Hurley was the one who managed to get Jack to lighten up when he created the golf course.
Jack-Rose: Jack has been the only one to communicate with Rose. They have a doctor-patient bond if nothing else.
Jack-Boone: Boone is also resentful of Jack's leadership, but seems to have accepted it.
Jack-Shannon: Jack helped Shannon control her breathing during severe asthma attacks. Again, more of a doctor-patient thing.
Jack-Michael: Mutual respect.
Jack-Walt: Gee, I don't know if they've even met. I can't remember them ever speaking to one another.
Kate-Charlie: Charlie has voiced displeasure with her attraction to Jack and was hurt when the three of them were in danger but she only called out for the doctor. Other than that, they've gotten along.
Kate-Locke: They've spoken as leader-types, but have no viable relationship yet.
Kate-Sawyer: A love-hate thing going on here. Both of them like the other more than they want to. Kate has gotten into Sawyer's head more than anyone else and is the closest thing to a friend he has on the island.
Kate-Sayid: Could be another in the mix for Kate's heart. They have each other's respect as leaders- Kate is the one Sayid told when he was leaving.
Kate-Claire: There has been some girl bonding. Claire offered to do Kate's astrological chart, but she declined.
Kate-Sun: Can't remember seeing them together. I think Sun watched Kate bathe once. Sounds hotter in print.
Kate-Jin: Nothing here. Kate questioned where Jin got his water from but that didn't lead anywhere.
Kate-Hurley: Not much of a relationship here, but as Jack's right hand man, Hurley knows Kate is a criminal. Not sure if she knows he knows...
Kate-Rose: None
Kate-Boone: None
Kate-Shannon: None.
Kate-Michael: Mutual respect as leader-types.
Kate-Walt: None.
Charlie-Locke: Locke helped Charlie overcome his addiction and find his guitar. Locke was almost fatherly in this role.
Charlie-Sawyer: They don't speak much, but Charlie did know him well enough to trust him with bringing Kate information about Jack's peril. Maybe he doesn't really know him after all!
Charlie-Sayid: Not much here. Charlie knows who the leaders are and has obeyed when Sayid has told him to do something.
Charlie-Claire: Possible romance here. Charlie has been very protective of her and they have bonded a lot. Almost all of Claire's scenes have been with Charlie since she is not on the show too much.
Charlie-Sun: None
Charlie-Jin: None
Charlie-Hurley: These two are the tag team champions of comic relief. Whenever they are on screen together, don't expect any serious drama. Well, except for the time Charlie accidentally offended Hurley about his weight.
Charlie-Rose: Has a talk show on PBS, I think.
Charlie-Boone: Got into a tussle when Charlie discovered that Boone was the one who swiped the water supply.
Charlie-Shannon: Charlie is definitely beguiled by her feminine charm. He has made it clear that he would bend over backwards to impress this pretty face.
Charlie-Michael: They've spoken, but I wouldn't call it a relationship.
Charlie-Walt: None
Locke-Sawyer: None, but Locke has thrown a knife at him and suggested to Sayid that Sawyer was the one who hit him.
Locke-Sayid: Mutual respect, though Sayid was suspicious of Locke after the whacking incident. Locke eased his mind by providing a hunting knife.
Locke-Claire: None
Locke-Sun: None
Locke-Jin: None
Locke-Hurley: Very little, but perhaps Locke recognizes Hurley as a domestic leader since he brought the bags he found in the jungle to him for sorting.
Locke-Rose: None
Locke-Boone: None
Locke-Shannon: None
Locke-Michael: Locke has been sensitive to Walt's looking up to him more than his own father. When he retrieved Walt's dog from the jungle by carving a whistle, he was sure to let Dad get the credit for the rescue.
Locke-Walt: Walt definitely looks up to Locke, and Locke may or may not have told him about his miracle. Walt has shown repeated desire to hang out with Locke instead of Dad, and was finally able to after Michael became too distracted by the golf course.
Sawyer-Sayid: These two have hated each other from first contact. Sawyer automatically assumed Sayid was a terrorist who brought the plane down. Sayid used all his torture skill to try and get the inhalers out of Sawyer and ended up almost killing him when he did not succeed.
Sawyer-Claire: None
Sawyer-Sun: None
Sawyer-Jin: They made at least one friendly trade off camera: a fish for bottled water.
Sawyer-Hurley: Hurley was angry that Sawyer was keeping the last of the food to himself and they almost came to blows. Hurley has admitted to leaving camp to get away from him.
Sawyer-Rose: None
Sawyer-Boone: Sawyer beat Boone up when Boone was digging through his stash, trying to find Shannon's inhalers.
Sawyer-Shannon: They have bartered over suntan lotion and bug spray. Sawyer has made a few lewd comments, of course.
Sawyer-Michael: None
Sawyer-Walt: None
Sayid-Claire: Claire was the one who found Sayid's photo of Nadia and returned it to him. They are friendly.
Sayid-Sun: None
Sayid-Jin: Jin did not win any points with Sayid by attacking Michael for what seemed like no reason. For a communications expert, he got surprisingly frustrated with the inability to communicate.
Sayid-Hurley: Not a relationship, but I assume they are friendly since they introduced themselves in the pilot.
Sayid-Rose: None
Sayid-Boone: Friendly, but not extraordinary. Boone has been included in a couple of Sayid's transmission plans.
Sayid-Shannon: None
Sayid-Michael: Mutual respect. There was the slightest of tension when Michael could not provide a reason for Jin attacking him.
Sayid-Walt: None
Claire-Sun: None
Claire-Jin: Upon eating Jin's fish, Claire's baby started kicking again. She made him feel her stomach and he didn't seem too pleased about it.
Claire-Hurley: Friendly. Hurley recognized Claire's special needs by giving her an extra portion of the remaining airline food.
Claire-Rose: None
Claire-Boone: None
Claire-Shannon: They had a conversation in the beginning but it's not like they were fast friends or anything.
Claire-Michael: None that I can remember.
Claire-Walt: Walt has occassionally been a Claire-sitter off camera. He was the one who told Kate that she fell down and once referred to being left alone at the caves with her.
Sun-Jin: Married, though not as happily as they used to be. Sun almost left him before getting on the plane with him at the last minute. Jin has been controlling, telling Sun that they don't need anyone else's help. He has also told her to cover up more than once, but she has often defied him. Jin does not know that Sun can actually speak English.
Sun-Hurley: None
Sun-Rose: None
Sun-Boone: None
Sun-Shannon: Sun used eucalyptus leaves to help soothe Shannon's asthma.
Sun-Michael: Potential for forbidden love here. Michael trusted her to watch Walt while he was hunting and Sun chose to reveal to Michael that she can speak English. She also asked him for help.
Sun-Walt: Friendly- Sun has babysat Walt and taught him how to brush his teeth with a leaf or something.
Jin-Hurley: Jin tried to get Hurley to eat something he caught in the sea but Hurley literally wouldn't bite.
Jin-Rose: None
Jin-Boone: None
Jin-Shannon: None
Jin-Michael: Tense. Jin, I think kind of knows what's going on with Michael and Sun and obviously doesn't like it. He viciously attacked him for what later turned out to be a misunderstanding over a watch Michael found.
Jin-Walt: None
Hurley-Rose: None
Hurley-Boone: None that I can remember.
Hurley-Shannon: Ditto
Hurley-Michael: Friendly. Michael was one of the first to embrace Hurley's golf course.
Hurley-Walt: Friendly
Rose-Boone: Boone tried to perform CPR but wasn't doing it right. He later expressed concern to Jack over Rose's catatonic state.
Rose-Shannon: None
Rose-Michael: None
Rose-Walt: None that I can remember.
Boone-Shannon: A volatile pair of siblings. Boone has been openly critical of Shannon's lifestyle and reaction to their plight. Shannon resents her brother's superior attitude. The love is there deep down though since Boone did anything he could to help her with her asthma.
Boone-Michael: Mutual respect
Boone-Walt: None that I can remember
Shannon-Michael: None
Shannon-Walt: None
Michael-Walt: Father and son forced on each other by mom's death. They have had their bonding moments but are taking baby steps in the process of getting to know one another.
Well, that's it, then. No more excuses. Watch LOST this Wednesday on ABC and I hope the information I have provided was enough to help you get caught up.
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