Tag / Bones

by admin

iTunes Top 200: #41 – 47

itunes_image4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.

With three quarters of the chart finished, we enter the home stretch today, cracking the top 50 starting songs with more than 40 plays, according to my iTunes stats dating back to late 2007.

#47: 2Pac & Dr. Dre – California Love
iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 10/20/2019
Previous ranking: #41

A small slip n the rankings for this team-up to celebrate 2Pac joining Death Row Records after getting released from jail in 1995.

#47: Weird Al Yankovic – White & Nerdy
iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 10/26/2019
Previous ranking: #46

A parody of the song Ridin’ by Chamillionaire and Krayzie Bone, which became Weird Al’s first ever top 10 hit.

#47: Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice
iTunes stats: 41 plays, most recently on 12/9/2019
Previous ranking: #79

A strong rise in the rankings for this 1994 hit from Snoop Dogg, which also appears on Volume 13 of my mix tapes.

#47: Metallica – Wherever I May Roam
iTunes stats: 44 plays, most recently on 9/25/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

Used by David Robertson as his entry music, which got it added to some editions of my White Sox victory playlist, enabled this Metallica tune to make an impressive debut.

#43: Sir Mix-A-Lot – Baby Got Back
iTunes stats: 42 plays, most recently on 10/26/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

The classic ode to large backsides, which also appears on Volume 6 of my mix tapes, makes a strong debut on the list.

#43: Purdue “All-American” Marching Band  – Go Purdue Cheer
Continue reading →

by admin

2017 New Fall Season – Wednesdays

old-tv-set1We have reached the half way point of our look at the offerings for the new fall season.  Here’s what Wednesdays have on tap for the fall.

7:00

Riverdale – The sexy version of the Archie comics returns for its second season.

The Blacklist – Now that the mystery of Red’s relationship to Liz has been cleared up, things promise to take a lighter tone in season 5.

8:00

Modern Family – The comedy, entering its ninth season, is really starting to show its age.  It’s still fun, but the plots are starting to get a little out there.

SEAL Team – David Boreanaz returns to television mere months after the end of Bones in what is likely to be another CBS procedural.

9:00

Continue reading →

by admin

Post Mortem – Bones

When Bones debuted on FOX on September 13, 2005, the White Sox were still a month and a half from breaking their 88 year World Series drought and the Cubs drought had not even hit 100 years.  12 years later, the wacky procedural had aired in at least one timeslot on every weeknight, giving FOX a steady, if unspectacular, performer.

Fresh from Angel, David Boreanaz signed on as Agent Seeley Booth, followed quickly by Emily Deschanel as Temperance Brennan.  Their chemistry helped to elevate the show above a typical procedural, useful for a 12 season, 246 episode run.

While it was certainly time for the show to move on, I can’t say that I won’t miss having it on the schedule.  Even at the end, when the cracks were starting to show, it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour with a group of old friends who had been together for so long.

by admin

FOX Upfronts

A year after banking their season on the return of old favorites, FOX has gone a different route this year.  Gotham loses its longtime home on Monday nights, replaced by The Gifted, based on Marvel’s X-Men characters, which will follow Lucifer.  Tuesdays will lead off with the second season of Lethal Weapon, followed by The Mick and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Wednesday takes a musical cue, with Empire followed by Star.

Gotham lands on Thursdays, followed by Seth MacFarlane’s first live-action show, The Orville.  Friday remains the same, with Hell’s Kitchen followed by The Exorcist.  A new comedy, Ghosted, moves in between The Simpsons and Family Guy on Sundays.

The final season of New Girl will appear at some point.  Also on tap for mid-season are The Resident, a groundbreaking medical drama starring, amongst others, Matt Czuchry and Emily VanCamp, and LA to Vegas, a comedy about a flight crew going back and forth between LA and Vegas.

Gone and mostly forgotten are APB, Making History, Pitch, Prison Break (which may return again in the future), Son of Zorn, 24: Legacy (again, may return in the future), Bones, Rosewood, Scream Queens, and Sleepy Hollow.

by admin

iTunes Top 200 Artists: #119-129

3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists in my iTunes library.  Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact.  So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.

We continue today with the remaining 2 artists tied for 129th with 34 plays, before starting the first half of the artists tied for 119th with 36 plays.

#129: Barry Manilow
iTunes stats: 34 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The king of 70s soft rock uses 3 tunes, including his theme song to American Bandstand, to make up his total.

#129: 2Pac
iTunes stats: 34 plays
Previous ranking: #94

A 35 spot drop for the murdered rapper, thanks to a measly 10 new listens over the past 3 years.

#123: The Go-Go’s
iTunes stats: 35 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The seminal female band cracks the charts thanks to 4 different tracks.

#123: The Crystal Method
iTunes stats: 35 plays
Previous ranking: #76

The band responsible for the theme from Bones added only 4 new plays over the past 3 years.

#123: Pink
iTunes stats: 35 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

4 tracks from the punky pop star place her on the charts.

#123: Letters To Cleo
iTunes stats: 35 plays
Previous ranking: #91

A 31 spot drop for the band thanks to a whopping 9 new listens to their 2 songs.

#123: Coolio
Continue reading →

by admin

Midseason Review – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look back at my thoughts on the new fall season, with the offerings that I found myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Similar to Gotham, I still have the final 4 episodes from last season sitting on the DVR waiting to be watched.  Unlike Gotham, I am looking forward to doing so.

The show continues to deliver the funny.

The Flash – The end of season 2 seemingly rewrote the entire timeline of the first two years of the show, so who knows what we will get as season 3 kicks off.

The first half of the season dealt with the fallback from Barry changing the timeline.  Hopefully the second half moves on from that to get back to what made the show entertaining.

7:30

New Girl – The quirky comedy returns for its 6th season, with some changes in the relationship statuses amongst the roommates causing issues.

The show is still entertaining, but it is starting to show its age a bit.

9:00

This Is Us – To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what this show is about.  But, I’ve seen some good things online and it has a few stars I like, so I might give it a chance.

A highly manipulative look at family dynamics that somehow manages to entertain.  This easily fills the Parenthood hole in the TV schedule.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Season 4 moves back an hour and, following the events of Captain America: Civil War, has yet another new status quo.  Oh, and Ghost Rider is slated to show up.

The show motors on, introducing LMDs to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Now let’s look at the new shows premiering in the spring on Tuesdays:

Bones – The veteran show returns for a final season on FOX.

 

by admin

FOX Upfronts

24LegacyEverything old is new again at FOX, as their upfront presentation included new versions of 24, Lethal Weapon, The Exorcist, and Prison Break.  As is their norm, FOX announced multiple schedules, one for the fall and another for mid-season.

In the fall, Mondays remain the same, with Gotham followed by Lucifer.  24: Legacy, starring Corey Hawkins, premieres following the Super Bowl in February before settling in on Mondays.  Tuesdays comedy block gets reduced to Brooklyn Nine-Nine followed by New Girl, followed by the returning Scream Queens.

Wednesday is the home of the Lethal Weapon reboot, starring Damon Wayans in the Danny Glover role of Murtaugh.  The final season of Bones moves back an hour on Thursday in the fall, before giving way to the return of Prison Break in the spring.  Friday brings the adaptation of The Exorcist, which sounds like a horrible idea.

Gone, but not forgotten, are Bordertown, Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life, Grandfathered, The Grinder, Knock Knock Live, Minority Report, and Second Chance.

by admin

Midseason Review – Thursdays

old-tv-set1Time for our look back at Thursday nights, traditionally the busiest night of the week for my television viewing habits.

7:00

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 12th season after a dark 11th season which killed off Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. McDreamy.  The show promises a brighter season, so we’ll see what happens.

The show has kept plugging along, despite the loss of Patrick Dempsey.

The Big Bang Theory – The show returns to Thursdays in early November, following the midpoint of the NFL season.

With Leonard and Penny married, Sheldon and Amy back together and moving their relationship forward, and Raj in a committed relationship, the show’s focus has certainly changed considerably since its beginnings.

Bones – The show returns for its 11th season.  Beyond that, there’s not much to say about the show that hasn’t already been said.

There’s really nothing new to say about this show that hasn’t already been said.  It is what it is.

Heroes Reborn – NBC’s rebooted Heroes show, originally announced 18 months ago, finally makes it to air.  I will give this a shot, but I fear it will have a very short leash, given how poorly the original series ended up.

The show wrapped up its run last week, and I’m left wondering what the point was.  This was not a story that needed to be told, and suffered from some of the same problems as the original.

7:30

Life In Pieces – Assuming I’m still watching this come November, it moves from Monday along with BBT.

As I said on Monday, I am not still watching this.

8:00

The Blacklist – James Spader returns for a third season of chewing the scenery.

The status quo has changed, with Liz, finally exonerated, no longer allowed to be a field agent.  Will this change the chemistry of the show?  Only time will tell.

Sleepy Hollow – I dropped this midway through the past season when I realized that I was never actually watching the show and instead just playing it in the background while doing other things.  I doubt I’ll be going back, considering I still don’t know any characters name beyond Ichabod Crane.

A crossover with Bones brought me back for a week, but that was it.

9:00

Elementary – Sherlock and Watson return for a fourth season of helping the NYPD solve their cases, this time with John Noble as Sherlock’s father.

The show continues to impress with its version of the classic character.

Continue reading →

by admin

2015 New Fall Season – Thursdays

old-tv-set1Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week for my television viewing habits. Here’s what’s on the slate for this season.

7:00

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 12th season after a dark 11th season which killed off Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. McDreamy.  The show promises a brighter season, so we’ll see what happens.

The Big Bang Theory – The show returns to Thursdays in early November, following the midpoint of the NFL season.

Bones – The show returns for its 11th season.  Beyond that, there’s not much to say about the show that hasn’t already been said.

Heroes Reborn – NBC’s rebooted Heroes show, originally announced 18 months ago, finally makes it to air.  I will give this a shot, but I fear it will have a very short leash, given how poorly the original series ended up.

7:30

Life In Pieces – Assuming I’m still watching this come November, it moves from Monday along with BBT.

8:00

The Blacklist – James Spader returns for a third season of chewing the scenery.

Sleepy Hollow – I dropped this midway through the past season when I realized that I was never actually watching the show and instead just playing it in the background while doing other things.  I doubt I’ll be going back, considering I still don’t know any characters name beyond Ichabod Crane.

9:00

Elementary – Sherlock and Watson return for a fourth season of helping the NYPD solve their cases, this time with John Noble as Sherlock’s father. Continue reading →

by jim

Post Mortem – Backstrom

backstromWhat do you get when you combine the creator of Bones with one of the stars of The Office on a show based on a Swedish series of books?  I mean, besides a bit of a mess.  You get Backstrom, starring Rainn Wilson as a brilliant Portland detective who is his own worst enemy.

Sadly, despite an impressive cast, which also included Dennis Haysbert, Thomas Dekker, and Sarah Chalke, the show was a mess.  I obviously have not read the source material, so I don’t know if the flaws lied there or in the implementation of the translation.  Either way, the show will not live on to see a second season.