Book 6 (of 52) – The Actor’s Life

The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide – Jenna Fischer

Actress Jenna Fischer, who charmed America for 10 seasons as Pam Beesly on The Office, checks in with her how to/memoir about surviving as a beginning actor, telling her story along the way.  She starts with moving to LA, finding an agent and/or manager, learning to audition, how to behave once you get cast, and to keep on going even when you have convinced yourself that it isn’t going to happen.

Fischer arrived in Los Angeles in 1998 as a fresh faced theater school grad, expecting to quickly make inroads in Hollywood and become a working actor.  It took 3 years before she booked her first speaking role, a three-line guest spot on Spin City in 2001.  That led to work in independent films and other guest parts before she hit it big in 2005, being cast in the American version of The Office.  In The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide, she details her struggle, while giving helpful advice to those coming up behind her.  If you are a fan or are looking to make the leap into the entertainment business, then this is highly recommended.

iTunes Top 200: #68 – 79

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.

Today, we wrap up the final two songs with 36 plays and move on to the first group of songs with 37 plays, according to my iTunes stats dating back to late 2007.

#79: The Beatles – Magical Mystery Tour
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 10/7/2019
Previous ranking: #56

A slight decrease for the only theme song to a Beatles film to not be released as a single.

#79: The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love
iTunes stats: 36 plays, most recently on 9/30/2019
Previous ranking: #46

This 1964 hit had the biggest jump to number one (from #27) until Billboard began using SoundScan for their charts.

#68: The Office Theme
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 6/25/2019
Previous ranking: #41

A slight decrease for the theme song from the long-running NBC comedy.

#68: Mexican Cheerleader – American Nice
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 10/25/2019
Previous ranking: #79

The song that serves as a ringtone for the band’s singer on my phone.

#68: The Lonely Island – Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde (feat. Rihanna)
iTunes stats: 37 plays, most recently on 12/9/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

A strong debut for the comedic tune featuring Rihanna.

#68: The Lonely Island – Dick In A Box (ft. Justin Timberlake)
Continue reading →

Book 22 (of 52) – Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) – Mindy Kaling

In her first memoir, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), Mindy Kaling recounts her upbringing, college years, moving to New York, and breaking in to Hollywood as a writer and actress on The Office.  She tells her experience with Hollywood’s ups and downs, both personally and professionally, and how she deals with not being the “ideal” picture of beauty.

Kaling’s writing style is reminiscent of her television personality, and that’s not a bad thing.  She has an interesting story and I’m glad that I read it.  She also has a follow-up, which I will try to pick up one of these days.

Book 8 (of 52) – TV (The Book)

TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick The Greatest American Shows Of All Time – Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz

Lamenting the lack of serious television criticism in book form, like there has been for years for film, former newspapermen Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz team up to rank the 100 greatest American television shows of all time, giving their explanation on why each one deserves its spot in the American cultural landscape.  Aside from The Simpsons, which has been on the air for 50 years or so and took home the top spot after much deliberation, currently airing shows were not eligible for consideration.

Separated into 4 categories, The Inner Circle, No-Doubt-About-It Classics, Groundbreakers and Workhorses, and Outlier Classics, the list runs the gamut from television’s earliest days, with classics like I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners, to today’s (well, yesterday’s) biggest hits.  As we are living in the golden age of Peak TV, the majority of the list is certainly from the past 20 years or so.

My television watching has had me watch all or a good portion of 24 of these classic series, either in first run or syndication.  Those shows are:

The Simpsons
Cheers
Seinfeld
MASH
Louie
The X-Files
Lost
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Continue reading →

iTunes Top 200: #41 – 46

itunes_image3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 songs 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 songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2016.

With 3/4ths of the rankings completed, we kick off the look at the final quarter today with the first 10 songs ranked from #46 through #41.

#46: Elvis Presley – An American Trilogy
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 12/3/2015
Previous ranking: #96

An impressive jump in the ratings for this medley of three 19th century songs: Dixie, a blackface minstrel song that became the unofficial anthem of the Confederacy since the Civil War; All My Trials, originally a Bahamian lullaby, but closely related to African American spirituals; and The Battle Hymn of the Republic, the marching song of the Union Army during the Civil War.

#46: Divinyls – I Touch Myself
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 9/28/2015
Previous ranking: #41

The sole US hit for the Australian band which formed in 1980.

#46: Color Me Badd – All 4 Love
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 10/3/2015
Previous ranking: Unranked

The highest ranking song that did not make the cut three years ago, thanks to its use as at bat music for former White Sox catcher Tyler Flowers.

#46:  The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – End Credits (Broom Dance/Grr Argh)
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 11/9/2014
Previous ranking: #41

A jazzed up version of the ending theme from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

#46: The Beatles – Can’t Buy Me Love
iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 9/17/2015
Previous ranking: #41

This 1964 hit had the biggest jump to number one (from #27) until Billboard began using SoundScan for their charts.

#44: Tegan and Sara – I Hear Noises
Continue reading →

2015 New Fall Season – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look at the new fall season, here are the offerings that I may find myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Muppets – ABC brings a new version of the Muppets to television, this time as a work place comedy.  Basically, The Office but with Kermit.

The Flash – A surprisingly fun adaptation of the DC superhero.  The first season was very satisfying and I hope for more of the same.

8:00

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Another new status quo, following the end of last season and the events of the latest Avengers movie, as we head in to season 3.

Scream Queens – Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis team for this horror comedy, hopefully in the vein of the Scream films, from FOX.  I’m certainly willing to give it a shot to impress.

iZombie – The zombie comedy, which was a midseason surprise last spring, returns for a full season.  I have a lot of faith in EP Rob Thomas, so I’m looking for good things. Continue reading →

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.

Goodbye, iPhone 4S – Music Edition

A little more than a week ago, I upgraded my phone from the iPhone 4S to the newly released iPhone 5S.  The biggest difference, aside from a slightly bigger screen, is the jump from 3G (or 4G, if you believe AT&T’s hype) to LTE.  I had the 4S for a little under 2 years, and in that time, we traveled the world together (well, at least going back to the UK) and have listened to a lot of podcasts and music. Here is every song (all 2079 of them) I’ve listened to on the phone, with some (ok, very little) bonus commentary.  Godspeed.

 

Let’s Go-Go-Go White Sox Captain Stubby and the Buccaneers 33
He’s a Pirate Klaus Badelt Pirates of the Caribbean (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) 32
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Harry Caray 31
Thunderstruck AC/DC The Razors Edge 31
Gordon Beckham Intro 29
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye Steam Billboard’s Top Rock ‘n’ Roll Hits: 1969 29
Don’t Stop Believin’ Journey Journey’s Greatest Hits 27
sox05_montage 27
We Are The Champions Queen Queen: Greatest Hits I & II 27
Your Love The Outfield Play Deep 27
2008 White Sox Central Division Champs Montage Chris Tannehill WSCR 670 The Score 25
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Nancy Faust 25
Harvester Of Sorrow Metallica …And Justice For All 20

You would hope that these numbers would have been higher, but this past season’s miserable performance by the White Sox has put the songs on their playlist out of mind more often than not.

Cannonball The Breeders The First 1000 Years- Rock 19
Man Or Muppet Jason Segel The Muppets 15
It’s Time For Our Song Miss Piggy The Muppets 14
Get Out There And Help Those Guys Jason Segel The Muppets 13
Main Title LOST Soundtrack LOST Soundtrack 13
Are You A Man Or A Muppet? Amy Adams The Muppets 12
How Charming, A Finale Uncle Deadly The Muppets 12
I’m On A Boat (ft. T-Pain) The Lonely Island Incredibad 12
Down At The Ole Barbershop Kermit The Muppets 11
Me and Drugs David Cross Bigger and Blackerer 11
The Antichrist Howard Stern Private Parts: The Album 11
Continue reading →

iTunes Top 100: #30 – 40

itunes_imageMy latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 2 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, it is now time to look at digital music with the Top 100 songs that I’ve listened to as of 6/2/2013, according to iTunes. Today we look at the 11 songs that take up spots 30 – 40, with between 25 and 21 plays.

#30: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – I’ve Got A Theory/Bunnies/If We’re Together

A plot moving tune that features most of the main cast.

iTunes stats: 25 plays, most recently on 4/28/2013

#30: Foo Fighters – All My Life

A live version of the song from the Live in Hyde Park bootleg.

iTunes stats: 25 plays, most recently on 2/6/2013

#32: Blossom Theme

The catchy theme song from the 90s pantheon to weird teenage girls being themselves.

iTunes stats: 24 plays, most recently on 3/10/2013

#33: Foo Fighters – Everlong

The album version from their second studio release.

iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 3/22/2013

#33: Foo Fighters – Best Of You

A live version of the song from the Live in Hyde Park bootleg.

iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 11/18/2012

#33: The Office Theme

The theme song from the hit NBC comedy that came to a close this spring.

iTunes stats: 23 plays, most recently on 5/15/2013

Continue reading →