Quad Blogs

Some mistakes are made in The Foot. The mistakes are mostly minor such as omitting certain things from an episode or a series or whatever. One such grave omission was made in my last write-up on Waiting To Fall and Miles To Go. Today, that mistake will be rectified.

You see, the “Get Ya Popcorn Ready” EP isn’t so much an EP about love and heartbreaks. It is a much more sweeping narrative with an epic scope that re-imagines and re-tells the historic Battle of Borodino.

The Russian figures remains the same. In fact, the Get Ya Popcorn Ready opening song “Zip Tie” is not what it appears to be. The masses have been told that “Zip Tie” is a romantic piece about a dude’s love for his girlfriend. The thing is: it is NOT about that at all. They only WANT you to think that. There was a famous General for the Imperial Russian Army in the early 1800s. His name was Kutuzov. He displayed tremendous resolve in that Battle and he had tremendous devotion to the country he loved.

Zip Tie” is ABOUT General Mikhail Kutuzov’s love for his country. The song also foreshadows AND celebrates the legacy of Kutuzov in Russian history. He’s the man who defeated Napoleon’s army. Of course, Zip Tie also takes one into the mind of General Kutuzov. Here was this man with the fate of Russia in his hands at Borodino. It’s a battle that was the bloodiest and largest in the entire war. The Russian’s lost many, many soliders but knew they could replinish because of their country’s population.”Zip Tie” not only had to introduce and tell the story of General Kutuzov but it had to set up the rest of the story for the album while setting up for the unbelievable twist at the end of the song:

IN THIS RE-IMAGINING OF THE BATTLE OF BORODINO, THE FRENCH HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY ZOMBIES!

As for why, the band refuses to comment on the matter even so far as perpetuating this lie that it’s about love and heartbreaks when, in reality, it’s about this one day in history that resulted in over 70,000 casualties. Napoleon lost a third of his army but managed to capture the main positions on the battlefield but failed to destroy the Russian army. The battle was broken off because of how exhausted both sides were. It was one of the more pivotal points in the battle because this marked the last offensive action taken by Napoleon. Kutuzov preserved the strength of his army by withdrawing. Russian eventually would win the war.

Of course, with zombies, a few liberties are taken with history. For example, You Tonight is a story about how Kutuzov FALLS IN LOVE with one of the zombie women. It’s weird. Tracks 5 and 6 juxtaposes the battle itself with elbaborate zombie drinking games.

Well, I’ve clearly lost my mind.

HERE’S SOMETHING NEW:

I’m going to link things that should be read or watched. Why? I don’t know. Feels right. Here is today’s link:

1. Mad Men–”Pilot”–Written By Matthew Weiner. http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Mad_Men/Mad_Men_1x01_-_Smoke_Gets_in_Your_Eyes.pdf

It’s a terrific script and pilot. The old adage goes: a Pilot must be a singular episode and a microcosm of the entire series. The Mad Men pilot succeeds on both counts. I’ve become a big fan of the show since I began watching it in my post-LOST life. If you have watched this episode or haven’t, it doesn’t matter. It’s an excellent script. Just read it.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE DAY

So here we are. The NHL postseason has ended and its regular season is but a distant and mildly unpleasant memory. That is unless you’re a Capitals fan. Than the regular season was, as Borat would say, “great success!”         

            I mentioned earlier in the week that the salary cap makes it difficult to establish a dynasty. Just ask the Blackhawks, who are roughly $5 million OVER the cap with only 14 players signed to contracts for next season. Basically, that means the Blackhawks still need to add a fourth line, a third defensive pair and another goalie just to have a full roster. But they won the Cup so who cares if they don’t win another one for a few years while they sort that mess out?

            The Eastern Conference Champion Philadelphia Flyers are in a considerably better place (financially speaking) than the team who ended their season. The Flyers are about $8 million under the salary cap and almost all of their key players are under contract through next season.

            That’s not to say that Paul Holmgren can just sit around twiddling his thumbs until October. There are some big decisions to be made before the Flyers can begin their defense of the coveted Prince of Wales Trophy. Click on the photos to take a look at this year’s crop of free agents at that position courtesy of Sportscity.com.

            Goaltending

            As always, it starts in net. Justified or not, Flyers fans are obsessed with goalies. It’s sort of what we do. The team is in an interesting spot here, having two decent prospects (Johan Backlund and Sergei Bobrovsky) waiting in the wings, while elder statesman Brian Boucher is also under contract.

            But what to do with playoff hero and unrestricted free agent (UFA) Michael Leighton? They could offer Leighton a contract similar to what they gave Ray Emery prior to the start of last season, namely 1-year, $1.5 million. Both were Stanley Cup runners-up and both have their share of question marks.

            If Leighton doesn’t work out, the list of free agent goalies is very weak. There is an old friend on it who jumps out at me: Marty Biron. I’ve always thought he was good enough to lead the team to a Stanley Cup, but he just needed better defense. Well they’ve finally got a better defense, so why not give the affable Biron another go? Plus he would be the perfect placeholder until Backlund or Bobrovsky can take over the job. After last season’s debacle, I think Marty will sign on the cheap just to escape New York. Think of him as a French-Canadian Kurt Russell.

            There is also the chance that the Flyers will look to trade for a young, franchise-caliber goalie. Jonathan Bernier/ Jonathan Quick of the Los Angeles Kings and Corey Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks are some of the highlights on that list. This is a risky move and could also be very costly. Think Jeff Carter/ JVR costly. Plus who’s to say that any of these guys will actually pan out on the NHL level?

            I think the team would be wise to pick up Marty, give the (sort of) youngsters on the roster a chance to show what they can do and use whatever draft picks you can to pick up more goalie prospects. You can never have too many and building from within is always an advisable route.

            Forwards

            The Flyers only UFA forward is Arron Asham. Dan Carcillo and Darroll Powe top the list of restricted free agents (RFA). As much as I love him, Asham will likely need to find work elsewhere next season. He’s gritty and a hard worker, but the Flyers have a few too many players filling a similar role. Carcillo and Powe aren’t going anywhere.

            The Flyers need to add a scoring winger (preferably a right winger) this offseason. There isn’t a ton out there that the Flyers could reasonably make a run at, but while we’re bringing back old Flyers, what about Mark Recchi? Imagine him on a line with JVR and Claude Giroux, filling the Jamie Moyer mentor role. Ah, I love it. Recchi made about a million bucks last season so he’s cheap, but rumor has it that he wants back into Boston for some reason. Hopefully, they decide to go a different direction and Recchi decides to come home again.    

            Outside of Rex, the Flyers could look to Maxim Afinogenov, Miroslav Satan or Bill Guerin (who could also fill a Moyer-esque role). That list isn’t all that studly and I have little interest in Afinogenov or Satan, both of whom have struggled with consistency over their careers.

            Also, you’re going to need to find something to do with Jeff Carter. If Richards, Briere, Giroux and Betts are your centers for next year, then Carter seems to be the odd man out. He is either going to have to spend his summer learning to play wing or take his pretty boy good looks and his ill advised wrist shots elsewhere via a trade. I would prefer to keep him, but he’ll need to buckle down and learn the right side to make it work.

            The guys left in the middle all need to work on winning face-offs, especially if their last name is Richards.

            Defense

            The Flyers biggest UFA d-man is Lukas Krajicek. I wouldn’t count on him coming back. Brayden Coburn and Ryan Parent top the RFA list. Both will be back, Coburn because he earned it and Parent because he has too much potential to give up on quite yet.

            Outside of goaltending, the Flyers biggest question mark is the third defensive pair, which usually involved some combination of Latvian Olympic team star Oskars Bartulis, Krajicek and Parent.

            The Flyers may want to go out and add a steady third-pairing defenseman like an Andy Sutton, or something similar. Or they can go big and target Dan Hamuis, a top four d-man in Nashville who the orange and black coveted at the trade deadline. Or they can put their faith in the Latvian Wolf and Parent to both mature into their respective potentials.

            Holmgren and head coach Peter Laviolette need to ask themselves one question: First round series is deadlocked at two games a piece, how many minutes do Parent and Bartulis play in game five? If you can’t trust them to give you 10-15 in that situation, the team needs to look to the outside for blue line help.

            The Flyers do have a stockpile of defensive talent on the Phantoms (Kevin Marshall, Marc-Andre Bourdon and Joonas Lehtivuori) but none of it is ready to make the jump to the big league quite yet.

            The future doesn’t look too bad for the Flyers. I admit that my expectations for this offseason are a bit conservative. I just don’t think you can go out and add a Chris Pronger every year without destroying team chemistry.

            And the farm system.

            And the salary cap.

            Perhaps I’m wrong (happens more often then I’d care to admit) and a big move is in the works. We should know a good chunk of the team’s plans come June 25-26 when the NHL Entry Draft takes place.

            Now to the Beard of the Day!

Affectionately known as "squid-beard," this tentacled-baddie made life hard for Johnny Depp in the two "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels. Ladies and gentlemen, the "Davey Jones."

            That’s all for this week. I’ll be back on Monday with a rant about some kind of nonsense. Enjoy the weekend, stay safe and vaya con dios.

Image Credits: Leighton; Briere; Pronger; Davey Jones

So, I know today was supposed to be about the Flyers’ offseason plans but then I saw “Toy Story 3″ last night and instead of writing about hockey, I wrote a review of the film. So sue me. The offseason dealy will be up tomorrow. I apologize for the mix up.

            No one working in animation today can do what Pixar can. Heck, there are few people working in “real” movies, and I use that term loosely, that can do what Pixar can. Without fail, Pixar churns out one masterpiece after another. Taking familiar stories about young love, big dreams and growing up and making them somehow feel like new.

            Pixar’s incredible run started all the way back in 1995, when the original “Toy Story” changed animation forever. Now, as “Toy Story 3” storms into theaters, that run stands at 11 spectacular films and counting, with no end in sight.

            “Toy Story 3” begins with Andy preparing to leave for college, his formerly cherished collection of playthings relegated to a life stuck in the toy box, longing for someone to play with them again. After a series of mix-ups take them from the attic to the dumpster, the toys end up in a day care center ruled by a stuffed pink bear that smells like strawberries and where the kids are anything but gentle.

            Soon, Woody, Buzz, Rex and the rest of the gang set out for one last adventure as they try and make their way dutifully back home to be with Andy. Along the way, they encounter some new friends and some who are not-so friendly. Most of all though, the movie is about their struggle to find a place in Andy’s world, as he grows up and out grows the things that used to mean so much.

            Masterfully executed by director Lee Unkrich and writers Michael Arndt and John Lasseter, “Toy Story 3” is hilarious and heartfelt, regardless of age. As is so often the case with Pixar, you’ll be fighting back tears in between fits of laughter, while wondering just how a movie about (toys, robots, fish, ect.) could hit you so hard.

            Such is the magic of Pixar. They make movies with a soul and create characters that can jump off the screen without the aid of funny-looking plastic glasses. When people say that movies just aren’t what they used to be, I tend to think that they’re just not paying close enough attention. Movies are just different than they used to be. These days, the most human characters are sometimes made of plastic or voiced by a computer. Not better or worse, just different and you know what? That’s ok.

            Tim Allen (Buzz) and Tom Hanks (Woody) return once again to lead a cast of incredibly talented voice actors. New editions to the playroom include the aforementioned bear, called Lotso (as in Lots-O-Huggin’ Bear) voiced by Ned Beatty, Barbie’s gleefully self-absorbed soul mate Ken (Michael Keaton) and Trixie, a wonderfully charming Triceratops (Kristen Schaal), just to name a few. 

            I fell into a hyperbolic trap last summer, proclaiming three straight movies to be the best movie of the year. Armed with that experience and with the knowledge that a Christopher Nolan movie lurks just mere weeks away, I still feel confident saying that “Toy Story 3” is the best movie of the year. Honestly, it will be hard to top even for Nolan. I’ll even go one better and say that this is quite possibly the best of the beloved franchise; it’s funnier and more heartfelt than its predecessors. No small feat considering that the first two films are both rated at 100% according to the review aggregator Rottentomatoes.com.

            I’ve often debated with friends and colleagues over just what is the best film trilogy of all time. “Star Wars” doesn’t count because there are six of them. “Lord of the Rings” always felt wrong because that’s really more of one big movie. Thankfully, I think that we finally have an answer. I just hope Pixar doesn’t go and make a fourth “Toy Story,” because we’ll end up back at square one. Then again, I don’t think I would complain too loudly… or at all… if I got to spend just a little bit more time with the gang.

            Maybe that’s because the “Toy Story” films are a wonderful dose of nostalgia. Watching them is like being a kid again, alone in your room with only a handful of army men and a limitless imagination to keep you occupied. And that’s all you needed. “Toy Story” brilliantly taps into those childhood memories, making you regret all those yard sales where you sold off your friends a dollar at a time. It also gives you the chance to undo those mistakes and to be a kid again, even if it’s only for 100 minutes or so.

            See it: In theaters immediately

            Rewatchability: Very High

            Final Grade: A

Vaya con dios.

Image Credits: Poster; Andy

I’m going to be walking on glass today because I will be reviewing two bands with friends of mine in said bands. It’s exciting yet daunting. Will this entry be the catalyst that leads to severed bonds of fellowship? Never say never. You readers can join in on the fun by downloading or purchasing the music I write about here.

The first band: Waiting 2 Fall from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

They come from the land of gigantic malls, overpriced restaurants, nonsense SEPTA routes, schedules and outrageous zone fares. It’s enough to make you want to never travel there via public transportation. It beats gas money; however, with SEPTA, a week of traveling on their fine rails, buses and trolleys adds up to paying for a tank of gas. I’ll be poor either way thanks to transportation fees. I digress.

Waiting 2 Fall (or Waiting To Fall) formed sometime in early 2009. Three rambunctious youths wanted to write music and play music so they did just that. Before any of their friends were aware, they an EP released to the masses and not just North America. W2F’s debut EP can be found in iTunes Japan. Oh, yes. The band played a number of shows in promotion of the record, most notably at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia. They’ve since entered into a hiatus after lineup changes but are in the process of writing and recording the follow-up EP.

Their debut EP is titled “Love Is An Excuse To Get Hurt” and it is an emotionally-charged 25+ minutes of music. The lyric content deals with relationships gone wrong or, in other words, how love is a way to get yourself hurt. It’s not the most cheerful message in the world but neither is the entire discography of Nirvana and they managed an admirable level of success. The album is highlighted by a slow, meditative acoustic song called “Compound Fracture” in which lead guitarist/vocalist Mic Swinty is joined by a female voice as they sing about the loss of love in their life.

You can find their EP on a variety of websites including iTunes and Rhaspody. They also have a facebook page and myspace website. Also, check out their merchandise here: http://waiting2fall.spreadshirt.com/

The second band: Miles To Go from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

They come from the city where the constitution was signed. It is a city where SEPTA fares are still too much but not as bad as suburban zone fees nor does a horrendous route the number 92 exist in Philly. SEPTA in Philly has such lovable bus drivers like Grumpy, Jolly and Old Man.

Their first and only EP is a labor of love. A four year sojourn involving different people coming together for a shared goal: make good music. The journey began when a band called The Fightins ended. Miles To Go founder Pete Smith had to find a new bassist after the old bassist left to pursue different projects. Smith found the guy who writes the Post Collegiate Apocalypse blog on this very website. I digress. They wrote songs, practiced and played shows. Eventually, their drummer left and was replaced, for some time, by a computer. Finally, they found a human being to play drums. They also found a singer.

Meanwhile, the EP had been in production for awhile when they found the new members. To make a long story short, things eventually came together and an EP was born. The EP is titled “Get Ya Popcorn Ready!” and they played just one show before the band decided to go their separate ways.

“Get Ya Popcorn Ready!” has a rather interesting structure. Think of an old cassette tape that had two distinct sides. Side A and Side B. This CD employs that structure. The first four tracks are light-hearted and fun pop-punk affairs with stories about devotion to a significant other and hoping the girl you want to date comes to one of your shows. Side B features shift in tone and atmosphere. It’s darker. Side B is highlighted by haunting melodies and the closing track.

Download it for free: http://milestogo.bandcamp.com

THE YOUTUBE CLIP(S) OF THE DAY

Ah the third day of the work week. Some call it hump day, others know it as two more to go until the weekend. Me? Well, I just call it Dinosaur Wednesday! Without further adieu let’s get to this week’s award for Outstanding Dinosaur!

            This award is given to the dinosaur that puts the animals of today’s world to shame. A dinosaur so cool that you would love to take a ride on its back, even though just thinking about such a thing could cause the dinosaur in question to kill you without remorse. Ladies and gentlemen, this week’s Outstanding Dinosaur is…

            The Triceratops! This is truly a special day here at Post Collegiate Apocalypse as we celebrate the crowning of out first ever, plant-eating Outstanding Dinosaur. Perhaps this is a sign that I’m mellowing out in my old age. More likely it just means that the Triceratops is just simply too cool for school. Let’s check out some basic stats on this three-horned winner courtesy of the adult-oriented educational site enchantedlearning.com.

• Herbivore
• Length- 30 feet
• Height- 7 feet at the hips
• Weight 6-12 tons
• Name means “three-horned face”
• Lived in Western Canada and Western United States. A local boy really.
• Late Cretaceous period, roughly 72-65 million years ago

            Congratulations to all of the Triceratops out there for their historic victory. Thanks once again to enchantedlearning.com for providing an excellent source of information to all of us grown-up dinosaur enthusiasts out there.

            And now it’s once again time to take a gander inside the Post Collegiate Apocalypse Steel Cage and see who is throwing down in fisticuffs in this week’s Prehistoric Celebrity Grudge Match!

            We’ve got quite the battle in store for you folks this week. To say the least, these competitors don’t much care for each other and are chomping at the bit to get this brawl started. First up we have Dino, the lovable pet dinosaur from TV’s “The Flintstones.” Dino barks like a dog and is likely some type of sauropod, though his definitive classification remains unknown. Dino will be taking on two of the villainous, murderous Carnotaurus from the seemingly forgotten (by me, anyway) Walt Disney film “Dinosaurs.” These beasts have had it out for each other since their posses clashed outside of the 2007 World Dinosaur Awards in Branson, Missouri. Thankfully, Post Collegiate Apocalypse is here to settle this score once and for all.

            In order to find out who will come out on top of this battle, I’m going to have to fire up my notorious dinosaur algorithm. Some say that President Obama is consulting the algorithm to find new and creative ways to punish BP and that it actually wrote the screenplay for the movie “Spice World.” I can’t say for sure either way, but it is the best method we have to determine a winner in this historic slugfest. The button has been pushed!        

            Dino wins! Unbelievable! What a close, hard fought battle that was. It was so close that the algorithm computer is smoking like Shia LeBeouf on the streets of Burbank.

            Ok, well there is just one last order of business to attend to before today’s Dinosaur Wednesday becomes… extinct. Couldn’t resist. Now for today’s Jurassic Park Quote of the Week courtesy of Youtube.com!

            Lastly, it’s time for the Beard of the Day!

He's cool, suave, extremely handsome and very talented. He also grows possibly the scraggliest beard of all time. Call it, Mountain Man chic. Ladies and gentlemen, the "Brad Pitt."

            And so goes another Dinosaur Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by and make sure you venture back tomorrow as my Week of Mourning for the Flyers 2009-10 Season continues with a look at the team’s offseason plans. I’m sure you won’t want to miss that.

            Vaya con dios.

Image Credits: Triceratops; Triceratops v. Human; Dino; Carnotaurus; Steel Cage; Brad Pitt

Today, the third season of Treat William’s Beard hits the shelves. The show starred Treat Williams, his beard, Emily Vancamp, Tom Amandes and Anna Faris’ significant other; however, another item has been released to the free world today: First Stop Pennsylvania’s debut EP “Down 0-3.” So, which one do you get? Allow the Foot to help you in that decision-making process.

Treat William’s Beard is a show that once held the title for best first season of all-time by certain people that may or may not include the author of this very blog.

Treat Williams, the beard, the children.

The first season featured excellent writing, direction and acting. It was a classic WB show like Buffy or ANGEL. Treat William’s Beard had substance. It wasn’t like Dawson’s Creek or the atrocious 7th Heaven. The drama was earned. There was little melodrama (though the comatose boyfriend storyline leans that way but the show never melo-dramatized it) and a whole lot of heart. Much of the credit belongs to series creator Greg Berlanti and the show suffered a tonal shift when he began developing other shows for ABC because he handed the showrunning duties to Rina Mimoun. Now, there’s an old story that Berlanti was the one who was way into melodrama (and I should probably believe that considering he’s behind Brothers and Sisters) and that Rina Mimoun was the one keeping the story grounded. She made a wise move to eliminate the narrations but she and her group of writers fell victim to melodrama.

Season Two featured depressed Amy because her boyfriend died during surgery.

Allright. She doesn't look depressed here--just fantastic.

This was followed by her journey into drug experimentation with a fellow known by the TWoP crowd as Eyebrows. There was also a prolonged story arc about how she left home. Meanwhile, Treat Williams and his beard experienced the wrath of a town broken-hearted by the death of the town’s golden boy Colin Hart. People stopped going to his practice despite the fact that it was free. Ephram dated a succubus known as Madison. Add to that the fact she was 20 and he was 16 and a whole pile of drama was on that. Many conversations were had between the succubus and Ephram about how she’s too old and Ephram’s just a child. BUT NO, Ephram whined. He argued that he was masculine and manly enough for her. They of course break up. Meanwhile, Amy has had feeling for Ephram since episode six but the succubus rained on that parade. Of course, when she’s single and he’s single, he feels too scarred and hurt to date anyone because of Madison. There’s an episode when Ephram plays her and a Dawson’s Creek moment ensues when Ephram says he got her back for an entire year of being played. Amy cries. Back to the Beard though, he dates Dr. Abbott’s sister who contracted HIV while helping kids as a doctor abroad. This doesn’t scare Treat nor his beard because he loves Linda Abbott and it’s the first time he’s been able to love another woman since the death of his wife. His daughter doesn’t feel the same way. Just when she accepts Linda as a person, she finds out about the HIV and accidentally spreads it around town. Treat and his beard DUMPED Linda in the previous episode because of Delia’s fear of losing another motherish figure. She leaves. There’s also a malpractice thing with Dr. Abbott so he and Treat become buddies. Madison returns with news she’s pregnant. Treat and his beard BANISH her from the town. Ephram doesn’t know. Treat nor the beard wants Ephram to lose his innocence. He and Amy begin dating.

Allright. THAT did read as melodramatic. Now, it’s season three. The DVD you may or may not purchase based on my argument. I warn you it’s very melodramatic. Treat and the beard engage in an affair with Anne Heche despite the fact her husband can’t speak nor move and is being treated by Treat and the beard. This stresses Treat and the Beard out to the point he suffers a stomach ulcer. He’s also paranoid his son, Ephram, will find out that Madison was BANISHED with his spawn and, thus, destroying the years of healing that has happened in their complicated father/son relationship. The Anne Heche storyline is awful. It takes entirely too much time. It nearly destroys the season for me. Treat and the beard show stupidity that’s never been seen before. Considering’s a brain surgeon, one would expect a smarter person and beard. Also, that ticking time-bomb known as the Madison/pregnant storyline? It blows up and it’s annoying. Ephram overreacts, dumps Amy, sells every piece of musical equipment so he can go to Europe. WHAT?!?

You know, I imagine a group of 9-10 writers sitting around the table, pitching ideas for when Madison returns and the emotional beats and fallout of between Ephram and his father as well as the beard. How could they think it was a good idea? Ephram’s motivations aren’t believable. In fact, the entire storyline is implausible. Thankfully, at this point in time, I was having my mind blown by the first season of LOST and I forgot many of the happenings in season three. It was like a bad dream. It’s not a good season for Treat Williams and his beard. Of course, they wouldn’t name the show Treat William’s Beard if it meant Treat and the beard would sail through the show happily and without problems. It’s amazing that a writer’s room of many smart, intelligent writers consent to some ludicrous story arcs and plots. They did some great things in season three like the Ephram/Amy relationship, the Amy/Hannah friendship but then they did nonsense things like Anne Heche, Bright’s dumbass behavior post-college but the development of the Bright/Hannah future relationship was done well especially the episode when the four friends hang out in the snow. This is before the succubus and her baby hits the fan. As for that baby, Ephram pursues it once and realizes it’s not meant to be: fatherhood.

What this essentially boils down to is this: can you handle nonsense melodrama for the middle part of the season with Anne Heche, Treat Williams and the beard? Treat William’s Beard is a show with its fair share of flaws but the writers never lose sight of the show’s heart and why people loved the show as much they did when it was on. There’s a fair share of good in season three but some bad, bad stuff. In fact, season three has one of my favorite moments of the show. It involves a message from Ephram’s mother who died and Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, The Places You’ll Go.”

Now, I turn to First Stop Pennsylvania’s “Down 0-3.”

It is a six song EP written, produced and recorded by Bryan Funk. The six songs are well-done, catchy and fun. Track three has single written all over it. If I’m an A&R guy, I’d sign First Stop solely for “With You.” First Stop Pennsylvania blends a few different styles. There’s punk rock, pop-punk and 80s power-pop and it’s a blending of styles that works. There are infectious melodies and terrific use of effects. The EP isn’t overwhelmed by effects. B. Funk carefully chose his spots and it works. Also, an aspect of CDs that’s never given enough national attention is the closing track. I think enough has been made of openers and a golden rule seems to be open it up with some energy which this EP does. The closing track is pretty great as well. It reminds me of the glory days of pop-punk and even contains an expletive. The entire ep has that quality though. It’s more Blink 182 than All Time Low or Paramore. The ep is a healthy reminder of a golden era of pop-punk and one of the lasting things to take from this ep is this: pop-punk still has a whole lot of fun, quality and life in it.

It’s available here: http://firststoppennsylvania.bandcamp.com. It’s pay what you want. Pay 0 or Pay a dollar. It is like Jacob said: you have a choice.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE DAY

As the dust settles on another Flyers playoff run, it’s time to look back and remember the teams that our beloved orange and black were able to step over on their way to the Stanley Cup Finals. Despite being massive underdogs in every series that they were in (including the one where they were the higher seed), the Flyers never relented. They bested the Devils, stunned the Bruins and broke the hearts of Canadiens fans before finally petering out against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was an amazing run, one that will certainly live on forever in the minds of Flyers faithful.

            Of course, the run wasn’t always roses and daffodils. There were certainly some bumps along the way. The names on today’s Names I Wish I Didn’t Know list provided some of the biggest and loudest bumps the Flyers encountered this postseason. 

Names I Wish I Didn’t Know: Flyers Playoff Edition

Round 1: Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils)

Hey, is this train going back to Russia? Long Island? Yikes. I'll catch the next one...

            Ilya Kovalchuk was traded to the Devils at the trade deadline with the idea that he would provide the notoriously stingy defensive team with a premier sniper. The Devils invested a big part of their future in a guy destined to become a free agent at the season’s end. Pundits lauded the move. The Devils skyrocketed to the top of everyone’s list as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup.

            Sadly, Kovalchuk never fit in with the Devils two-way system and he managed to destroy their power play in the process. Watching a Devils power play was like watching an old episode of “Power Rangers:” entertaining but extremely formulaic. The Devils would sneakily work the puck around the outside…waiting…still waiting and then BAM! They’d hit you with the secret weapon: Kovalchuk one timer from the blue line! Works every time! Except it didn’t.

            Brian Boucher and the Flyers defense stone walled the one-dimensional Devils, winning game five by a shutout without either Simon Gagne or Jeff Carter in the lineup. Of course, Kovalchuk predicted prior to game five that there would be a game six. On the ice or off, the Kovalchuk experiment was only slightly less successful than “Power Rangers: Space Patrol Delta.” You know, the one with the lizard-dog thing.   

Round 2: Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins)

No fair Danny! You're supposed to hit me and then I fall down! Let's try this again. Crap here comes Pronger (whistles and skates off)

            Zdeno Chara stands 6 foot, 9 inches tall. He weighs 255 pounds. Flyers center Danny Briere stands 5 foot 10 (ish) and allegedly weighs 179 pounds. Chara is considered one of the game’s toughest defensemen. So I wonder how during the Flyers second round series against the Bruins that Briere was able to knock Chara off his feet with a cross check?

            Was it because Briere suddenly hulked out, turned green and shredded his jersey? His chemically enhanced biceps bulging like an MLB player signing a billion dollar contract?

            No it’s because once the Flyers started coming back in the series Chara gave up playing defense and just started falling all over the ice trying to draw penalties. As a former Norris Trophy winner, Chara’s performance was a disgrace. Thankfully, the hockey gods punished the big man and not just by way of his team’s humiliating defeat.

            In game six, after a Chara flop turned a Flyers 5-3 power play into a 4-3 power play, Danny Briere netted what would go on to be the game winning goal as Chara just stood there (for a change) watching. That goal tied the series at three games a piece. The Bruins had blown a 3-0 series lead, making them just the third team in NHL history (fourth in any league) to accomplish such a feat. Chara was their captain. Welcome to the record books, now give back that Norris Trophy and kindly excuse yourself from contention for it ever again.

Round 3: Brian Gionta (Montreal Canadiens)

Whoops! Sorry, I didn't see you guys there, I was too busy working magic and not wasting space. You know. You don't? My bad.

            Gionta is a criminal, flat out. That man stole a 48 goal season in 2005-06 and every penny he’s earned since the post lockout campaign. A 20-goal scorer for his entire career, that one aberration of a season stands as a stark testament to what the lockout did to the game of hockey. The rule changes allowed a talentless schmuck like Gionta to park himself in front of the net with impunity. He scored 24 goals on the power play alone that year. He had 29 POINTS total the year before the lockout!   

            Thankfully, the rule changes were relaxed a bit, the number of power plays went down and suddenly, Brian Gionta went from Mighty Mouse back to Pinky of “Pinky and the Brain” fame. You could almost hear him shouting NARF! as his goal total rapidly returned to Earth.      

            Good thing no one told the Canadiens this. They went out and signed him, thinking that pairing him with former teammate Scott Gomez (as part of their “Oompa- Loompa” initiative) would reignite that old fire. It didn’t. The two plodded along, collecting huge salaries, doing nothing. Eventually they each woke up during the playoffs, but by then it was too late. Jaroslav Halak and Mike Cammalleri had stolen the show.

            At least Gomez and Gionta will always have the Devils and the memories. Oops! Forgot. The Devils traded the years 2000-2008 to the Thrashers as part of the Kovalchuk deal.

Final Round: Adam Burish (Chicago Blackhawks)

Only known photo of Adam Burish during the Stanley Cup Finals! Extremely rare!

            Burish called Chris Pronger “the biggest idiot in the league.” Burish went on to say that Pronger was a “terrible” (or turrble if you prefer) player. He added that if the two ever cross paths again, Burish may have to punch Pronger.

            Huge words coming from a guy who played in 13 total regular season games and was a healthy scratch for the last three games of the Stanley Cup finals. All Pronger did was shut down the Blackhawks top line until Joel Quenneville gave up and dismantled it, played 30 plus minutes a game and was the sure-fire Conn Smyth winner had it been the Flyers raising the Cup instead of the Blackhawks.

            But they didn’t and so Burish felt the need to spout off at the mouth. Lord knows he’s got plenty of time to do so what with rarely playing hockey. But he did get to put on his pads, sprinkle a little tap water in his hair and skate around with the Cup raised, pretending like he played a good game as opposed to just talked one.

            Never one to lose a war of words, Pronger noted that it would be rather difficult for Mr. Burish to engage him in fisticuffs considering that he (Burish) would likely be spending next season in the minors. Since he is a free agent and is sure to command big bucks on the open market (Drew Rosenhaus is his agent, I think) Burish may just end up as the cornerstone of the New York Islander ECHL affiliate. Provided, that is, he can convince Garth Snow that he is a starting goalie and not a “winger.”  

            Now that I’ve built up enough bad karma for next season, let’s do a quick Beard of the Day and then I’m off to knock on a block of wood for the next four months or so while throwing a metric ton of salt over my shoulder.

Just in case you needed any more proof that rock stars can do pretty much whatever they dang well please, ladies and gentlemen I give you: the "ZZ Top."

            That’s all for today my friends. See you tomorrow with Dinosaur Wednesday, which I can almost promise will not mention the Flyers or the NHL at all. Who can say for sure, though?

            Vaya con dios.

            So you may have noticed that there wasn’t a parade held in Philadelphia today, or a hockey game played in Chicago on Friday. You may have also noticed the collective Joaquin Phoenix sigh which blew out windows and set off car alarms all across Southeastern Pennsylvania late on Wednesday night.

            Sadly, the amazingly inglourious run of the Philadelphia Flyers ended at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks. The orange and black were just two wins shy of winning their first Stanley Cup since they captured back-to-back titles in 1974-75.

            Needless to say, Wednesday night sucked. I was down the shore at the time, so that probably helped me to take the defeat better than I would have if I’d been moping around the house. Still sucked though.

            Now, I’ll spare you my usual refrain of “well who would have thought they’d get this far” and “it was an amazing ride while it lasted.” These things are obvious. The team had no business getting as far as they did and honestly, they took two games in the Finals from a better team. Not a significantly better team, mind you, but a better one.

            In the wake of Wednesday’s defeat, fans have been scrambling to assign blame to someone, anyone. As always, a scapegoat is needed and since hockey doesn’t have quarterbacks, the next best thing is usually the goalie.

            Goaltending is NOT the reason the Flyers lost to the Blackhawks. Michael Leighton played very poorly in the Finals as did his backup Brian Boucher. These facts can’t be argued. However, Antti Niemi, the Blackhawks netminder, was just as bad (occasionally worse) than either of those two. Yes, Leighton was pulled in two games and yes he gave up more than his fair share of soft goals. The thing is though, that Niemi would have been pulled if he had a capable back-up (expensive is not the same as capable) and he let in just as many soft goals as Leighton did.

            So the goalies were a wash. The real difference in the Finals was the Blackhawks depth finally overtaking the Flyers depth. By the series end, the Blackhawks had, more or less, four lines that could score a goal. The Flyers had one line and a third of another. Danny Briere, Ville Leino and Scott Hartnell were unstoppable and very nearly beat the Blackhawks by themselves. Claude Giroux made whatever line he was on that much better. No one else chipped in. The top line of Mike Richards, Simon Gagne and Jeff Carter was an unmitigated disaster with the exception of game four. With the game winning goal on his stick in the waning moments of game six and an empty net in front of him, Carter resumed a personal playoff tradition of his: he fired the puck squarely into the opponent’s goalie. I’ll spare you the plus/minus stats for the top line, but the numbers were hideous.

            Eventually, the Blackhawks best players became their best players. This never happened for the Flyers. The Blackhawks depth players could be counted on to chip in meaningful goals. This also never happened for the Flyers. The result? A 4-2 series loss.

            That’s enough of that though. The marginally better team won. That’s the way these things tend to work. Things could have been so much different if Leighton could have handled a Ben Eager wrister, or if Carter could score into an empty net. Or if Richards was able to play the way he did for the first three rounds. If Chris Pronger hadn’t gotten frustrated in games five and six. If the Flyers had any faith at all in their third defensive pairing. Little things, but the kinds of things that add up to a loss.

            Still, the Flyers have to be proud of the way they played this season. The whole team. Leighton was cut by the worst team in the league in December and by June he was two games shy of lifting the Cup. Richards played way over a hundred games this season including the regular season, Olympics and playoffs. Pronger played about 30 minutes a game throughout the playoffs. Way more than guys who were half his age. He was a rock. Carter played with two broken feet and Ian Laperriere took a puck to the face and came back. The much-maligned Danny Briere was finally able to silence even his loudest critics. I guess 30 points in 23 games, including an astounding 12 in six Finals games will do that.

            The entire Flyers roster is full of those kinds of stories. The team’s slogan was relentless and that they were. They battled back from everything including a ridiculous 3-0 deficit in game seven against Boston. They rallied and climbed out of the hole, just like they did in the series, and won 4-3.

            Enough good things can’t be said about this group. They captured the heart of a city and really a country as the ratings seemed to indicate. They deserved a better fate, but things don’t always work out the way that they should. They way that they do in movies. I guess the Blackhawks don’t know much about Hollywood. There is nothing better than a good underdog story. It’s why the “Rocky” series got worse as it went along. Once he got the title, it was honestly hard to care what happened next. That is until the last one, when he once again returned to his Cinderella roots.

            Congratulations to the Blackhawks for winning their first Cup since the 60’s. Sadly for them, dynasties are hard to maintain in the age of the salary cap. The Blackhawks face an offseason of uncertainty, just like the rest of the league. I’ll spend Thursday detailing what the Flyers offseason should look like if I were Paul Holmgren (and I am according to NHL 10). As for today though, look back on the last two months and smile. Think about those two months for what they really were: the only logical end to a season that defied logic.

Sure he already took home Beard of the Day once before, but who is going to complain about seeing this image one more time? He laughs at your silly human superstitions and can drink the entire state of Alaska under the table, ladies and gentlemen for one last time (until next season, duh) the "Mike Richards."

              Vaya con dios and Go Flyers!

Treme time. Last week’s Mardi Gras episode was fantastic and the latest episode is the best one yet. And, oh yeah, don’t read this if you want to watch the show because spoilers will abound. Also, don’t read if you like True Blood. There’s a chance I, if not bash it, provide several harsh words about the show.

The first season of Treme has built its narrative slowly but week by week the stories have been quietly building and now things are happening. Don’t get me wrong. There’s been big developments in the early episode like the Daymo revelation, the Housing Projects with Chief Lambrioux, the first parade after Katrina and the subsequent return of violence in the city. Each character, at this point in the season, is at a crossroads. Let me rephrase that: every major character for the exception of Davis. Some characters like Sofia and Toni are going to experience grief, like Ladonna and her mother are, when they find out Creighton did. In fact, the Creighton story is why I’m writing about Treme today.

He’s been depressed for quite awhile, since Katrina put a hurting on the city he loves so much. His depression crescendoed last week when he couldn’t even enjoy the Mardi Gras. Before the parade, he took his daughter to a pier and talked to her about how difficult the rebuilding process will be. It wasn’t a cheery conversation. He reached his moment of ultimate despair at his computer screen. Without spending too many words on the context or conveying the emotions of the character, I’ll just say it worked. In the morning, he was a happier man. Something was off. I expected him to jump into a river when I saw he parked his car near a river. Sure enough, he jumped into a body of water after enjoying one last cigarette. Earlier in the day, he raced out to tell his daughter how she pretty she looked and to encourage his wife in her job. He gave Annie twenty dollars after listening to her delightful violin playing. He had one last bowl of gumbo. He let his students out early after explaining the significance and meaning of Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening.” A spiritual liberation is what he sought. I thought it was a well-done story.

I don’t plan on writng about Treme. Next week’s the finale and then it won’t be back for one year. Plus, there are other actual television critics who write about the show much better than I could, like Alan Sepinwall of hitfix.com.

My two cents, though: this show is worth your time and investment.

TRUE BLOOD

As for the show preceding this, TRUE BLOOD…let’s just say I still haven’t gotten over last year’s awful Menad storyline with the Bulljawn. It’s definitely an over-the-top campy 50-58 minutes of television. I actually enjoyed the first season of the show. I didn’t like season two very much but stuck with it because, for some reason, I don’t like to quit watching shows (I watched the entire series of HEROES despite the fact it started sucking halfway through season one). For fun, here are some thoughts for season premiere of True Blood, “Band of Wolves”:

I have zero interest in watching Tara’s hysterics this season. I also have little interest in Jason’s story. Bring back the preacher and his wife. I don’t really care about the V storyline going on with the queen and Eric. Not sure I care about Sam’s roots with the Mankins. I like anything Sookie’s involved in though because she’s the best written character and the most developed. Plus, Anna Paquin is awesome. The werewolves thing could be cool but I have a feeling the show will not have a bunch of Oz’s on the show which makes the werewolves thing less cool.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF THE WEEK

Before I forget, I have an exciting 45 minutes planned for my online radio show tonight. Do listen here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fiveminutesoffame/2010/06/15/first-stop-pennsylvania

I want the world, the whole world, to stop and listen to me. Oh, allright. I’m quoting the opening lyrics of The Jackson’s “Living Together.” Naturally, the song makes me think of LOST but I’m digressing.

The Emmy Ballot was released a few days ago. It’s not the final Emmy ballot. All the ballot is is a list of the official entrants for different categories. Soon the Emmy crew will boil it down to the final nominees. There’s a good chance that every thing I write about here will not be included on the final ballot. Today, I return to the bullet points in order to write about each thing swiftly and concisely. I’ll share my opinions on why a certain series/writer(s)/director/actor/actress should be on the final ballot and, perhaps, why they should win and vice-versa.

–Many, many shows entered for Best Drama series. Not all can be nominated and only one can win. LOST, obviously, should be nominated. My old Official LOST Rankings partner considers the sixth season the best season of the show. Season 1 holds that honor for me though. They haven’t won the award since season one. I do think they’ll be nominated considering it was their final season. I think they’ll win many awards but I don’t think they’ll win Best Drama.

–Here are the other shows that I think will be nominated for Best Drama besides LOST: Breaking Bad, Mad Men, The Mentalist and, eh, Smallville (that means I have no thoughts on the final Drama to be nominated). I’m working my way through Mad Men so I have zero idea what kind of season they had. I hear Breaking Bad has been out-of-this-world GOOD this season and I have no reason to doubt it. I could’ve put Treme in the final spot (are there just five nominees? have I gotten the numbers wrong) but I think the show will be ignored like The Wire was. The last epiosde of Treme has been their best, in my opinion. I digress. I know CBS promotes the heck out of The Mentalist so it seems like they’d get a Best Drama nod. I have no idea. If I were a betting man, I’d bet Breaking Bad to win.

–Best Drama Director is a category that excites me. There’s so many entrants and so many episodes by these directors that I haven’t seen. But I’m one of those geeks who recognizes a director’s name. I’ve seen zero episodes of Breaking Bad. I have to make that clear once again. I noticed Rian Johnson is an entrant for this category. He directed an episode titled “Fly” of Breaking Bad. Rian Johnson directed Brick and The Brothers Bloom. The challenge of any television director is entering a show with an established look while adding a certain touch yourself. On name alone, I’ll predict Rian Johnson gets nominated. Allison Liddi-Brown directed a really good FNL episode entitled “The Son,” about the death of Saracen’s dad; however, FNL is always ignored so I doubt she or any of the other directors get nominated and that includes Peter Berg. Again, based on name alone, Greg Yaitanes could get a nomination for his “Help Me” episode of House. I’ve never seen the episode so consider this a hunch or a gut feeling. Nathaniel Jay Goodman directed “Once Upon a Time in Texas”–a HEROES episode. The writing was never a particular strong point of the show but the direction was always solid. Goodman’s episode accomplished a lot because it was an episode that, literally, went back to season one. There’s no way he’ll be nominated but I felt compelled to say one good thing about Heroes even though I hate that show so much.

–This is all just a preamble so I can talk about Tucker Gates and Jack Bender of LOST. Tucker Gates directed “Ab Aeterno.” In my review of the episode, I demanded an emmy for Tucker Gates. The scope of the episode was so gigantic. Jorge Garcia (Hurley) had a podcast called Geronimo Jack’s Beard. He mentioned that Tucker Gates directed “The Substitute” because he said Tucker used a lot of lenses that was different from the norm of LOST. But then Jack Bender comes along with directing the series finale–basically a full-length movie shot in two weeks. I think both should get nominted. I think Bender is a lock for a nomination and I think he could win it as a way of not only celebrating the work he did on “The End” but for the work he did throughout LOST. He’s responsible for the look of the show. Anywho, there’s my two cents for Best Drama Director. Wait. Some Mad Men directors deserve a nod. I just haven’t seen the episodes to specify.

–Best Writing. Once again, many episodes entered I have not seen. But again, I’m a geek and I recognize television writers. While I have never seen In Plain Sight, I hope Lynne Litt (writer of Claire’s first LOST flashback story) gets nominated just because she wrote an episode of LOST six years ago. There’s so many entrants in this category. Of the LOST writers, I would nominate Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz for “Dr.Linus” as well as Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse for “The End.” Once again, I hear Breaking Bad is mind-blowing so use this ________ to insert a writer’s name and the episode they wrote for that show. I’m a huge Jane Espenson fan so her episode of Caprica deserves considerable consideration. Of course, I’ve never seen Caprica. David Fury’s been entered for a 24 script. Eh. Nah. I haven’t seen. The creator of Spatacus: Blood & Sand is Steven S. DeKnight. The episode he wrote for the show (Kill Them All) has been entered. DeKnight is jaboy from the ANGEL days.

–Best Supporting Actress. Yeah, Yeah. I know I’m skipping several categories. But I want Emilie de Ravin to get nominated and win. She won’t though because people don’t appreciate her Australian-ness nor her talent.

Good day.

THE YOUTUBE CLIP OF DAY