Its gonna be biblical!

With just one more day to go before Sky starting showing BSG again, my excitement is reaching fever pitch! While in the States last week I literally stopped in my tracks when I saw this poster on a bunch of bus stops round NY. How amazingly awesome is the Last Supper theme??!! Such a beautiful composition....

Flavour of the week - Marco Dapper

Actor / model Marco Dapper is someone I've been meaning to cast a gratuitous spotlight on for a while now. I found it quite tricky to limit myself to only 6 photos for the blog, as he tends to look flawless in every god damn shot :P Apart from his obvious attributes (perfectly sculpted body and a face that would give even straight men hot-flashes), I just love his wildly exuberant smile :D

Some totally random Marco facts:

• His nickname is "El Burro"
• He has a black belt in Tae-Kwon-Do
• He went completely starkers in his first ever movie!

Robotic luv luv luv luv luv luv

DISCIPLINE ~ Janet Jackson

Miss Janet is back yet again, with this her 10th (dear god, can it really be that many?) studio album "Discipline". After the blandness of her last album "20 Y.O.", pretty much anything would seem like an improvement. So I really have to keep things in context when looking at her latest release.

For once, she went with a great track as lead single (she's made some real bad choices when it came to lead singles on previous albums), but the sad thing is that "Feedback" is by far and away the best song on the album. Sure, there are a few other radio-friendly tracks which are fun to bop to, but the fact of the matter is that none live up to her former classic hits. And as for the so-called "baby making" tracks (the name she bestows upon her slow, sexed-up ballads), well they've never been as boring or forgettable as they are on "Discipline". They are more likely to put people to sleep than to entice them into heated session of lovemaking.

I also found this to be a very front-heavy album, with all the good stuff placed on the first half of the disc. Once it gets past "2Nite", the album comes to a complete standstill. Only "So Much Betta" and "The 1" bring any life back to the party before the album closes. For once I was actually happy with Missys contribution to the album (usually I find that she keeps most of the good tracks and production for herself!).

One thing I always enjoy about Janet's albums (though some bemoan their existence) are her infamous interludes. Whether or not they actually add anything of worth of the album is debatable, but they are such a firm staple of her albums at this stage, they without them, it just wouldn't be a proper Janet record. I also found the interaction she had with her "AI computer" during these interludes to be quite interesting and gave the album a bit of a cool futuristic feel.

My general overall feeling towards the album is a great big "meh". The whole thing was a bit lackluster, to be honest. Not as dead to the world as "20 Y.O.", but I get the distinct impression that Janet just isn't as interested in the biz as she once was. It makes me long for the days of her partnership with Jam & Lewis. In fact, I think I might start a petition to reunite the trio :P It was obvious that some of the new producers on the album tried to imitate her popular 80s sound, but it just didn't work for me and instead some tracks sounded painfully dated.

After this, I'm not too sure where Janet can go with future albums. Ever since she discovered she had breasts (way back on her amazing "Janet" album), shes been obsessed with the topic of sex and for my money, its all getting a bit tired and repetitive. What she needs now is a new image and most definitely a new sound. Maybe having a baby would give her some much needed perspective on life and something new to sing about.

Standout Tracks:

• Feedback
• Luv
• Rock With U
• So Much Betta
• The 1

A great big giant "X" marks the spot

Apparently this is the first teaser poster for the upcoming X-Files 2 movie. I think we can all agree, its one freakin sweet poster. So simple, yet so effective! I'm not gonna lie, I'm getting pretty excited about this release :D

Welcome to the Candy Store

After many years of patient waiting, the good lord has finally answered my prayers. Warner Bros. are preparing to release all 22 episodes of Fastlane in an extras-filled boxset in early July.

This show was one of my biggest guilty pleasures when it was on. Every single thing about it was uber-glossy and completely over the top. I'd say practically half the shots in each episode were in slow-motion (but with a cast as hot as that, you wont hear ME complaining!).

The best way to experience this show was to sit back, switch off your brain and let it wash over you. The series was chock full of so much action (explosions, car chases, massive gansta shootouts) that there was never a dull moment. The production was massive (each episode cost over $2million to make), the direction was so slick that it hurt and the music was amazingly hip-hop heavy. Actually, the main reason it was denied a release so long was specifically because the music it used in the show was only contracted for TV purposes. Fingers crossed the WB managed to secure the rights to the soundtrack for the dvd release, cause it just wouldnt be the same without it!!

If only he'd gone splat...

JUMPER

In theory, the premise of this movie had huge potential. You have your handsome lead (Christensen) with amazing powers of teleportation. You have the evil cult (known as "Paladins") who are bent on capturing and murdering him and anyone like him (people known collectively as "Jumpers"). Then there is the obligatory damsel in distress to rescue (the lovely Ms. Bilson). You have to ask yourself, how could something like that possibly fail? Especially when Doug Liman was at the helm. Here he was given plenty of opportunity for creative action sequences and non-stop excitement, which he excels at (see his last two movies: The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith).

The first glaring problem with the film is that it takes itself too seriously. And a serious film needs a plot to back it up. Sadly the plot was lacking in the extreme. Second, in my opinion, there’s no point making a movie if you can’t populate it with characters worth caring about, which this movie seriously failed to do.

Haydens character (David, the protagonist of the movie) was, in a word, a knob. In essence he was a thief, and a selfish one at that. It is certainly possible to love a rogue, but for that to happen, he must possess some redeeming qualities, which sadly David did not. This made him hard to relate to and impossible to sympathise with.
It didn’t really help that Hayden has all the charisma of a stuffed dead squirrel; cute to look at, but ultimately lifeless and lacking in any kind of charm. I’d also have to call into question his acting ability (not that this movie would be a good indication of such a thing). But his performance is so flat and disinterested that I have to wonder if there’s anything going on behind those cold cold eyes of his.

Samuel L. Jackson plays his nemesis. The problem here is that beyond the “all Jumpers are evil" line, we are given no motivation for his character or the quest of the Paladin order, so it’s hard to love or hate him. If some kind of history had been given to the war between the Jumpers and Paladins, it would have made the plot FAR more substantial. Typically Jackson can be relied upon to make the best of dreadful lines and paper-thin roles, but here he plays it totally straight and delivers not a single laugh or tongue-in-cheek moment.

Rachel Bilson plays the hapless love interest and does her best to invigorate a thankless role. To be fair, she doesn’t move far from the character she’s most well known for on the OC, but at least she brings a spark of life to the proceedings.
What bothered me about her character Millie, was how quickly she fell for and trusted David, a guy who she hadn’t seen or heard from since she was a little girl. The two lacked any kind of connection and the relationship between them was too hurried and contrived.

The film would have been a complete and total waste if not for Jamie Bell. Like the rest, his character of Griffin (First name? Last name? Who cares, the writers sure didn't!) lacks any kind of depth but Jamie does a fantastic job of working with what little he was given. He injects a bit of life and humour into his character and acts everyone else off the screen when he pops up. Sadly, even the smallest bit of background to his situation was quickly swept under the carpet (god forbid we start to FEEL anything for these people).

I must admit, the special effects and the sound effects that accompanied the “jumps” of the title were very impressive and dynamic, but not enough to compensate for a lack of imagination during the films many action scenes.

Overall, this movie was a wasted opportunity and a huge disappointment.

Funkadelic

UNKLEJAM ~ Unklejam

To say that this album was long overdue is a huge understatement. The album suffered numerous delays by its record company and at one point I feared that I'd never even get my grubby mitts on a physical copy of the CD (so much so, that I downloaded two different versions of the album from various illegal sources *gasp*).

In the end, I had to go all the way to Japan (via eBay) to secure myself an official copy of the album. Thankfully, it was worth that extra bit of effort. The only sad thing is that domestically, the album is only available legally as a digital download and the band are likely to fade into obscurity now, which is a crime given the quality of the album and the singles (and their accompanying videos).

Their self titled debut is, on the whole, very dance-y and upbeat, with only two or three slower songs to ease the pace. What doesn't let up for the entire album is the bands signature electronic sound. The blending of pop/rnb/dance/electronic/funk is a heady mix and the band were very ambitious to take so many different genres into their fold. Sometimes it works, other times the production is just far too heavy. On certain songs its hard to make out the lyrics, on others its tricky to even pick out the vocals of each band member! Even so, the sound they've come up with is quite distinct and none of the tracks are boring to listen to.

There are at least three songs that are a chore to get through, but the rest of the album is solid, with a few other tracks that would have easily made single status if the band hadn't evaporated first. Even though its sounds contrary, the synthesised sound that runs through the album lends a strangely organic feel to the music.........like the pulse of some great mechanical beast :P Its worth noting that the album versions of the three released singles are slightly different from the single versions. But the difference is so small that unless you were playing the hell out of the singles for months beforehand (like I was), you are likely not to notice!

Its definitely one of those albums that you'd have to be in the mood to listen to, being as musically "in your face" as it is. "Unklejam" is a very strong debut (and quite possibly the final work) from a creative and unique band. I think perhaps they were all just a little TOO unique for the buying public :P

Standout Tracks:

• Love Ya
• What Am I Fighting For?
• Just Like Me
• Cry
• Go
• Stereo

I demand a recount!

As it is becoming apparent now, the themes on Idol are slowly moving through the decades, this week being the 70s. Its just a shame they'll be finished with the pre-shows before they even come close to anything musically current. Oh well. This time round I was a little more familiar with the contestants, so I thought I'd be all ready to pick out my favourites. How wrong could I have been?

First up were the lads. Michael has been pretty consistent up to this point, so I was very disappointed with his performance this week. The vocals just weren't there. Jason C, my early fav from last week barely registered this time round. Maybe it was just the song, but I think he needs to adopt a slightly different style for next week if hes going to make any kind of lasting impression. Luke (who I fully expected to be sent home last week) took a bit of a risk singing "Killer Queen", a great song and a HARD song to sing (so I gotta at least give him props for that). He managed all the notes, but with that song, you expect massive Mercury PRESENCE along with it, so its not like he had a hope in comparison!

Robbie again sounded quite lovely, but the song choice left a lot to be desired. Also, I have a feeling that if the judges hadn't kept harping on about it, I wouldn't have the word "FAKER" blinking in my mind whenever hes on screen. Just goes to show, the judges opinions can be quite deciding! On that note, I felt like Paula was perhaps wearing her sober hat because most of her comments were not only understandable, but particularly relevant!

Danny (my other fav of the bunch) went with and pretty much mangled one of my most loved Carpenter songs. At that stage, I could clearly see a big sign around his neck that read "going home" (again, how wrong could I be!). David H. pulled off another solid vocal this week, but I'm still finding it uncomfortable watching him. I think its something about his eyes....
Jason Y. was, for a second week in a row, crapola. Simon was unnecessarily mean towards him though. Almost made me feel sorry for the guy........almost.

Chikezie followed and bowled me over with a surprisingly amazing performance. Like, where the hell did that come from?! I'm still quite put off by his attitude (and his lack of fashion sense, but who am I to talk?). David C. (which his still hedious hair......jeez, sort that out already, would you?) was up next and gave what I thought was the most convincing performance from the so-called "rockers" of this season. I wasn't all that wild on the song.........a bit too predictable for me.

Last was David A. Good god, can this guy emote or WHAT?! It was easily the best performance of the night (especially shocking considering how young he is). I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the best vocal ever on the show (the judges are really prone to exaggeration this season, it would seem), but it definitely worked for me. I'm still kind of annoyed he went with that song though, cause in my opinion, anyone who sings it gets an unfair advantage of having all that goodwill behind them, it behind one of the most loved songs of all time.

Next were the gurls. Carly kicked things off with a slightly rocking performance, but I swear, all I could see were her bouncy boobs all over the gaff. Syesha followed that up with a snoozey rendition of "Mister Jones". I know this girl can sing, but the song just didn't allow her to demonstrate it. Better luck next week, luv. Brooke struck song choice gold with "You're So Vain", but given how she's still stuck in "nice" mode, it was an odd rendition and I'm still not wowed by her.

Ramiele went with an uptempo disco number (to keep things fresh). Even though I'm still in love with her and the sound of her voice, I felt like the song got away from her at times, like the tempo was that LIL bit too fast for her. Kristey Lee Cook (who will from now on be referred to as KLC) appeared on-stage looking exactly like Felicity. You'd think that that would make me like her a little, but no, she was still far too generic. I loved her top though, it was like fashion from the future!

Amanda was up next and the first thing that hit you (almost literally) was that SHOCK of hair on her head. Now really, someone needs to tell her to tone it down a lil (in fact, I think Paula did just that during her critique!). The song, which I love, didn't work for her at ALL and showed up her lack of singing chops. Alaina picked a perfect song for her and sang the hell out of it. Even though she TOTALLY missed a few of the high notes it was still one of my fav performances of the night. Shame the judges didn't like it one bit!

Next was Alexandrea, who was my fav of the girls at this point. I cant say I was thrilled with the song choice (a mite boring), but she sang it perfectly and did a beautiful lil harmonic thing towards the end that really encapsulated the style of singing of the period. Naturally, the judges didn't like her either. Kady blazed on stage and made my ears bleed for a minute and a half. Asia'h ended the girls show. Granted, she was sick, but that doesn't excuse a terrible vocal. Why sing a song with gratuitously high power notes if you simply cant pull them off? The whole thing left a bad taste in my mouth. Perhaps it will have washed out by next week :P

The results were, in a word, shocking. I don't think I've ever been quite so angered by an Idol results show before. On the boys side, Jason and Robbie were sent packing. Jason going was a foregone conclusion while I think Robbie should have hung in there a few more shows. Of the girls, Alexandrea and Alaina got the boot, which was just plain wrong! >:( Both girls gave infinitely better performances than most of the other girls and it was a crime to see them leave the show so early. I guess I'll have to find another girl to dote on for next week!

Dublinphilly

BOYZ II MEN - LIVE AT TRIPOD

I'm not sure I can quite adequately explain the level of my excitement when it came to seeing Boyz II Men perform live. I've been a fan of their music for god knows how long, so in my mind, these guys are living legends. While the quality of their work has had its ups and downs over the years, my interest in the band has never dwindled.

I'd never been to Tripod before (or The Pod, as it was known years ago), but it was much larger than I'd imagined it. We arrived a wee bit late, but as we were standing, it was easy enough to squeeze in. We made it just in time for the warm up act, Laura Izibor (who hails from right here in Dublin!). With just herself at a keyboard and accompanied by a guitarist, she made her way through some beautiful songs, including her big hit "From My Heart To Yours". I loved her and her interaction with the crowd was fantastic!

When the Boyz finally made their way out on stage, I was a little bit disappointed at how there was no live band to accompany them. I had pictured a full funky big band behind them as they sang, so simply having a backing track supply the music was a let down. Still, I have to admit to being a little bit star struck. I've been to SO many concerts over the years, but this is a band I never thought I'd see perform live in Ireland (almost as if Ireland was too insignificant to factor into their schedule). Even though there was just the three of them on stage, I felt like it was too small a platform for them! They arrived all in their sharp dapper suits (clearly seen above), which they wore for the entire performance. The heat must have been immense!

At times I almost doubted if they were singing live, because their vocals were simply so spot on throughout the night. Just like in their videos, they performed many of their songs to synchronised dance movements (eerily reminiscent of the ones performed by groups from Motown's hey-day!). I was pleased to see some interaction with the crowd (very few American artists seem capable of it). They came across very personable and amiable and there was a lovely sense of comradery between them (which I figured would be tried and tested after so many years performing together!!).

With so many albums and songs to choose from, there was never going to be enough time to satisfy everyone, but they managed to give the crowd what they wanted and performed their biggest hits from over the years. Quite surprisingly, they didn't shy away from their earlier work and did quite a few tracks from their first and second album (granted, their most popular works to date). I was slightly miffed that they all but neglected their middle albums "Evolution" and "Nathan | Michael | Shawn | Wanya", instead opting for tracks from their Japanese-only album "The Remedy". But thats just me being a mite picky I suppose!

I did find it a little unusual that not a mention was made of the fellow retired band mate, Michael McCary, but I guess that they've just moved on at this stage.

The one blemish on an otherwise stellar evening was the pack of rowdy so-and-sos standing on front of me, who insisted on making a spectacle of themselves during the performance. But all in all, it was a very enjoyable night I wont soon forget!