In Music: Lady Gaga - Alejandro

Okay Lady, we get it, you're eccentric.  I was never a Lady GaGa fan, but I really liked "Bad Romance."  This new song, however, is not my cup of tea.  All I want to do is sing "Don't Turn Around" by Ace of Base.  The similarities are uncanny!  So the only saving grace for this video is the fact that it's jam-packed with homoeroticism and shirtless men. My final assessment: eh

Artist: Lady Gaga
Song: Alejandro
Album: The Fame Monster
Writer: Stefani Germanotta & Nadir Khayat
Label: Interscope

★★☆☆☆

Hump Day: Chad White

In TV: Glee Season Finale

Last night was Glee's Season Finale.  Let me preface this by saying one thing...Journey was, is, and always will be the greatest band in history.  So anyways, the title of the finale was, you guessed it, "Journey."  The phenomenon of Glee began with "Don't Stop Believin'" and ends with a medley.  Honestly, while I absolutely loved the medley, the rest of the episode left something to be desired.  Vocal Adrenaline's big number was "Bohemian Rhapsody," and the only other songs in the episode were an acoustic version of "To Sir with Love" and "Somewhere over the Rainbow."  Overall, it was a great season and the Journey medley makes up for any other lackluster songs on the finale.

★★★★☆

In Life: Inspiration

So I was having a rough day with work yesterday, and was in a foul mood to say the least, when a friend of mine posted this video on Facebook.  This man is utterly amazing!  It makes me want to strive to find joy in life no matter what comes my way.

★★★★★

In Gadgets: iPhone 4

At WWDC 2010 today, Steve Jobs announced the iPhone 4 to be released June 24th, available for Preorder June 15th.  One of the best features is the two cameras, one on the front for video calling, and a 5 mega pixel with LED flash on the back that records HD video in 720.  Another great addition is multi-tasking, now you can browse the web, play a game, and listen to music all at the same time.  Sound like a battery drainer? Well they've included a much larger battery, an insane amount of additional pixels in the screen, a gyro meter and an additional microphone for noise cancelling, all in a thinner frame than the current iPhone 3GS.  Will you be getting one?

★★★★★

In Games: Dante's Inferno for PS3

From the second you start playing this game, it's non-stop blood, guts, gore and your trusty scythe.  The levels are dark and morbid, but beautifully crafted to represent the circles of hell.  If you don't know the story of Dante, he was a warrior for the crusade whose sins cost him his beloved beatrice to the devil.  Now he has to fight his way through the circles of hell to save her.  My first qualm with this game are that it can almost be too easy.  I beat the game in just four days.  The replay value, however, is fairly decent, as you can start at the beginning but keep all your talents you've learned and keep leveling up more to become god-like.  Until recently, I had never played the "God of War" series.  After playing "God of War III," I realized that "Dante's Inferno" is a poor man's version at best.  Still, the game is fun to play, and if you don't compare the two side by side, it's definitely worth at least a rental from gamefly.

★★★☆☆

In Life: Anti Prop 8 Ad

Mike White and Justin Long star in an anti prop 8 ad asking conservatives to vote against prop 8 and make gays marry so they can be miserable like Heterosexuals.  Although mildly offensive due to gay stereotypes, it gets it's point across.  Besides, who doesn't want to see Justin Long shirtless and kissing guys?

★★★★☆

In Film: El Orfanato or The Orphanage

If you've seen Pan's Labyrinth, then you know the genius that is Guillermo Del Toro.  My friend Dean finally made me watch this movie after I had brushed it off for months.  Thank you Dean! The movie is scary, well-acted and extremely well thought out.  A definite must see, then own!  Watch it now, before the english version gets made and ruins it for you.

The Good: The acting is absolutely incredible.  The actors make the emotions and suspense tangible.  If you watch movies for the story, then this plot will leave you wanting for nothing more.  The ending, which in most horror movies is absolute crap, is perfect and you won't be pissed off when the movie is over.

The Bad: The only negative thing I could say is that some people may not enjoy reading subtitles.

The Ugly: Watch it with a friend near!

Synopsis: Overall, I would probably put this in my top 10 movies of all time.  It's just one of those movies that was put together with all the right ingredients; actors, story and of course Guillermo Del Toro.

★★★★★

Mancandy Monday: Bryan Thomas

And once again it's Monday, the dreaded beginning of the work week.  After a wonderful weekend of friends, wine, ice cream cake and True Blood, putting my nose to the grindstone seems highly unappealing.  If you are feeling the same, maybe fitness model Bryan Thomas will help make your day just a tad easier!

In Music: Lissie - Everywhere I Go

Lissie is a 28 year old country singer from Rock Island, IL.  She has opened for Lenny Kravitz and more recently Ray Lamontagne.  Her EP "Why You Runnin'" was produced by Bill Reynolds from Band of Horses.  She's also been featured on my favorite radio show, KCRW's "Morning Becomes Eclectic."  This song is utterly amazing and gives me chills ever single time I hear it.  The rest of her EP, which is only five songs, is a mix of country and contemporary folk.  She releases a new full length album later this month.

 

Artist: Lissie

Song: Everywhere I Go

Album: Why You Runnin'

Writer: Lissie

Label: Fat Possum

★★★★★

In Music: Kate Nash - Nicest Thing

I came across this song in pandora, thinking it was eerily similar to Adele - Hometown Glory as I was, in fact, listening to the Adele station I had created.  I haven't done too much research on which was written first or who did the music for each, but regardless of the similarities, this song grows on you and haunts you.  There are so many lines in this song that will make you say, "Yeah! I want that too!"  If you've ever longed for someone, this song will strike a nerve.  I think my favorite line goes, "I wish you couldn't figure me out, but you'd always wanna know, what I was about"  Overall, I really love this song and have listened to it over and over.  Hopefully you will too!

 

Artist: Kate Nash
Song: Nicest Thing
Album: Made of Bricks
Writer: Kate Nash, Jay Malhotra
Label: Fiction

★★★★☆