Let's all Boycott Cougar Town

We've got problems with Cougar Town; we had problems with it before and then someone decided to save the show this season and resurrect it on TBS - now we're really upset.

Apparently Cougar Town is a real place - supposedly near Sarasota but they're denying it...

Why? well it all started with this ad which we were forced to watch at the beginning of Abe Lincoln (and two other films at the cinema) last month...

Worst promotional ad ever - worthy a negligence suit against someone

Being pummeled by this ad wasn't the end though - more ads began showing up on cable...

They're cougars and alcoholics?

We're not sure what's so hilarious about people standing around their kitchen gulping down wine - but then again we're not sure why being a middle aged woman is worthy of ridicule either.

So, if those ads and the stupid premise for the show weren't bad enough we've got several more problems with the show:

• Didn't we already essentially explore the same topics with Sex in the City and Desperate Housewives?

• Why do we have to watch Courtney Cox embarrass herself  - and who in the heck invited her up to dance with Springsteen anyway? 

• These guys are embarrassing most of the state of Florida.

• Both the male and female characters seem vacuous and dull - where's the storyline? 

• Why is funnier for middle aged women to be divorced then middle aged men? (Men of a Certain Age got cancelled and no asked to bring that back)

• We don't like the idea of a show being based entirely on demographics and popular culture lingo - and if they are going to do that why not go for MILFs?  

• Why is living on a cul de sac supposed to be funny?

This where it all started for Courtney - from teenie MTV dancer to cougar

We're calling for a boycott of the show - or at least a ban on their showing ads at movie theaters.

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Insecurity - A Raving Playlist

Have you been feeling down, depressed, small, insignificant or otherwise insecure - then you should probably not listen to today's Raving Playlist. And if you're bi-polar, not a good idea either but we suggest you try either:

• Harmonic Insanity    or
• Incoherent 

Today's playlist takes the Winter doldrums and amps them up with steroids to generate audio-manic depression from some of the most disturbed musicians in history. The band being highlighted throughout the list is Alice in Chains. These guys are the only band we know of that were able to take a Kafka short story and turn it into a chart-busting rock hit. You'd never guess by listening to their songs that the lead singer would die a pathetic, tragic death at 34 - or maybe you would. Why Alice in Chains was so popular is hard to explain - there is something that speaks to you through the suffering in their songs - it's just not too clear what it's saying. Perhaps we all feel like that a little now and then - but our success is in being able to leave it behind.

Alice in Chains

Man in the box is the most awesome depressing song ever

Life got you down ? - don't listen to this

Insecure

Monty Python – Galaxy Song (Monty Python Sings)
Alice In Chains – Man In The Box
Counting Crows – A Long December
3 Doors Down – Loser
22-20s – Such A Fool
The Police – Message In A Bottle - live
Beck – Corvette Bummer
Pearl Jam – I Got Shit
Alice In Chains – Down In A Hole
Genesis – No Reply At All - 2007 Remastered LP Version
John Mellencamp – No One Cares About Me
The Doors – The End - Live Hollywood Bowl 1968
Bob Seger – Beautiful Loser
The Transgressions – Drunk & Depressed
Alice In Chains – I Stay Away
Genesis – Misunderstanding - 2007 Remastered LP Version
The Police – King Of Pain - 2003 Stereo Remastered Version
Nirvana – Negative Creep
Genesis – Man On The Corner - 2007 Remastered LP Version
The Police – Voices Inside My Head - 2003 Stereo Remastered Version
John Mellencamp – Lonely Ol' Night
Beck – Loser
R.E.M. – Everybody Hurts
Stone Temple Pilots – Creep
Pearl Jam – Nothingman
John Mellencamp – If I Die Sudden - Live
Sheryl Crow – A Change Would Do You Good
Lenny Kravitz – Fly Away
Alice In Chains – We Die Young
New Found Glory – Dumped
Johnny Cash – Man In Black
Counting Crows – Big Yellow Taxi
Alice In Chains – Them Bones
The Killers – All These Things That I've Done
Nine Inch Nails – Head Like a Hole
Genesis – Alone Tonight - 2007 Remastered LP Version
John Mellencamp – Longest Days
Alice In Chains – Shame In You
The Police – Walking In Your Footsteps - 2003 Stereo Remastered Version
John Mellencamp – The End Of The World
Alice In Chains – Would?
Johnny Cash – Ring Of Fire
Counting Crows – Rain King
Genesis – I Can't Dance - 2007 Remastered Album Version
John Mellencamp – Crumblin' Down
Senses Fail – Can't Be Saved
When Saints Go Machine – Fail Forever
Alice In Chains – Sea Of Sorrow
Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
Pearl Jam – Life Wasted
Nirvana – All Apologies
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Under The Bridge
R.E.M. – It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
The Police – Spirits In The Material World - 2003 Stereo Remastered Version
The Cars – All Mixed Up
Counting Crows – Mrs. Potters Lullaby
Monty Python – Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (Monty Python Sings)
The B-52's – Private Idaho
Dave Matthews Band – Ants Marching - From State Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Paramore – Misery Business
The Allman Brothers Band – Whipping Post
Johnny Cash – Hurt
Buddy Holly – Think It Over
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Soundgarden – Fell On Black Days
Nirvana – Lithium
Alice In Chains – Angry Chair
Social Distortion - Ring of Fire

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Raving Predictions for 2013

We're hurtling into the future at warp speed  - ok, maybe not quite that fast but the New Year is coming up pretty soon. It's time for our predictions for things to come next year. Will they come true - who knows, we're not psychic - we just make educated guesses based upon the facts - that's it.

Our balls (uh, ball) are (is) bigger than yours...

Predictions for the New Year:

• Gas companies employees drilling deep wells in Eastern Ohio will plunge to the center of earth and befriend Neanderthals while being chased by alien lizards and dinosaurs.

Fracking's number 1 opponent

• Time will stand still for awhile but few people will notice because they won't have their watches.

• The first Facebook Church will open - it will become it's own religion. Eventually this will lead to a holy war against Twitter.

• Wayne LaPierre and the NRA will call for armed waiters in restaurants, armed attendants in nursing homes, armed referrees at all sporting events, armed moderators on political shows, and arming the entire cast of Glee. The NRA will also create a new cartoon to emphasize to America's youth the importance of shooting first, called Bullet Buddies. 



Don't know much about history, don't care for Geometry, but give me some bullets and an Uzi...

• The Walking Dead will visit FX's American Horror Story for a battle of the ghouls non-reality special.  

• The new Star Trek movie will feature a cameo by William Shatner as a really big Tribble. 

This rifle was NRA approved - on star date 2230.3

• Congress will movie into negative popularity poll numbers. 

• Mitt Romney will come up with several more excuses as to why he lost - none of them involving him.

• We will fall off the Fiscal Cliff, bounce off of the debt ceiling, plunge into the river of deflation, drown in a pool of liquidity and crawl onto the muddy plains of slow recovery after being stimulated through renewed quantitative easing.



The first step is a doozy - it gets better though...

• Zombies will begin running for office as Tea Party candidates - no one will notice. 

I promise to eat Democrats - A brain in every pot!

• Lot's of people are planning to have sex - not all of them will be so lucky.

• After going over the Fiscal Cliff, renewed budget cuts will force the government to cut all remaining aid for Mental Health - the government will declare victory however by following this year's precedent on autism and redefine all mental illness thus making 90% of currently crazy persons sane next year. This will lead to more crazy people buying assault rifles and arming the cast of Glee.

• The origin of Dark Matter will be discovered - it will have something to do with peanut butter.

• Kim Kardashian will need to pose naked more often to gain attention.

Kim paid a lot for that body - so look at  it already - and don't stop

Kim sings too - although usually dressed like that

• Elton John and Madonna will find out that they are the same person.

• Life will be found on Mars. They will be really pissed about how bad the John Carter movie turned out.

music from Mars about Mars

• Birds will sue Bees for sexual harassment.  

• PCs and Macs will sign a non-aggression treaty; the peace will be short-lived after Windows 8 claims that it is "hip."

The long war between Macs and PCs has often been both ugly and vicious... 

• Scientists will discover the meaning of life - corporate funded 'deniers' will insist they are wrong and encourage more consumer spending. 

• George Lucas will change his mind about Star Wars and ask for control of episode 7 when he sees Justin Bieber cast as Luke Skywalker. Disney will try to change the tagline to "The Beliebers are with you."

• Global Warming will get hotter, polar bears will break into homes all across Canada that have central air and / or a pool.

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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The Dumbest Quotes of 2012

Well, it's the end of the year and it's a time for reflection - reflection about all the stupid things that may have happened during the year and most importantly, recognition of the most incredibly goofy comments that folks have made throughout 2012. This is not an attack on Hollywood per se, we're drawing on quotes from across the globe and from a wide spectrum of professions.

Never has a chair been so severely lectured... this poor chair was Unforgiven

Without further adieu, here is the list of dumbest quotes of 2012:

• What do you mean, 'Shut up?' ... What do you want me to tell Romney? I can't tell him to do that to himself. You're getting as bad as Biden. Clint Eastwood, talking to the chair

The complete chair humiliation experience...

• "Ifs and ands and buts are like candy and nuts" House Speaker John Boehner

• In 2012, what's next? Metro, Metro, Metro. And, of course, Windows, Windows, Windows.--Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft 

• "I promise you, the president has a big stick." — Vice President Joe Biden

Makes you wonder how well these two know each other...

• There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what ... who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims ... these are people who pay no income tax ... and so my job is not to worry about those people. I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives – Mitt Romney

• “We do  ook very different, we're older. Leo's 37, I'm 36 — we were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he's fatter now — I'm thinner.” - Kate Winslet

• “I do destroy men on a weekly basis. It's like a hobby. I'm like a praying mantis. They [sleep with] me, and then I eat them.”- Ke$ha

I like my men medium rare with mushrooms on the side and lot's pepper on top

• Under no circumstances am I going to willingly talk to the police in this country. You can say I'm paranoid about it, but they will kill me, there is no question."-- John McAfee 

• “Marriage is what marriage is … It’s like going out and saying, ‘That tree is a car.’ Well, the tree’s not a car. A tree’s a tree. Marriage is marriage.” — Rick Santorum 

• “It's almost as laughable as accusing Fox News of being news.”- Miss Piggy, in reference to Fox Business Network claiming that The Muppets had an anti-oil agenda for kids

• “When I eventually looked in the mirror I just thought I looked like my gay brother.” - Anne Hathaway 

• “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans. And to heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family.” — Mitt Romney

• “Why did I get put in jail and Nickelodeon star has had NO punishment(s) so far?” - Lindsay Lohan

• We should have a straight way to go in our similar or in our lives or as is this … I am a surfer and I think the best way I can take is the wave that I wait for it.  Miss Venezuela 2012

• “I’ve got a little bumper sticker for you: Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive.” — Joe Biden

• "Your penis was a revelation. I'm available to work with it anytime." — Charlize Theron talking about costar Michael Fassbender's member

• “Each and every day that I’ve been a United States senator, I’ve been discussing issues, meeting on issues, in secret meetings with kings and queens and prime ministers and business leaders and military leaders talking, voting, working on issues every single day.” — Sen. Scott Brown

• I'm not crazy anymore - Charlie Sheen

• I couldn't sacrifice my heart for a publicity stunt - Kim Kardashian

• “If ObamaCare had been fully implemented when I caught cancer, I’d be dead.” — Herman Cain

• Once he started looking like me, that's when I kind of got it. I put things together - Arnold Schwarzenegger

• “President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob!” — Rick Santorum 

• The world is not going to end in 2012 - The world will end when I lose my Beliebers. Justin Bieber

We just can't Belieb this guy...

• “Lemon. Wet. Good.” — Mitt Romney

• “What does it say about the college coed Susan Fluke [sic] who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex?” – Rush Limbaugh

• “I am so mad at the press I could just strangle them!” — Ann Romney

• “I’m not familiar precisely with what I said, but I’ll stand by what I said, whatever it was.” — Mitt Romney

Who knew this guy was so funny?

• “But out of the billowing smoke and dust of tweets and trivia emerged Gingrich, once again ready to lead.” — Former Newt Gingrich spokesperson Rick Tyler

• “You know, back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraception. The gals put it between their knees, and it wasn’t that costly.” — Foster Friess

• “This feels good, being back in Michigan… You know, the trees are the right height.” — Mitt Romney

• “I would do away with Education, Commerce, and let’s see — the third one I can’t. I can’t. Oops.” — Rick Perry

• “She’s such a nightmare," he said, before adding that "she looks like a f--king fairground stripper." Elton John on Madonna

Fairground Stripper? You decide...

Fairground stripper? you decide...

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Why We Like Psych

Psych is the longest running original program on the USA Network - ok maybe that isn't saying too much as we can't really remember too many other USA Network shows at all. But that's not the point - the show has been running for 7 seasons and thanks to Netflix, it is reaching a much larger audience than it otherwise might and we just love it. And BTW - Season 7 will launch in February of 2013.

So how did we find out about Psych and start watching it? Well, it's really weird - it's like the app developers at Netflix hooked up with those spooky psychics at what's left of PeoplePC.com and tapped right into our brains. For more than a year, Psych was just sitting there in our recommended queue (btw - does anyone else know why queue is spelled like that?) - staring at us but we refused to watch. It looked weird and not interesting. What we didn't know then was that Psych is the funniest show on television today. Hats off (for those of you who wear hats - although we're probably talking baseball caps here) to show creator Steve Franks for assembling an unbelievable cast and some really great writers and ultimately it is the writing and the jokes that make this show so interesting.

The Mentalist gone Mental?

So why do we like Netflix so much? Here's our really long list of reasons; Psych...

• Has the best popular culture references from the 1980's of any television show or movie ever produced.
• Is filled with more cameos from stars from the 1980's of any show ever produced.
• Has the best chase scenes featuring a Toyota Yaris or Echo (referred to as the Blueberry) ever filmed.
• Is the only show we know that has tackled the Breakfast Club from every possible angle - including use of cameos and even mocking the lead singer of Tears for Fears (during a cameo).
• Includes the best vampire imitations of Lestat and Blackula ever (and no he wasn't Count Chocula).
• Has resurrected the career of Corbin Bersen (80's star from LA Law) and it turns out he's pretty funny.
• Features the best use of establishing shots to make you forget the show is actually being filmed in Vancouver.
• Is the best buddy show ever perhaps - short of Abbott and Costello - except that there's no straight man in Psych (btw that's a comedy term - nothing to do with sex).
• Gave Danny Glover a job even though he looks like he's a 100 now (and William Devane and Action Jackson/Apollo Creed too). 
• Built a show around stealing a Stars Wars action figure (of Darth Vader). 
• Manages to fit in lot's of offensive humor without seeming offensive. 
• Is able to spoof both the classic detective dramas as well as most other genres of TV show.
• Created the best homage to the Bourne Identity ever - well not so much an homage but they did have Matt Damon's girlfriend in the episode.
• Has the best flashbacks to childhood memories and the ability to link those to the current day action. 
• Has the best Coroner character in the history of TV (sorry Quincy - rest in peace). And the homage to the Hangover was the Coroner's best episode. 
• Invented the largest quantity of goofy sidekick nicknames - ever (see the 2nd clip below). 
• Has the best use of the actor who played Batmanuel since he appeared in the Tick (it's a long story we'll tell you about that in another post).
• Filmed the best TJ Hooker parody ever.
• Was able to use William Shatner in an episode and not let the guy make a huge ass out of himself (quite the accomplishment).
• Has the Best show theme written by the same guy who created the show. 
• Featured one of the best episode as comic book plots ever - with "Tap Man" and "the Catch."
• Has the best show tag line - "To Predict and Serve."
• Sports the best use of Val Kilmer has gotten really big lately jokes.
• Developed the best multiple Christmas homage / ripoff of It's a Wonderful life, A Christmas Carol and Bad Santa (this includes the best dwarf cameo ever).
• Filmed the best Cuckoo's Nest sort of homage ever...
• Had the best episode title ever "Viagra Falls."

Psych has a thing for Pineapples - we like that too

In short Psych is perhaps the funniest, most creative show we've seen in years and even more remarkably - it has managed not to get cancelled. The premise of the show is that Shawn Spencer having been trained in the ways of police-work as a child by his semi-psychotic detective father and has the ability to solve crimes. However, since he hasn't gone to the Police Academy (although that happens later in an episode with the Karate Kid Ralph Machio) he resorts to pretending he has psychic abilities and then ropes in his best friend Gus to be his partner in a psychic private detective agency called - Psych.

The many identities of Gus (Dule Hill)

Those of you who are fans of Mr. Aaron Sorkin may remember Dule from the West Wing. The two main characters, Dule and James Roday, have an incredible chemistry and the rest of the cast is pretty good too. Here are some of our favorite lines / quotes from  Psych:

• Remember, Dad, you treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a goddess, then a person again. (Shawn)

• I can't spend the night in the museum. I don't have my toothbrush, I don't have my multi-vitamins, and oh yeah, I don't want my soul suffering eternal damnation for disrupting the sleep of an Egyptian canal digger. (Gus)

• My pilot's license? It's out back in the Cessna. Or perhaps you're referring to my license to kill? Revoked. Problems at the Kazakhstan border. I'd give you the details, but then I'd have to kill you... which I can't do because my license to kill has been revoked.  (Shawn)

• There are some things about women that only me and NBC anchor Brian Williams know. (Shawn)

• What more do you need? I told you she's blonde, and pale, and beautiful and perfect. So get me a name and get me an address and get me some aspirin! (Carrlton)

• I'd say that's pretty ridiculous. Not as ridiculous as Denise Richards playing a nuclear physicist named Christmas Jones in a Bond movie, but still. (Shawn)

• Great. Now you've gotten me kicked out of a funeral. Just add it to the list. Kicked out of Petsmart, kicked out of Santa's Village, kicked out of the Salvation Army (Gus)

• Please tell me you're not one of those courtroom groupies that bounces from trial to trial…wait a second, was that you at the Michael Jackson hearing with the sequined glove and the shirt that said "Please free the man in the mirror"? (Shawn)

• Gus, don't be a melted chocolate chip cookie. (Shawn)

Don't hate us because we're beautiful vampires

• Gus: Wait a second! This is my Airwolf windbreaker! I've been looking for this for like five years now! Why did you take this? I never even saw you wear it. 
• Shawn: Of course I didn't wear it. I took it so you wouldn't. Don't put it on. Gus, nobody had an Airwolf jacket except Jan-Michael Vincent!

• Shawn: I can play six degrees of dinosaur with you right now... You've never been in a movie with Kevin Bacon or a dilophosaurus, have you?
• Gus: How about you play six degrees of kiss my ass?
• Shawn: First of all, that sounds like a totally disturbing game.

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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The Grinch who Shot Christmas

Yesterday a man shot 4 firefighters in New York (using the same type of assault rifle used in Sandy Hook) while they were responding to a fire, two died. Several days ago 4 were killed in a shooting spree across Pennsylvania. A week before that, we all witnessed the national horror of the mass killings of children at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. This has been a bloody, awful year for gun violence in America and it seems as though it's continuing to the last possible moment. But nothing was so disturbing perhaps as the NRA press conference held just days before the Christmas holiday. In this conference, the very frightening director of that, group Wayne LaPierre, outline his vision for the future and in doing so has become America's official Grinch.

There's a new Grinch in town...

Granted, there are a few things we happen to agree with America's new Grinch on - for example there are likely improvements that can be made to school security and America's popular culture does seem to have dipped lower and lower of recent years becoming ever more violent in nature. What we don't agree with however is the vision of the future in America that he seems to be espousing - a vision that requires every American to be armed in order to prevent - you guessed it - being shot by other armed Americans. Grinch LaPierre doesn't ever want to consider viewing guns a problem - instead they are always and ever will be his only solution. The Grinch wants more guns, guns carried in the open, guns that carry extended magazines as well as assault rifles with semi-automatic capability. Back in the 1980's we had an expression for places that were that heavily armed and dangerous - Beirut - sounds a lot like what the Grinch is advocating.

As for his proposal, what if Sandy Hook had hired an armed guard before the massacre? One man armed say with a semi-automatic pistol. How would that guard have fared against a lunatic with an assault rifle with unlimited ammunition? He or she would have likely ended up just another corpse. Of course, the Grinch might respond to that; let's place a 50 caliber machine gun out front or an armored personnel carrier. It works in the third world, right?

At least this Grinch ain't packin'

The reason why people are calling Mr. LaPierre crazy is simple:

1. He may be the most insensitive, paranoid man on the planet (e.g. his main concern regarding the massacre of 26 6 year old students and their teachers was that it might be seen as an attack on his organization).
2. He is blatantly incapable of participating in rational dialog. Each year in the US more people die from gunshots than in the past 10 years of war in Afghanistan and Iraq combined. The levels of gun violence are directly proportional to access to weapons.
3. He is advocating something no sane person in this country wants - a country where it's not safe to live in without being heavily armed. We don't want to be Beirut, or Juarez, Mexico or the wild west (which by the way was not as dangerous as the US is now because believe it or not there weren't as many guns).

The full NRA Press Conference last week

We need to ask ourselves, why has the national media been listening to this lunatic for so long? Why does his relatively small organization hold sway over the national dialog on guns? How can a gun industry that makes only a few billion a year make such an impact on our lives in a multi-trillion dollar a year economy? Every year we pay more in medical costs for gun victims (more than 100,000 per year) than the gun industry earns. 

If Grinch LaPierre wants to know why American culture is becoming so violent - he should start by looking at what the NRA has done over the years. He has advocated guns and violence as a means to control guns and violence - he's the Grinch who shot Christmas and he's taking aim at the New Year. 

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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Is Dexter Killer TV ?

For several years we refused to watch Dexter on principle - that principle being that glorifying serial killers was going a step too far. Sure, we've had to put up with a decade of CSI like dramas but Dexter seemed new and dangerous. We had tolerated the spate of Hannibal Lector related movies because the mega-drama involved seemed a bit unreal. Showtime's Dexter is a different animal altogether; it's an ongoing character study in what makes a killer tick - but not just any study - it's a biased and markedly sympathetic view.

Michael C. Hall is Dexter Morgan, the serial killer next door

Dexter has been around for a long time - it's in its 7th season which makes it one of the longest running shows on Cable television. It's also been one of Showtime's highest rated original shows ever. So why the fascination with this character and this story? We had planned on ignoring all of this but found ourselves travelling on an extended trip and the hotel only had Showtime. Dexter was the only thing playing so we gave in and watched. There are no big stars in Dexter, but lot's of interesting characters. Dexter himself drives most of the action although he has a unique relationship with his dead brother (a former killer himself played by veteran actor James Remar) - this provides a sort of 1st as 3rd person narration that serves as a window into Dexter's troubled psyche. 

There's interesting things going on behind the scenes as well - the actor who played Dexter, Michael C. Hall was married to (and has now divorced) his co-star Jennifer Carpenter who plays his sister in the show. This season they've revealed that the character of the sister Debra Morgan is in love with her brother. Hall also was diagnosed Hodgkin's lymphoma recently (it's now in remission).

The show continues to push its own limits

The show takes place in Miami which somehow seems fitting; Miami was the backdrop for Scarface and Miami Vice as well as the birthplace for CSI. Miami and killing continue to be linked in popular culture - with this year's face eating incident taking the South Florida to a new level of infamy. Dexter even brought in Edward Jame Olmos or EJO (Miami Vice's Castillo) last season to add some Miami Nostalgia to the mix.

EJO was the coolest guy in Miami during the 1980's

Back to the original question - is the show and its premise really worth exploring? Hall seems entirely believable as the sociopath Dexter yet the show seems to be peeling away the feeble excuses as to why it's ok for him to be killing everyone in sight by ditching his "Dark Passenger" and letting him revel in the joy of killing as a stress relief mechanism. Our recommendation is a guarded one - this show should not be viewed by anyone under 17 or by people with overly impressionable minds. It's interesting drama with a very twisted worldview. Just this week there was another real life Dexter in the news - Isreal Keyes - when asked why he went around killing folks across America he simply replied "why not." Perhaps people like Keyes may feel that way because partly because they see so much of it on television and movies and it seems as though it's becoming accepted or acceptable behavior (in Dexter his sister is first shocked at finding out what her brother does as a hobby but within 4 episodes is asking him to kill someone for her).

Perhaps it's time our culture ended its love affair with true crime and sadistic killers - who knows, we might actually end up a healthier, safer place to live. 

Copyright 2012 - Raving Reviews - All Rights Reserved

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How I got thrown off the Uncle Al Show

I have to admit, it was my first experience in show biz - I was a bit green perhaps. However I was determined to make my mark and being 4 years old wasn't about to stop me. I had heard that George Clooney had gotten on the show 5 times (probably because his dad was an anchor on the local TV news) and I knew I might be competing with him for shows like ER by the mid-1980's (I was a very forward thinking child). So I put on my vest and my bow tie and had my mom drive me down to Cincinnati, the entertainment capital of Southwest Ohio. The year was  - well that's a bit fuzzy.

Uncle Al Lewis was the pied piper of the Tristate region for decades

Every major Television market had their own kids show it seems back in the day. We even had one in Dayton - something about a guy named Malcolm and Duffy the Dog. It seemed all too New Age to us though. Cincinnati was where it was at - Uncle Al was like the Ed Sullivan of kid's shows - at least if you didn't count Captain Kangaroo (whose show was inspired by Uncle Al) and Mr. Rogers just seemed creepy or drugged or both. Anyway, Uncle Al had some interesting characters on his show (like captain Windy); he was dressed as 1/4 of a barber shop quartet. We always wondered if Dick Van Dyke had borrowed from Al for some of his musicals during the 1960's - we wouldn't be surprised. The Uncle Al show ran from 1950 to 1985 and as far as I know, I was the only kid ever kicked off of the set and banned for life from returning.

Kids were thrown into the mosh pit with little supervision

Cincinnati is an interesting town. For those of us who live nearby we tend to have a love / hate relationship with Cincy (primarily due to the Bengals). For one thing they all eat this really weird chili and all swear it's delicious. Another bizarre aspect of Cincinnati culture is a strange fascination with Jimmy Buffet - all of his die hard fans call themselves "Parrot-heads" - this Buffet fetish has been going on for 30 years if you can believe it. We're thinking the Buffett thing can be explained by the secret desire that everyone in Ohio has to live in Key West - we're just not sure why Cincinnati is more fanatic about it than the rest of Ohio. But we digress... The Uncle Al wasn't the only show in the Cincy showbiz hub - there was the Cool Ghoul. Now we've got to give this guy credit that he came up with the best named sidekick in the history of sidekicks - Batty Hatty from Cincinnati. 

We heard this show influenced Rob Zombie

Anyway back to my story. I've been told that as a child I was somewhat hyperactive - I only have hearsay evidence to substantiate those circumstantial charges. People say I started dancing and hooting during the Dueling Banjos portion of Deliverance - if so I'm not prepared to admit it. On the day we traveled to see Uncle Al I had my breakfast of sugar-frosted flakes and Coca Cola and felt quite invigorated. It was important to me that I get noticed and for those who had seen Al's show the method to achieving recognition was clear - far out dance moves (note the 70's lingo). Uncle Al was like the Soul Train for white, suburban preschoolers. 

Soul Train dancers took inspiration from the innovative moves displayed on Uncle Al's dance-floor 

At this point it's worth mentioning Cincinnati's German heritage. Cincinnati was once known as Porkapolis - because it's where a large German immigrant community had built the nations first mega-pork industry (it later drifted up towards Chicago). So, essentially this means that accordions are really big in Cincy. And while Jimmy Hendrix had his electric guitar - Al Lewis had his accordion and it drove the kids crazy. Remember seeing that Oliver Stone biopic of Jim Morrison with Val Kilmer before he doubled in size - yeah The Doors - anyway it was like the concert scenes in that movie but without the nudity. 

When I arrived on the set the tension was palpable. There were a host of kids waiting to get on the show - sort of like the stage full Broadway hopefuls in A Chorus Line except all of us were going to get picked. The key to getting famous though was clear - get close to the star. Location, Location Location - was everything. It was hard to restrain our enthusiasm - the kids didn't get be on the entire show - just certain parts. Before I knew it, the signal had been given and we darted en masse onto the stage. The music was blaring and there was Al, fingers flying across his bright red accordion. Time seemed to push into another dimension at once frozen yet somehow accelerated. I had maneuvered ever closer to the master of the vertical piano as the music reached a fever pitch - I was jumping, diving, inventing the Moonwalk and perhaps even doing the Robot. No four year had ever moved so much, so quickly and with greater purpose. Then the unthinkable - a sharp collision between my head and the bottom of Al's accordion. The red sparkly finish of the off the rack instrument was splattered crimson with my blood, sweat and tears. And that was all too much - I got sick and threw up on Al's shoes. I half expected I might suffer the same fate as Jim Morrison after the infamous Miami Concert (not for the same reasons though). Oh and did I mention, it was live TV. 

The kids in Southwest Ohio got more than they expected that afternoon. Al was furious - yelling something to the effect of "get that damn kid out of here now!" (it may have been NR rated) I never realized the true power of being blacklisted by Al until many years later when my Hollywood career failed to materialize. But I don't harbor any grudges now that the years have passed. I learned a valuable lesson that day, two geniuses can never share the same stage...

The Chicken Dance is perfect for busting out an Accordion solo

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Americana - A Raving Playlist

The other day we had a somewhat harsh rebuke of Popular Country music on Raving Reviews. This doesn't mean we don't like home-grown sounds from the South, West and Appalachia; quite the contrary. We also like folk music and other forms which seem somehow uniquely American. What else so defines a culture but it's music? America is not just series of towns dotting the horizon - it's an idea and it has a rich history and a lot of diversity spread across its many regions. All that diversity is captured in lyrics and sound - the true poetry of America lies within its music. From John Mellencamp to George Gershwin to Joan Baez, our sons and daughters have captured the American experience in all its glory and all its tragedy. That is what American is all about. BTW - our favorite song on this list from from John Cougar - it's called Minutes to Memories.

As usual you can find this list on Spotify and today we'll also be embedding the list in this post as well.

The Allman Brothers Band - early 1970's

Americana:

The Allman Brothers Band – Little Martha - Album Version/Instrumental
George Tipton – Everybody's Talkin' (From "Midnight Cowboy")
Ray Charles – What'd I Say
John Mellencamp – Minutes To Memories
Johnny Cash – Rusty Cage
Janis Joplin – Me And Bobby McGee
Linda Ronstadt – Blue Bayou
Simon & Garfunkel – Homeward Bound
Elvis Presley – (You're The) Devil In Disguise
Don Henley – The Last Worthless Evening
The Soggy Bottom Boys – I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow
Pete Seeger – If I Had a Hammer (Hammer Song)
The Allman Brothers Band – Jessica
Jimmy Buffett – Margaritaville
The Doobie Brothers – Listen To The Music - Single Version
America – A Horse with No Name
Dueling Banjos – Duelling Banjos
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – Who Do You Love? (Live)
Norah Jones – Come Away With Me
John Denver – Take Me Home, Country Roads
Alison Krauss – Down To The River To Pray - Soundtrack Version (O Brother Where Art Thou?)
The Osborne Brothers – Rocky Top
Joan Baez – Love Is Just a Four-Letter Word
Charley Daniels – The Devil Went Down To Georgia
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – Johnny B. Goode (Live) (Feat. Johnny Johnson)
The Soggy Bottom Boys – In The Jailhouse Now - Soundtrack Version (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River
Simon & Garfunkel – America
Don Henley – The Heart Of The Matter
Pete Seeger – Ghost Of Tom Joad
Bonnie Raitt – Something To Talk About
Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
Buddy Holly – Not Fade Away
Pete Seeger – Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is A Season)
Elvis Presley – Suspicious Minds
The Marshall Tucker Band – Can't You See
Rascal Flatts – Life is a Highway
Bob Dylan – Blowin' In The Wind - 2010 mono version
Harry McClintock – Big Rock Candy Mountain
Johnny Cash – Ring Of Fire
Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble – Mary Had A Little Lamb
The Guess Who – No Sugar Tonight
The Charlie Daniels Band – Long Haired Country Boy
Weezer – Buddy Holly
Bruce Springsteen – Thunder Road
Paul Simon – Graceland
The Allman Brothers Band – Statesboro Blues
Soundgarden – Rusty Cage
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Born On The Bayou
Simon & Garfunkel – The Boxer
Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin'
Emmylou Harris – Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby - Soundtrack Version (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Elvis Presley – Can't Help Falling In Love
John Mellencamp – Our Country - Rock Version
The Doobie Brothers – Black Water
Ray Charles – Hit The Road Jack
Janis Joplin – Cry Baby
B. B King – The Thrill is Gone
The Allman Brothers Band – Midnight Rider
Neil Young – Heart Of Gold
Ray Charles – Sinner's Prayer
Jack Johnson – Constellations
John Mellencamp – Pink Houses
B.B. King – Baby I Love You
Rosanne Cash – Sea Of Heartbreak - Feat. Bruce Springsteen
U2 – When Love Comes To Town
Hank Williams – Ramblin' Man
Social Distortion – Ring Of Fire
Woody Guthrie – Hobo's Lullaby
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Johnny Cash – Jackson
Gillian Welch – I'll Fly Away - Soundtrack Version (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
Johnny Cash – Cry! Cry! Cry!
Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs And The Stanley Brothers – Foggy Mountain Breakdown
Bluegrass Christmas Music Country Christmas Picksations – Carol of the Bells
Paul Simon – Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird
Pete Seeger – Little Boxes
The James Gang – Walk Away
The Doobie Brothers – Long Train Runnin' - Album Version   2006 Remastered
Bob Dylan – Mr. Tambourine Man
Joan Baez – Blowin' In The Wind - Live
Linda Ronstadt – You're No Good
The Band – Hobo Jungle
The Raconteurs – Old Enough - featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe
Pete Seeger – What a Friend We Have in Congress
George Thorogood And The Destroyers – No Particular Place To Go
John Denver – Rocky Mountain High
Neil Diamond – Cherry Cherry - 2011 Remastered Mono
Simon & Garfunkel – El Condor Pasa (If I Could)
Neil Young – Down By The River
John Mellencamp – Small Town
Alison Krauss – Baby, Now That I've Found You
Rosanne Cash – Heartaches By The Number - Feat. Elvis Costello
Rascal Flatts – Banjo
The Marshall Tucker Band – Fire On The Mountain
Bob Dylan – It Ain't Me, Babe - Live Album Version
Bruce Springsteen – The River
The Allman Brothers Band – In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed - 1971/Live At The Fillmore East
Norah Jones – Creepin' In (feat. Dolly Parton)
Janis Joplin – Piece Of My Heart
Clarence "Tom" Ashley – The Coo Coo Bird
The Guess Who – American Woman
Charley Patton – Mississippi Boweavil Blues
Stevie Ray Vaughan And Double Trouble – Scuttle Buttin'
America – Ventura Highway
Don Henley – The End Of The Innocence
The Band – The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Foghat – Slow Ride
Chicago – Saturday In The Park
Columbia Symphony Orchestra – Rhapsody In Blue

Gershwin is still America's preeminent composer - no one else has come close

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Dr. Zhivago - A Raving Classic

It's almost Winter and Winter reminds us of one one thing - Zhivago. No place is more famous for their terrible Winters than Russia. Time and again the Russian Winter as played a role in history defeating conquering armies lead by Napoleon and Hitler. The Russian Winters seem to define what it is to be Russian (although we don't really have a clue because we're not Russian so what we really mean is that they define our perception of what Russia is). The Russian Gulag is a Winter place too. David Lean's epic adaptation of the Boris Pasternak novel Dr. Zhivago captures the Russian Winter in all its glory and infamy. It's a historical treatise, a love story and a defiant tale written about how real people struggled to survive in the newly formed Soviet state.

Energy-efficient, but a bit chilly in the Wintertime

Perhaps the two most memorable aspects of the film are the soundtrack and the cinematography. While Mr. Lean wasn't permitted to film in the Soviet Union at the time (they were still somewhat ticked off at Boris for writing Zhivago) a number of similar striking locations were used. Lara's Theme  may be the single most recognized film score in history and certainly qualifies as the most haunting. If ever an instrumental song could capture longing, love and heartbreak - this is it. The story and the score together make this movie perhaps the greatest romance ever filmed.

It's all about Lara...

Romance, true romance is not idyllic, but it is real. The power of Zhivago's tale is not that it makes any sense, but that it seems as though this really happened - not to just a few people but to an entire people. When the world was toppling around them - the revolution, world wars - the one thing that mattered were those handful of people closest to you. Zhivago's crime and the reason Pasternak was always one step away from being sent to a Gulag was "living" and thinking in terms of those who they loved rather than the state. This is perhaps the ultimate story of tyranny of the state versus the freedom to be oneself. Amidst all this history the movie is peppered with several standout performances namely from Sir Alec Guinness (as Zhivago's half-brother) and Rod Steiger as one of the great jerky characters in film history. 

The original Zhivago trailer

The character of Zhivago himself is curious - he is an observer mostly. He is surrounded both by fascinating characters and remarkable events. He reacts to them all but seems helpless to control even his own destiny - he swept along the path of history only to be discarded in the end - forgotten to all but those who read banned poets. This movie is as much about Lara as anything and in Julie Christie's capable hands she becomes a fascinating anti-heroine. Lara is Christie's most memorable performance by far. She reminds us of that song by Alanis Morissette - she's got it all going on; bad girl, good mom, nurse, home-wrecker. Lara is awesome - no wonder Zhivago wrote all that poetry for her.

we wouldn't want it any other way

Get her drunk and she like to party

Nations rise and nations fall, but people go on - they go on loving, living and making a reality with each other and all those little stories fill the gaps behind the big picture that is our history. Zhivago gives us a glimpse into both personal side and the epic backdrop of the Russian drama - and it may have been the first movie during the Cold War that helped break the ice between ordinary Americans and their then Soviet counterparts. We're not so different after all, are we?

This song seems to have been inspired by Zhivago - we miss you Robert Palmer

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