Category Archives: shannon watkins
Now Hear This: Metallica’s Orion Music + More Festival
A couple of days ago one my old friends from high school posted on Facebook about buying tickets to Metallica’s two-night Orion Music + More Festival in Atlantic City. I almost exploded with jealousy – envy-green guts all over the keyboard I’m typing on right now.
Biff Bam Pop’s Favourite Couples: Tobias and Lindsay Bluth-Funke
Lindsay Bluth Fünke. Raised as the twin sister of Michael Bluth, mother of Maeby, unloving wife of Tobias Funke. Lindsay is an activist of questionable authenticity, supporting trendy causes, with intentions that are ultimately shallow and superficial. It was revealed in season 3 of Arrested Development that Lindsay is not biologically related to the Bluth family at all, and is 3 years older than she’d previously believed.
Tobias Fünke, a licensed analyst and therapist (or “Analrapist”) lost his license and job as the Chief Resident of Psychiatry at a hospital when he gave CPR to a man who was not actually having a heart attack. At the beginning of the series, Tobias became focused on fulfilling his destiny of becoming an actor. The real highlight of his career – and one of the highlights of the series – is when Tobias joins the Blue Man Group and spends part of the series in blue body paint.
Lindsay and Tobias are the parents of Maeby, though they mostly ignore her – and each other. The couple appears to openly dislike each other. Tobias shows zero attraction toward his wife, who openly dates other people.
In flashbacks we see clips that allude to a happier time for Tobias and Lindsay: hosting lavish charity functions; playing as a family band; having financially stability. But, during the course of the series, we rarely see them interact in any way that isn’t completely awkward and downright hilarious.
It was announced in late 2011 that the Bluths are coming back in 2013 thanks to a deal with Netflix. The entire original cast has signed on for the reunion. It will be really interesting to see how the pick up 7 years after the abrupt end of the 3rd season in 2006.
Enjoy some of the best laughs from Tobias Fünke:
Now Hear This: LCD Soundsystem’s New Build
What band or music artist makes you crazy? We all have at least one. You know, the kind of crazy that makes you sing at the top of your lungs whenever you put on an album. The kind of crazy that makes you drive 30 kilometers an hour over the speed limit whenever one of their songs comes on the radio. The kind of crazy that makes you dance in public even though you don’t ever dance in public.
I am crazy about LCD Soundsystem.
When I heard that they were going to play their final show in New York last year, I was pretty upset. No more breaking traffic laws to new songs? No more opportunities to have dance parties and sing-a-longs at LCD Soundsystem concerts? Crushing.
You know what the demise of one band means though. The members become free to do other things – like start new bands!
Late last year Al Doyle, from LCD Soundsystem’s touring band, and his Hot Chip band mate, Felix Martin announced that they were joining forces for a new project, appropriately named New Build. It sounds exactly how you expect an LCD Soundsystem/Hot Chip collaboration to sound – which is definitly not a bad thing. New Build have just released four new tracks. Give them a listen on the band’s official site.
(I’m dancing right now!)
Defeating the January New Music Blahs With Parov Stelar, Kathleen Edwards and Classic Dylan
January, and even sometimes February, is usually a bit of a snooze if you’re the type who waits all week for New Music Tuesday. The October – December holiday shopping season is stacked with major releases, leaving the beginning of the new year a bit wanting.
What are you supposed to do in this lull? We have a few suggestions on how you can treat your ears in these less obvious times.
Biff Bam Pop’s Best of 2011 – Steve Jobs, Alan Moore, Jonathan Maberry, Sookie Stackhouse and George R.R. Martin Top Our Favourite Books
All this week, Biff Bam Pop’s various writers will drop by with their thoughts on the best of the year when it comes to tv, music, movies, comics and more. Monday, we looked at what topped our tv list, Tuesday featured our musical faves, Wednesday was all about comics, Thursday looked at the best in video games, while Friday our writers went to the movies. Today, in our final instalment, we look back at some of the books that highlighted our shelves in 2011.
Andy Burns:
When it comes to non-fiction, no book could top the brilliant Steve Jobs biography. Written by Walter Issacson with the full cooperation of Jobs, the book delves deep into what drove the man who created and marketed some of the most revolutionary technology of our lifetime. Reading this book is discovering the genius of one of the 20th centuries most important figures. Hugely recommended to anyone who owns a Mac or “i” anything.
As for fiction, the book I enjoyed the most was our friend Jonathan Maberry’s Dead of Night. A zombie novel with heart and soul, that goes to great and entertaining lengths to make a undead apocalypse seem highly plausible. Solid horror. In the meantime, I’ve got Stephen Kings 11/22/63 sitting beside my bedtable, waiting to be read. Hello, 2012!
