Politics: Guest Star-Studded Debate Turns Into The Love Vote

"...love, exciting and new..."

Let the WGA strike the Oscar's this year. We already got all the cutaway shots we need at last night's debate between Democratic Presidential contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. CNN must have shown Rob Reiner five times -- so sorry about Bucket List getting snubbed by the Academy, Meathead! There was a loving shot of Remington Steele...er James Bond, and my personal fave was very fetching America Ferrara wearing the very latest in Hillary buttons.

The debate you ask? The candidates mostly stayed away from the rough stuff and at times looked so lovey dovey that I wanted to suggest they get a room. When it came down to the nitty-gritty, Hill was still stronger on substance with a very assured and detailed explanation of her health plan versus Obama's. He may have been less surefooted when it came to the policy wonkery but he brought the charm and most importantly the vision.

They both got their hits in on the immigrants being allowed to get driver's licenses issue (a red herring as its a state matter anyhow). Obama referenced Hillary's shaky answer on this initially and she was good enough to remind him gently but forcefully of his own problems with this topic earlier in the year. He sheepishly nodded his head. It was like watching an old married couple.

This was the kind of healing exchange of ideas the party needed at this juncture. Obama eloquently reached out to Edwards supporters, as did Hillary, and everyone seemed to leave the event with a warm glow -- except perhaps for Wolf Blitzer who was roundly booed for trying to bait Obama into an attack. Here's a clip -- check out 4:54 forward for the line of the night, delivered by Clinton, oh and Annie Hall:

New Music: Lucious Thespians Test Their Pipes This Year -- Zooey Deschanel and Scarlett Johansson in Hip Album Battle

Plenty of ink has been spilled already, including here, on older man candy Scarlett Johansson's upcoming Tom Waits cover song opus, which will also include one new song. Now indie pixie Zooey Deschanel is prepping to finally release her collab with M. Ward, Volume 1, under the band name She and Him.

Unlike Scarlett's record, Zooey's songs are mostly originals though she does slip a Beatles and a Smokey Robinson cover in. Ward, who has released several critically acclaimed albums of atmospheric indie roots-folk heard Deschanel's demos and offered to collaborate.

Here's She and Him live doing "Lonesome Town"...Deschanel has a very impressive voice:



Here's Scarlett warbling with the Jesus and Mary Chain last year, the voice is...not as impressive:

TV: FCC Asses Assess Millions From ABC Over Bare Ass Embarrassment

And where do your filthy minds go when you see this vintage Coppertone ad, FCC? Hmmm?


The FCC, spurred on by bozo Brian Bozell's Parent's Television Council, is going ahead with their proposed fine of $1.4 million fine against 52 ABC stations over an episode of NYPD Blue from 2003. This is despite the parental warning at the beginning of every episode, 10 years of publicity about the show's boundary blurring, and V- Chip enabling. More to the point, would a child's head explode from seeing this scene -- at 10PM no less? Where's the harm. Apparently ninnies like Bozell and dirty minded FCC heads Michael (son of Iraq War salesman Colin) Powell and Kevin Martin believe that children are unaware that posteriors exist. By all means, lets keep it that way.

Or perhaps their is a more sinister thing going on here. The FCC successfully argued that ABC showed "sexual organs" on their broadcast. Sounds like the FCC like to enter an establishment through the back door, if you catch my drift. If you don't, check out the piece on the Washington Post Scrabble puzzle below.

Granted at first I thought the scene featured Facts of Life headmistress Charlotte Rae, in which cause the FCC may have been on solid ground with an emotional distress argument but Charlotte Ross? Perfectly harmless. Perhaps Martin would be willing to negotiate down to the administration of a light spanking to the actress involved by a certain FCC chief.

Here's the horribly offensive scene-- shield thine eyes! Judge for yourself...if you dare!

Film: Pineapple Express Preview

This clip brings back some seriously hazy memories. I'd say the research involved in the upcoming film Pineapple Express from the Judd Apatow hilarity machine was positively Method-like. Also, dig on James Franco getting deep into character. This is to Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams as Tarantino's Death Proof was to Smokey and the Bandit II. The release date is a distant August 8th 2008 so hopefully memory loss will help keep this fresh. Inhale!

TV: Please Don't Squeeze The Coffin -- Mr. Whipple Goes to the Great Grocery in the Sky

Dick "Mr. Whipple" Wilson squeezes it for all its worth

Character actor Dick Wilson, known to millions of Americans as TV's Mr. Whipple from Charmin's paper towel commercials, has died at 91. There is no doubt that the 70's were a golden age for catchphrases and "Please, don't squeeze the Charmin" ranks right up there. Wilson played George Whipple from 1964-1985, enough time to sketch in the very Larry Craig like character detail that he secretly went in for a little of the old Charmin squeezin' himself.

The Intertubes: Bonus Sweat from Microsoft's Steve Ballmer

Last week Cletus and I gave to you, our humble citizens of Blogaea, our Top Ten Sweatiest Movies. Here, submitted for your approval, is some bonus sweat from the CEO of America's most anti-trustiest company Microsoft. Yes its Steve Ballmer, looking like a wrestler after a 3-day 'roid bender. Mmm I bet you could taste the flying sweat droplets in the front row. Enjoy!

Books: Pugilistic Pulitzer Prize Winner Norman Mailer Dead at 84

Norman Mailer, one of the postwar literary icons of American literature has died. He leaves behind a vast, varied, and messy legacy of writing with many peaks and valleys. Though his avowed form was the novel, he was perhaps most successful creatively when exploring non-fiction. Along with Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Wolfe he was arguably a  pioneer of what some would call "new journalism" in which the author is as much part of the piece as the subject. He took on many personas, all of them tough and ready for a tussle. He was a famously vocal anti-feminist in the 70's, and did much to gain the release of convicted murderer Jack Henry Abbott at the end of that decade. Abbott killed a waiter in 1981 and the outcry following that led to much condemnation of Mailer and at least one hilarious Saturday Night Live sketch featuring Eddie Murphy as a prison poet ("Kill my landlord -- c-i-l-l my landlord" went one memorable line). Here is the New York Times obit.

Here's Mailer (while the link lasts) going all Mike Tyson on the set of an early 70's film and biting Rip Torn's ear. Not for the faint of heart but see kids, this is what happens when we read too much Hemingway:

And here he is taking the piss out of Neo-Cons and President Bush recently:

Film: The Top 10 Sweatiest Movies

POSAS is bringing onboard a one man affiliate and font of information, our resident possum puree specialist Cletus who has generously contributed to the following list. Think you can get sweatier (non-porn please)? Let us know! To the list...

1) Cool Hand Luke (1967) - Paul Newman covered in sweat in the definitive men in prison flick.


2) 12 Angry Men (1957)- Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama, sans a/c. The arguments get heated and so does the sequestered jury. There's more sheen here than in Bobby...



3) Body Heat (1981) - Kathleen Turner and William Hurt steam up the screen in this neo-noir classic.


4)Do The Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee's masterpiece of racial tension takes place on the hottest day of summer. Here's a nice relaxing scene:


5) Palmetto (1998) - Another hot neo-noir, this time with Woody Harrelson, Elisabeth Shue and Gina Gershon


6) Alien (1979) - Ridley Scott's monster on a spaceship tour de force.


7)D.O.A. (1950) - Accept no substitutes (ie the Dennis Quaid/ Meg Ryan remake) this is the ultimate in "You only have x amount of time to live!" flicks -- even the band sweats it up!


8) Barton Fink (1991) - The Coen Brothers brilliantly offbeat pastiche of Hollywood in the interwar period -- so hot the walls sweat.


9) Personal Best(1982) - Robert Towne's sports drama gets the sapphic sweat flowing.


10) Apollo 13 (1995) Opie Cunningham's real-life space drama includes overheating capsule -- hot, sweaty stuff!

Music: Electrelane Glide Off Into That Hazy Place Known as Indefinite Hiatus

Electrelane: Watch out for that chandelier

Awesomely cool all-femme brit band Electrelane has decided to call it quits for now. In a statement on their website they write: "We have decided that the upcoming gigs will be our last for the foreseeable future. After ten years of much fun and hard work, we have realised that we all need a break and time to do other things. This was a tough decision for us to make, but ultimately a positive one."

One of the most interesting purveyors of Krautrock influenced indie rock, Electrelane married hypnotic rhythms with endearing vocals and imaginative arrangements over the course of four albums, two of which were recorded by legendary engineer Steve Albini. No Shouts No Calls, which was released earlier this year, may be their best and most accessible.

Here they are live kicking the stuffing out of Bruce Springsteen's classic "I'm on Fire" :



And here's "To The East" from their latest album:

Music: Lost Michael McDonald Track Reveals New Pornographers Link

New Pornographers had a contest to do a video for them and here's the winner's explanation of just what the hell they were thinking:

Michael McDonald's first music video (and Billboard chart success), "It's Only Divine Right", became the most influential track of the 1970s. His smooth vocal stylings, coupled with guest performances by Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross, seemed to pave the way for 80s adult contemporary music. Also, the idea of a "music video" was revolutionary in its own right, and McDonald experiments with one of the earliest known instances of product placement. This song was later covered by Canadian powerpop group, The New Pornographers.Another interesting fact: McDonald hasn't replaced the phone featured in this video since it was filmed.


How cool is the result? Pretty damn cool. I'll also point out that the "Michael McDonald" in my tag cloud is getting bigger and bigger:

Television: The Office Stars Reveal Hidden Musical Chops

Thanks to the brilliant Stereogum.com, I now know that creepy Creed from NBC's the office was a member of 60's/70's pop rockers The Grass Roots -- how cool is that? The Grass Roots had 14 top 40 hits included "Temptation Eyes", "Let's Live for Today", and "Midnight Confessions". Even better Creed Bratton was in the band during it's peak years as the clip below attests to. Here they are getting into'd by no less than Jimmy Durante. Spot the Creedster at 1:40:


But wait, there's more. Go to the original Stereogum posting to dig on The Scrantones with Darryl from the warehouse covering Radiohead!

Entertainment: Pop Cultural Touchstone Robert Goulet Dies

Robert Goulet

Robert Goulet, an old-school style sex symbol in a new style world, died yesterday at 73 while awaiting a lung transplant. Goulet, after hitting the boards and television stations in Canada for several years became a star in 1960 in Lerner and Loewe's Camelot alongside Richard Burton and Julie Andrews. He received raves and the show became an allegory for a generation imbued with hopefulness by the early Kennedy years.

Goulet would become identified with Las Vegas and the louche lounge singing parodied by Bill Murray while also starring in a variety of film and television roles, included a part in Louis Malle's great Atlantic City in 1981. Here's a link to the New York Times' obit.

Here's a clip of Will Ferrell doing Robert Goulet from an old SNL:


Here's a godawful sitcom pilot that never got picked up (note the two guys in the jail cell who have their faces wiped out for their own protection):


Young Goulet horsing around with Phyllis Diller circa 1962:

And finally Goulet from 1967 doing "Soliloquy" from Carousel:

YouTube Video of the Week: The Ultimate in Home Protection

Robert Blake is in your house right now. Scared?

Thanks to my friends at the Core77 website the question can be asked: Don't you hate being home invaded in the middle of watching Leno? I mean he's just about to do a good Britney/Larry Craig/J. Lo zinger and there's three guys wearing ski masks in your bedroom. You don't have time to get your trusty shotgun out of the closet or out from under your pillow where it's usually kept. Well thank the lord above and the good folks at The Back-up for coming up with an American solution to an American problem. Feast your eyes on the vid below:

Music: YouTube Video of The Week

The folks at VH-1 may have beat me to it but I defy you to watch this and not empty your bladder spontaneously while laughing. Go ahead. Never has a trumpet been used (abused) in such a way and I pray to Yahweh never shall it happen again.

Music: Spoon Ladles Out The Good Stuff On SNL

Britt Daniels and company were on America's longest running trainwreck Saturday Night Live this weekend. Here they are with nifty horn accompaniment doing "The Underdog":



And again doing the awesome "Cherry Bomb" loosely and raggedly:

This Weeks YouTube Video of The Week!

Dig The Osmonds getting heavy! Mitt Romney could learn a few tricks from this clip on how to muss up that clean cut mormon image...here's "Crazy Horse" by The Osmonds:

Music: The Best Thread on I Love Music Right Now

The ILX messageboard has outdone itself with it's new thread entitled Can We Get Some Sort Of Consensus About What Music Video Is The Craziest/Most Over The Top On Youtube? A challenge, but one ably met: Some examples...

Samwell's "What What (In The Butt)" -- didn't Eddie Murphy cover this er...territory first?


This Army of Lovers video was disabled from embedding by request but it's a must see!

And finally Lou Reed from his Honda scooter ads era doing "No Money Down" like it's an afterschool special on the dangers of angel dust.

The Spirit of Alice Ghostely

Alice Ghostely died this weekend. Her partner in weekend mortal coil shuffling-off, Marcel Marceau, was a master of comedy and drama with his body but Ghostely was all about her voice. Whether singing beautifully or quavering comically she was a delight -- a highlight of weekdays watching Bewitched reruns as a child. Here is a rare clip of her with a delicious -looking Patty Duke from the 1971 hippie-dippy TV movie Two on a Bench . She plays Duke's mother, a kleptomaniac, and she gives a how-to here in how to steal a scene by chomping on the scenery.

Mime Silenced: Marcel Marceau Dies

Famed French mime Marcel Marceau died this weekend at the age of 84. Marceau was most famous for his white-faced be-hatted character Bip, and he entertained audiences all over the world starting in the 1950's. Marceau was also part of the French Resistance during World War II helping to hide Jewish children from the French police and German authorities. His father was sent to a concentration camp and was never seen again.

I had the great pleasure to see Marcel Marceau perform and to meet him backstage when I was a child, and his kindness and warmth left a lasting impression. Here is the obit from the International Herald Tribune. Below is one of Marceau's best known clips in America, from Mel Brook's 1976 film Silent Movie. In a typical Brook's gag which the voluble Marceau must have loved, the mime is the only one in the entire film who's voice is heard, just once.

YouTube Video of The Week: Michael Cera Does Self-Help

Enjoy this hilarious and thoughtful self-help vid from Superbad and Arrested Development comedy wunderkind Michael Cera. Remember, Impossible is the Opposite of Possible! Special shout-out to birthday girl Toni Capra for sending this my way...