Monday, September 16

Paul Rudd and Paul Rudd Star In Upcoming Netflix Series "Living With Yourself"


If Paul Rudd is involved in something, the general rule of thumb is to check that something out. Netflix, being the smart company that it is, is looking to capitalize on this in a clever way.

Because, my friends, what's better than Paul Rudd? That's right, TWO Paul Rudds. And you'll get that in the new Netflix series Living With Yourself starring Paul Rudd as a man who visits a spa and gets...cloned? Maybe?

It's not entirely clear what's going on, but this looks like a delightfully macabre show, sort of similar to Russian Doll, which I've thoroughly enjoyed. But that only had one Natasha Lyonne and this one has two Paul Rudds. I think there's a clear winner here.

Living With Yourself comes to Netflix on October 18. For now, check out the trailer below.

Friday, June 21

New Found Glory Releases New Music Video For "Cups" From Pitch Perfect




New Found Glory are among the pioneers of pop punk. And with this year's release of From the Screen to Your Stereo 3, the group is coming up on nearly a quarter-century of jams.

It appears that the group has recorded seven music videos for each of the seven songs on their EP. They've already released four of them, and this week welcomed in number five with their electric cover of "Cups" from Pitch Perfect. It's either this or "This Is Me" (from The Greatest Showman) – the point is, this is a terrific lil' cover.

Bonus points to the ENORMOUS cup pyramid lead singer Jordan Pundik builds, as well as the taco cameo midway through the song. Now let's all clap our hands and the ground and stack some cups.

Friday, May 24

Let's See a Show! Watching the Awesome Songs and Stories Tour




It's my scientific opinion that one of the hardest things to do in the world is to write a song that's actually good. I'm talking lyrically, of course, but also structurally. Anyone can pick up Logic or Pro Tools or whatever other digital audio workstation and tap out a danceable rhythm then throw some generic "hands in the air" spoken word over it and call it a day. Say, that sounds like a good idea... *note to self: write mega hit called "Hands In The Air."

The art of songwriting may be dwindling away, but we've still got four great ones, and THEY'RE ALL TOURING TOGETHER. Art Alexakis, the frontman of multi-platinum rock band Everclear, has put together a really fantastic tour with three other platinum artists: Chris Collingwood (Fountains of Wayne), Max Collins (Eve 6), and John Wozniak (Marcy Playground). The Songs and Stories tour is a combo of your favorite tunes and deep cuts (which are sometimes one and the same) from these fellas, all stripped down and acoustic.

In addition to the solo acts, each artist picks a cover for the quartet to cover together. It's super cool to see four artists I grew up listening to harmonizing to The Band's "The Weight" (you know, "take a load off Fanny/take a load for free"). Although I think my favorite group performance came during Chris's set, when he played the incredibly underrated jam "Radiation Vibe" and everyone came out for some sweet, sweet crooning. Check out a taste below.


The banter is terrific, too. Before playing "Here's to the Night," Max told us that we had to bellow the chorus, "like we're in a pub in Dublin," and he admitted he sped up during "Promise," though it was "worth it not to have to play with a drummer." Drummers every are revolting, I'm sure. If you're lucky enough, you'll also get the lovely treat of John dancing and leading the crowd in the call-and-response parts of "Stacy's Mom" during Chris's set. You'll also get some rogue fan moments, too – when Art prefaced a song from his upcoming solo album by saying he's been married for 32 years...to four wives, a guy in the crowd proudly yelled, "I don't know my dad!" That's a very sad thing to read, now that I've typed it out, but the beaming exuberance with how he said it was pretty enjoyable.

After you already get oh, an hour and a half of music, the foursome comes back out onstage, and there's a microphone set up in the crowd. You can come up and request a song or ask whatever the heck you want (within reason – I suppose if you requested to light the building on fire you'd be politely turned down). Because I'm a musician myself and love hearing fellow horror stories, I asked what their worst show was. I will not do the retellings justice (remember how they're great songwriters? These guys are terrific storytellers, too, which go hand in hand), but here's a quick little recap of each:

Max: Was playing in front of a very punk crowd and one guy kept flipping him off, so he called him up to the front of the stage, poured a beer all over his head, then tried to do a power pose and slipped on the beer and fell on his butt.

Art: Tripped over a cord on the stage and landed straight on his face. The music ground to a halt. BUT because he is all about keeping the good times going, he got up and yelled "YEAAHHHHHH" and everyone cheered. It's all about how you fight through.

John: Played a festival when AOL 3.0 had just come out, so he had to watch people tossing 60,000 free CDs at the stage and each other. THE WOOOOOOOORST!

Chris: Spent the better part of a day drinking in Germany before the final show of a German leg (but not the final show of the European tour). On the last chord of the last song, he tried to kick the bass drum and ended up breaking his leg and three ribs.

And here I was thinking someone spilling my water was terrible...


I don't know about you, but I really can't remember another show quite like this. I've seen all acoustic and more stripped down sets, but those artists did not come back out for another 45 minutes or so of Q&A. Even if you're not a huge fan of their music, the stories alone made this quite the entertaining evening.

On top of everything else, $1 per ticket sold at each show goes to the Sweet Relief Musician Funds, an organization that provides financial assistance to career musicians, venue workers, production staff, crew members, and their families suffering from injury, illness, or disability. Funds raised from the tour pay for medical procedures, doctor visits, prescriptions, and vital living expenses.

The full tour dates are below. If you have even the slightest smile thinking about a song by Everclear, Fountains of Wayne, Eve 6, or Marcy Playground, I'd highly recommend checking this show out.


Wednesday, May 22

Check Out the Trailer for Quentin Tarantino's New Movie Once Upon a Time In Hollywood


"In this town, it can all change...like that."

HO BOY. Once Upon a Time In Hollywood comes out July 26, and Quentin Tarantino's new flick is already setting the internet ablaze. I don't even fully comprehend everything that's going on here – Leonardo DiCaprio plays a washed-up Hollywood star, Brad Pitt is his stunt double. These are both made up characters, as far as I can tell. And then Margot Robbie is Sharon Tate and there's a whole subplot involving Charles Manson. MADNESS. Luke Perry is also in this movie in his final film role.

I don't believe Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys is in this movie, but if you haven't read his whole backstory with Charles Manson, I would highly recommend it. The 60s were a wild time, man.

In any case, I'm excited to see this movie, and I usually don't get too riled up over Tarantino films. This is the first one he's doing without the backing of Harvey Weinstein and his production, and all it cost Sony was $95 million and final cut privileges. Not too shabby.

Wednesday, April 24

Damian Lillard Ends the Thunder's Season With a Cold-Blooded Buzzer Beater


I'm not sure if there's a more underrated star in the league than Damian Lillard. The dude routinely balls out in leading Portland to the playoffs, has sunk a handful of clutch shots, and has a really solid rap game, too

And now, he's the owner of one of the coolest buzzer beaters in NBA history. The Portland Trailblazers are moving on while the Oklahoma City Thunder are going home. The shot in and of itself is spectacular – it's not every day you see a 37-foot stepback three to clinch a series – but my favorite part of this play is Seth Curry (in the white headband in the top corner) talking trash to the Thunder's bench. Curry reportedly said something to the effect of, "Dame's about to end your season" and then turned and glared daggers at the bench after the shot went in. Absolutely beautiful.



Tuesday, April 9

Yes, It's Totally Okay to Cry Over This Dwyane Wade Budweiser Commercial


Unless there's some kind of crazy shenanigans on the final day of the NBA's regular season, Dwyane Wade has played his final home game in Miami. The Heat lifer has rocked the NBA since 2003, doing great things off the court on top of the wonders he worked on it. This whole season has been a farewell tour for him, and he's traded jerseys with opposing players after just about every game (Emmanuel Mudiay being the exception). 

Budweiser is no stranger to tearjerker commercials. So perhaps it's only fitting that they brought Dwyane Wade to center court to meet a few folks that had "jerseys" of their own. Try to get through their stories without feeling a bit weepy. Thanks for lots of magical moments, D-Wade.