Those Emmy People Kind of Got It Right

I realize it's been awhile since the Emmy nominations were announced, but I figure I can still give those Emmy voters a pat on the back when do something right. To my surprise, Denis Leary was actually nominated for best actor in a drama for Rescue Me. Which is great because the show deserves some recognition. But why no nominations for best drama? Can I also say I'm sick and tired of this blind love for the Sopranos. I agree seasons 1 & 2 were great television. After that, it's been a slow decline into mediocrity and boredom. Still, I'll let that slide. What I won't let slide is that John Scurti doesn't get a nomination for playing Lt. Kenny Lou Shea. That is a travesty! He is just fantastic on the show. Calie Thorne as Sheila really deserves a nod as well. She plays the desperate lonely crazy single mother so well. It's two parts funny, two parts sad.

For those that haven't been Netflixing Rescue Me after I wrote about it last year, what's wrong with you?

One other question: How in the hell does The Shield not get anything for the stellar season. Forest Whitaker doesn't get a guest actor nod? Really? Is it only the Academy members that are watching Boston Legal?

Ramblings (TV Edition)

Remember the days when you couldn't wait till September or October because that was when the new show would debut? You would get all excited seeing ads for new shows and teasers of the new season of your favorite show. It hasn't been that way for awhile. Sure, I was anticipating Lost, but that's about it. I guess due to my contract I have to put CSI: Miami in there. But that's really about it. The Shield and 24 don't start till January. Rescue Me is a summer show. This got me thinking. Why can't the new TV season start in January? Clearly the old belief that nobody watches TV during the summer is incorrect. What else comes out during January and February? Nothing. It's a dumping ground for movies. Maybe one or two decent albums are released. TV should take full advantage of this and start shows mid January. I realize with the industry there would be a big hubbub raised about not getting their summers off. My answer is that they can still have the same shooting schedule just don't air them till January. This way we don't have to have extended runs of repeats. Most of the shows will be in the can, and they just have to shuffle them out. 24 should be the production model for TV shows. They start production early and air their shows back to back. No reruns! I realize this wouldn't be possible for all shows. I'm just getting tired of having one new episode a month for shows like Lost. Maybe the best would be to break the year into two seasons?

Anyway, let's catch up with what I'm watching and what you should be watching. For all you Tivo people who wait months till watching the episodes there will be spoilers for the following shows: The Shield, 24, Lost, etc.

The Shield: The season finale is this Tuesday. Usually in a Shield season the second to last episode is the climax in the arc and the last episode deals with the aftermath. It's different this time around. I have no idea what's going to happen. Someone is going to die...I think. Everything is up in the air. Are Kavanaugh and Acevedo finally going to get the Strike Team behind bars? What is Antwon Mitchell up to? Who's the father of Danny's kid? How is the new recruit, Tina, going to screw up and get someone killed? My biggest question is: What's going to happen to Lemonhead? Is he going to die? Is he going to finally rat on the team? Is he going to make it to Mexico? It all leads to at least him not coming back next season. It's a shame because I loved Lemonhead's tortured conscience and his ulcer. Man I love this show.

24: 24 has become TV's Florida Marlins? They've nixed nearly every veteran of the show. President Palmer, Tony and Michelle, and Edgar are all dead. They even killed Rudy! Only Jack and Miss Potato Face are left. Poor Edgar Stiles. His death scene may be one of my favorites in awhile. No screaming and hollering. He just had that "Oh crap!" look on his face, and then he tumbled over. The thing is we are only halfway through the season. What the hell else can happen? Is Jack going to die? I keep thinking they are cleaning house, so they can start over. Maybe they'll make Chloe the next star of 24? Maybe not.

Lost: If they actually aired back to back new episodes maybe I might start caring. I will give them props for at least giving me a little something to think on with Australian chick finding out what happened to her during her abduction.

Sopranos: Wow! What a dump they took with the second episode. To start off with a death/dream sequence and then scrap it halfway through the episode? I imagine the conversation went like this:

Chase: Hey. How far along are you with the episode?
Writer: Um, I'm about 25 pages in. Why?
Chase: It seems we already did a crappy dream episode last season.
Writer: What?
Chase: It's been two years. I can't remember everything.
Writer: What am I supposed to do?
Chase: Just end the dream sequence now and have the family standing around crying and stuff for the rest of the episode. At least the actors can work on their crying.
Writer: Ok.
Chase: Oh! Oh! Oh! Throw in a terrorist subplot!
Writer: But we haven't set-up anything about terrorists.
Chase: Just introduce some new characters out of the blue. Think of the residuals you'll get when they show up the rest of the season.
Writer: Yeah! Hey. With all the crying do you think we can submit this to the Emmys?
Chase: I've already made room on my mantle.

Also, who's the guy that hung himself and why am I supposed to care?

Thief: I have pretty high hopes for this show that replaces the Shield on FX. It has a solid cast headed by acting stud Braugher. It looks slick. If Thief pans out, FX will be the best network on TV. If they can improve Nip/Tuck, or get a better replacement that will be a full year of quality television. Maybe these 12 episode seasons aren't so bad.

Invasion: Nearly having the same problem as Lost. It makes me think this scheduling is ABC trying to milk as much as they can out of these shows. They are screwing the fans over. New episodes of Invasion aren't going to air till May I think. May! Still, I can't wait to see what that crazy dead girl is going to give birth to.

Finally, I was flipping through the channels Saturday night, and suddenly had an 80's flashback. Saturday Night's Main Event was once again on NBC. What is up? Is NBC that desperate to fill their slots? They even went with the same old school logo. How could I not watch it? Oh the times I'd be so thrilled to have wrestling on NBC at night. It was almost like free pay-per-view matches. Almost. Of course, this is all a build up to Wrestlemania which is two weeks away. The matches were basically all stunt matches. I still got a kick out of Shawn Michaels back dropping Shane McMahon from the top of a ladder into a couple tables.

Snobfest 2005: Boob Tube

A little warning: There are some spoilers below. So, if you are still catching up on episodes you may want to wait.

“I Wasted an Hour a Week for this Crap?” Award: Nip/Tuck

"What Don't You Like About Yourself?" How about the fact that I kept watching this season of Nip/Tuck? You know when you’re dating someone where their potential keeps you in the relationship? There are small little moments that keep you around, but then they do something frustrating that completely undercuts those moments. I haven’t, but I’ve heard people mention such things. That has been my relationship with Nip/Tuck. It’s always been a guilty pleasure. With its ridiculous story lines, and lack of decency I had become addicted to the show. This was the season where we finally discover who “The Carver” is. The thing is everyone already guessed who it was by the first episode of the season. I clearly gave the creators too much credit by arguing that the person was simply too obvious, and nobody would be stupid enough to be that obvious. To make it worse the rest of the show was just as frustrating. Nip/Tuck has always been “on the nose” and wildly over the top. Usually the over the top nature and twists fit in with the characters, and it made for highly entertaining TV. This season everything outlandish story device undercut the whole show, and the characters. Julie’s mother dies in a plane crash causing her to come to terms with her relationship with her mother. The problem is the mother never got on the plane! Those clever writers. So everything that Julie experienced is now mute. Way to go Nip/Tuck. That’s part of the problem with the show now. They keep trying to throw you with some clever twist, but the twist usually negates what we as a viewer have experienced. Just keep with the outlandish stories that push the characters to make decisions, and stop trying to fool us. I wash my hands of this show.

“Wake Me When Something Happens” Award: Lost

Eventually the teasing begins to bore. That’s what has happened to Lost. The first few episodes were pretty good, well except for the “let’s sit on a raft for an hour” episode. Then they got to wandering the jungle for 40 days and 40 nights. Here’s my problem. We don’t need the new people. They don’t progress the story in any way that our original castaways couldn’t. Don’t introduce new characters simply because you’re afraid you’ll run out of stories for your original stories. I feel like this is when sitcoms add the “cute adopted kid” to spice things up.

"Better Than I Thunk." Award: Invasion

The one reason I began watching this show was Shaun Cassidy. Yes, the one from the Hardy Boys Mysteries. That’s not the reason, though. The 1995 TV series “American Gothic” was one of my favorite shows back then even though it didn’t last a full season. Based on that show, created by Shaun Cassidy, I took a chance with Invasion. I have been pleasantly surprised. Sure the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” premise has been bludgeoned to death, but keeping everything within a small Florida town was a smart move. The show has also been smart enough to give enough information to satisfy, but still leave us asking more questions. William Fichtner's Sheriff Tom Underlay is Cigarette Man creepy. When he had that fellow abductee chop off his newly grown arm to keep his abduction a secret...shivers.

“The Close the Blinds” Award: Beauty and the Geek

Screw it. I’ll fess up and admit that I really enjoyed this show even though there is no reason I should. Rather than go sensational with the beauties and make fun of the geeks, the show wisely just lets them go to see what happens in the competitions. You get your villains and heroes of both sexes and some actually seem to learn something. My one problem with the show is that they boot them out of the house too early. The competition almost doesn’t matter because watching the dynamic between these polar opposites is pretty entertaining.

“The Crossed Fingers” Award: Rescue Me

I’ve enjoyed this show so much that I have looked past its slight errors. Second season wasn’t quite as good as season one. There is constant feeling of doom on the show that has lead to predictablility. You always know that no matter how good things get that something worse is just around the corner. Usually these moments were countered with cynical sense of humor. They pushed the limits last season when Leary’s son was killed by a drunk driver. Suddenly, the bad thing wasn’t a result of their own negligence or faults. This made the efforts at lightening things up feeling forced and awkward. It’s a slight hiccup that put a damper in a solid season. I have my fingers crossed they can pick things up next season. For more on the show, read my previous post.

“Gone Too Soon” Award: Arrested Development

Once again the networks clearly have no idea what they are doing. AD gets canceled after winning an Emmy, but they keep other shows like Stacked that has gotten the same or worse ratings? Come on. If you haven’t experience the brilliance of AD, rent some DVD’s now.

“They Can’t Possibly Do Anything Else.”Award: 24

This is getting ridiculous. This is what happened is season 4. Terrorists kidnap the Secretary of Defense in order to distract from them causing nuclear power plants to melt down. They then shoot down Air Force One to steal nuclear launch codes of a warhead they stole. The warhead is launched, a Chinese Ambassador is killed, and Jack has to fake his death. Am I the only the one that hummed The Incredible Hulk end theme when Jack walked off into the sunset? Still I love the show, and am completely addicted. I have no clue what they have planned, but I’m certain it will be completely unbelievable. Lost and other serial television shows should take a cue from 24. They run their episodes non-stop. There are no reruns during the season. If this means I have to wait a little longer for Lost to start there season, that’s fine with me. I hate these hiatuses.

“Genius” Award: The Shield

Gritty, tough, compelling, and genius are all words that can describe the best show on TV right now. The fourth season of the Shield was all about rebuilding the Strike Team after deconstructing it in season three. Before the season began, I though the major coup was signing Glen Close on. I was wrong. Not that Close wasn’t outstanding. She was. Her struggle of needing Mackey to put her plan into action, but knowing he could also sink it was great to watch. The coup was having Anthony Anderson as the season’s bad guy. Who knew he could be this good? I mean it’s the guy from Kangaroo Jack! If he isn’t nominated for an Emmy it’s a shame. It’s one of those career changing performances that alters the way you view an actor. For him to be the most ruthless, smart, and evil bad guy from any season of the Shield is saying something. Then there is the rest of the stellar cast. Acevada’s turn from lackey Captain to asshole City Councilman was great. When he works with Anderson’s character to get what he wants, you see how far he’ll go to save his ass. Yes, they tend to write away peripheral characters with no explanation. It’s forgivable with the uncompromising and compelling television they turn out each season. Season five starts tomorrow night.

Ramblings

First off let’s touch on a “What the…?” moment. Nintendo finally showed their new controller for their next-gen system. You can read all about the demonstration here. I’m all for advancing design and trying something new, but this seems like it will be trouble in my opinion. Nintendo says it’s supposed to attract new gamers. Yeah, newbies aren’t going to be intimidated by that. Also, since it requires you waving the thing to control it, I could see some possible embarrassing situations um…arising?

Two games displayed at the Tokyo Game Show have gotten me a little giddy. One: Gears of War still looks like it might deliver what it promised. Two: A Ghouls & Ghosts game for the PSP. Ghouls & Ghosts! A Knight running around in tighty whities! Yeah! Hmm...strike that last sentence.

Speaking of video games, last Tuesday was Burnout Day. No it’s not on your calendars and has nothing to do with pot. Two Burnout games were released, one for the consoles, and another for the PSP. The PSP version is simply Burnout 1-3 combined. Burnout Revenge though is a whole new game. I’ve said it before but this is the greatest racing game out there. Even if you hate racing games, I promise you will get a kick out of this. There are two big changes from Burnout 3. First the tracks are not as linear as in the other versions. There are side streets and alleys you can cut through to make up time, along with ramps. Yes, I said ramps. This adds a new takedown (aerial) to the mix. I will say when you finally are able to drop down from above and crush and opponent it’s a wonderful feeling. I can’t recommend this game enough.

Also, Tuesday night was the Rescue Me season finale. Bobby made the comment that the show seems predictable when it comes to the story lines. It does pick up and twist things around after the first few episodes of season one. But, this season finale went where I thought it would, and left me a little disappointed. I think perhaps the bleakness of the show is hurt it in that you know the worse will happen. I still do love the show. Side note: They also played another track from Dulli’s album during the closing minutes of the show.

I know you are all sick of hearing me gush over the Twilight Singers and Afghan Whigs, but I just wanted to give a quick review of Dulli’s Amber Headlights album. So skip to the next paragraph for those uninterested. Hey Bob, thanks for staying around. The fact that this is a “work in progress” shows. It still has a handful of great songs. While the rest are still good, they could use a little more time in the studio. There are two things I noticed about the album. First of all it seems he is musically struggling between his Twilight Singers and his Afghan Whigs. First there are songs like “Pussy Willow” and “Wicked” that run along the lines of the Twilight Singers. Then there’s a song like “Black Swan” that sounds like a combo of Congregation and Black Love era Whigs. Secondly, the Alpha Male character that is prevalent in the Whigs records and this album (“The world is wicked/ I fit right in…” “I smell trouble, girl/that I aim to start…”) doesn’t really exist in Blackberry Belle. Dulli shelved these songs because they didn’t fit his fame of mind now. It makes me wonder if that persona will come back in following records. I do highly recommend the album for those Dulli fans out there. But for the newbies I still suggest Blackberry Belle by the Twilight Singers or 1965 by the Afghan Whigs. Top tracks: “So Tight,” “Cigarettes,” and “Wicked”

I’ve officially become to the end of my rope when it comes to rubbernecks on the road. Everyone bitches and moans about traffic, but they still have to slow down whenever there’s a car on the side of the road. I would almost let them slide when it comes to a big accident, but they’ve had a mile of stopping to see the accident. Move on you sick voyeuristic pricks. If there was a way to give tickets to rubbernecks, I’d be all for it. I can’t tell how frustrated I get after sitting in traffic to realize it’s all because people were slowing down to see a cop give someone a ticket. Also, don’t give me dirty looks when I honk my horn at you. You know you were looking to see something gruesome you sickos. Stop making things worse by trying to get a peek.

If the Cubs played only the Cardinals and the NL West, they would be unbeatable. They can be the only team with a winning record against St. Louis, but they can’t beat the Reds.

I’ve had somewhat high hopes for the new TV season. There are a few shows that I thought might have held some promise. If things go the way of “Threshold” we might be in trouble. That show belongs on the Sci-Fi channel, not national TV. This is what happens when you get an unexpected hit like “Lost.” I’ll be surprised if a single one of these supernatural or sci-fish shows survive the whole season.

I now want to get married. So that when we mention our attempts to bear offspring, I can use the phrase, “We’ve pulled the goalie.” Thank you, Bill Simmons and Bassel.

I watched the first episode of Survivor and was easily bored. The Amazing Race has easily eclipsed this show. There was one nice quote by some girl after her team won the first challenge. “This was the most difficult challenge, yet.” Uh, it’s been the only challenge so far moron, unless you consider making a fool of yourself enough to get on the show. Though, I’m guessing it wasn’t that challenging.

When I was up in Seattle, I bought a sweater at the Gap. Apparently when you spend over $50 you get a free CD of artists performing remakes of their favorite songs. I tried telling the cashier I didn’t want it, but she wouldn’t take “No thank you,” for an answer. So I’m now stuck with the CD. If you want it, let me know. I have no need for an album with that Mraz chump singing “One Love,” or Michelle Branch butchering “Life on Mars.” There was one thing that threw me for a loop when I read the track list.

Joss Stone “God Only Knows” (Beach Boys)
John Legend “Hello It’s Me” (Isley Brothers)
Michelle Williams “Let’s Stay Together” (Al Green)
Jason Mraz “One Love” (Bob Marley)
Keith Urban “Most People I Know Think I’m Crazy” (Billy Thorpe)
Brandon Boyd “Alison” (Elvis Costello)
Michelle Branch “Life On Mars” (David Bowie)

Those all made sense to me in some regard. Mraz needs to slip back into the shadows of coffee shops everywhere. Please! Bowie should have put an end to Branch every thinking to touch "Life on Mars." They are though all great to classic songs. Then there's the following:

Alanis Morissette “Crazy” (Seal)

Ms. Morissette’s choice is a Seal song? No knock against Seal, but Crazy doesn’t really rank up with those others. Ok Alanis, you keep on hoping that acoustic reinterpretation of Jagged Little Pill will revive your career. Meanwhile, I have this fork. Where do you want me to stick it?

I apologize for the last two “me” heavy posts, but I bought a scanner, and have been going a little nuts with it.

What You Should Be Watching: Rescue Me

Since MOL Jr. asked for it here's a synopsis of the great show "Rescue Me." I've been little hesitant that I won't be able to do the show justice, but here we go anyway. Also, for you Tivo people, who wait five months to watch episodes, there are some spoilers in here. Yes, I'm talking to you Brian.

The show is created by Denis Leary and Peter Tolan. Both were responsible for the short lived but excellent comedy "The Job." It recently was released on DVD and I seriously recommend picking that bad boy up. The same sense of humor carries over to this show. Leary plays Tommy Gavin the hot shot fireman of Ladder 62 in NYC. He is a great firefighter who is admired by his fellow fireman. The problem is that as good as he is at being a firefighter he's just as bad at being a father and husband.

Season One, began with Tommy separated from his wife. Even though he's saved numerous lives, he's haunted by those that he couldn't save. He's also haunted by best friend and cousin who died in 9/11. Firefighters still dealing with the impact of 9/11 is an underlying theme that runs through the series from the loss of family, brothers, and fellow firefighters to their taking advantage of the public adoration to them dealing with the money being made off the tragedy. Season one is basically these "heroes" falling. Tommy Gavin uses alcohol, prescription drugs, and sex to hide from and avoid his fears and troubles. In the end of the season he's left with his ex-wife running off with the kids. He's transferred out of Ladder 62 after nearly getting his friend killed in a fire. And he gets his cousin's widow pregnant. Tommy doesn't just ruin his life, but all those who he comes in contact with. Can you blame the wife for running? Now all this seems very soap operaish and to an extent it is. But it is all done with great dialogue and spot on performances. All the drama is well balanced with humor. Often the two come together in the same scene.

Season two has Tommy Gavin seeking redemption. He tries to get his kids back. He works his way back into Ladder 62. He joins AA. But because Tommy is Tommy he doesn't always do it the right way. He kidnaps his kids. He connives his way back into Ladder 62. The only reason he's in AA is because he'll lose his job if he doesn't. Recently, even he and his ex-wife have gotten back together. Of course it's not out true love, but because she's on happy pills, and he's been bogarting them when she's not looking. Things have been going well but you get the sense that it will crumble. Even though he's trying to deal with the problems, the temporary solutions are only masking the real trouble in Tommy.

It's not all about Tommy though. Each of the firemen at Ladder 62 have their troubles and laughs. There's Kenny the awful poetry writing veteran firefighter who left his wife for another woman. The other woman though was only seeing him because she has a fetish for unavailable men. Secondly, there's Franco the womanizing firefighter who now has a daughter to take care of. His womanizing also comes back to haunt him when he falls in love with Laura. Laura is the new transfer. She struggles with not only being the new guy but the new girl. Mike is the probationary firefighter. He's a naive kid who is hazed by the other firefighters, but tries to hold on to his heart of gold. Sean is the moron that walks through life with quite a dim light bulb. Finally, there is Chief Reilly. While trying to keep Ladder 62 together, he must also watch after his wife with Alzheimer's. His wife's illness also forces him into a confrontation with his gay son. Rounding things out is Tommy's cousin's wife. Tommy has become the replacement for her dead husband. She's gone off the deep end now that she has lost her baby, and now Tommy wants nothing to do with her.

It should also be noted the Catholic theology that is in the show. When things turn bad, Tommy often goes to church to find answers. He often though doesn't find them. Season one, he lit votive candles to temporarily deal with the ghosts that haunt him. In season two, Jesus literally comes down from the cross to give Tommy guidance. Not that he listens. Season two has flushed out even more of the struggles Tommy has with faith.

I realize I've made this show seem like a constant down note, but it really isn't. This show is also very funny. It is simply a well written show that examines the human struggles and laughs that these heroes live through. Denis Leary has friends and family that are firefighters and the show seems to get it right. Season one came out recently on DVD, so I really suggest starting with those. If you are someone who doesn't mind catching up later, then dive on in. There are four eps left to this season. I'm pretty sure this is when the shit is going to hit the fan.

Leary Hearts Dulli

"Rescue Me" did it again last night. The end credits of last night's ep. showcased the song "Pussywillow" from the upcoming album Amber Headlights. That's two Dulli songs on the show in one month's time. They have been friends since working together on Ted Demme's "Monument Ave." I love my "Shield," but I think this show may have surpassed it. It's difficult balancing humour with drama the way this show does. It's simply outstanding.

Ramblings

I previously admitted that I wanted to see the Dukes of Hazzard movie. Last night I was looking forward to it, this morning not so much. So what happened between when I went to bed and woke up? For those of you who are thinking I had brief moment of sanity, perhaps it was that. Perhaps it was a fear that all the cool jumps were already in the trailer. Most likely I finally realized I would better support the industry by paying to see Broken Flowers than the Duke Boys.
VS

It’s really not that tough of a call.

On the lot where we film there is a commissary, or as we like to call it commiscary. They recently added a café called “Sauce.” Clearly someone should be fired over what could be the dumbest name ever.

Every Tuesday night at 10:58pm I thank FX for “Rescue Me.” The fact that this season begins right after the Shield season is over, so makes up for these 13 ep seasons. You should absolutely be watching this show.

Being a fan of the video games, this summer has been absolutely horrible. I have not bought a single game during that time. Of course, from now till the end of the year they flood the market. Four “I Will Buy The Day They Come Out” locks:

Burnout Revenge
We Love Katamari
SOCOM 3 U.S. Navy SEALs
Prince of Persia 3

There are a few other “maybes” like Darkwatch. I won’t even begin with the introduction of the Xbox 360 later in the year.

There is no reason Oklahoma should be ranked above Virginia Tech, Ohio State, or even Iowa. And considering Texas always loses to the Sooners, why should they ever be ranked above Oklahoma? The Big 12 is not what it once was. This is another example of why preseason rankings are crap.

Today, that team that plays ball on the Northside of Chicago get back three players today: Nomar, Wood, and Williamson. I actually think Williamson will be the more important player if they get back into the Wild Card Race. But they won’t. I offer you up three examples of why they won’t:

1. Tuesday night, Jeromy Burnitz was picked off first on a ball that got by the catcher. It’s a dumb move, but what makes it worse is that THE BASES WERE LOADED!

2. Wednesday, their pitchers forgot to cover first base on three ground balls. THREE!

3. Then, with the score tied in the ninth, Barrett the catcher had a pitch roll away from him. The Phills' Jimmy Rollins, who was on third, came down the line. The smart thing would’ve been for Barrett to run at Rollins, who was trapped. Instead, Barrett threw wide of third, and Rollins scored the winning run standing up.

Damn it feels good to be a Cubs fan.

Things I’m “loving on” right now:

1. Purell Hand Sanitzer-because the flu has shown up in the office early this year.

2. Calling the perfect PA play in NCAA Football 2006 so your tight end is wide open down the side lines.

3. Opening the mail box and seeing those Netflix envelopes.

4. That one hour every Friday on the Dan Patrick Show when he’s joined by Keith Olbermann.

5. MLB Baseball on XM radio.

That which is “wheels off:”

1. Those who come in sick with the flu.

2. Watching your Tight End drop the pass after you called the perfect play.

3. The decline of the youth of the World made evident while playing Halo 2 online.

4. For reasons unknown I have a subscription to Entreprenuer Magazine. Since, I haven’t had a drink in four years, I can’t blame it on that.

5. Nobody seems to remember the Truffle Shuffle.

Don't Forget the Alcohol!

You know that thrill you get when a song from one of your favorite bands is showcased on one of your favorite TV shows? To make it even cooler they don't use a single, they use a remix from an artists EP. That happened last night when the remix of "Rebirth of Cool" by the Afghan Whigs was used in last night's episode of "Rescue Me". The song comes from a covers EP titled Uptown Avondale. I don't know what the thrill is when something like this happens. Maybe it's an (unneeded) confirmation of cool of your favorite band. Perhaps it's just seeing two favorites of their respective media forms seamlessly blended together. It's probably just because it was an unexpected surprise. I've said enough already in this blog about Dulli's greatness, so let me throw in a little about Rescue Me. If you haven't seen the show, you absolutely should. It's easily one of the best shows out there right now. It's quite a feat when you can create such a despicable character in Tommy, yet have the audience still sympathize with him. Outstanding and very funny show.