The Woolgatherer VOUCHES FOR...

5. Avril Lavigne's new single "What the Hell"

Ms. Lavigne's transformation from 'punk-lite princess' with 2002's Let Go into 'depressed doll' with 2004's Under My Skin and, finally(?), into 'in-on-the-joke ingenue' with 2007's The Best Damn Thing has been, at times, clumsy. However, I'm a sucker for an addictive hook and "What the Hell" is loaded with them. Lavigne's latest album - Goodbye, Lullaby - will be available on March 8th.

4. Lupe Fiasco's "The Show Goes On"

Lupe Fiasco's third album - Lasers - also drops on March 8th, and this is the lead single. Fiasco deserves to be a bigger star and this track, with a crackerjack sample of Modest Mouse's "Float On," may be the one that finally catapults him into the Top 40 stratosphere. Along with catchy hooks, I'm also a huge sucker for songs that sound...well...epic, and with a title like "The Show Goes On," Fiasco is aiming pretty high.

3. Emma Donoghue's novel Room

This is hands-down, no questions asked, undoubtedly the best novel of 2010. The narrator of this haunting and unforgettable tale is a 5-year-old boy named Jack. He and his Ma live in an 11 x 11 'room' and it is the only world Jack has ever known. That's all I'd really like to reveal about the novel. My advice: read it in one sitting and don't forget to take a breath once in a while.

2. Season 3 of SouthLAnd on TNT

Every Tuesday night at 10/9c this gritty and fearless series with the best ensemble cast on television puts every other 'cop show' to shame and reaffirms that TNT really does know drama. Regina King deserves an Emmy for her portrayal of Detective Lydia Adams and Kevin Alejandro, as Detective Nate Moretta, is the sexiest thing alive.

1. The Social Network on DVD and Blu-ray




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Want You To Make Me Feel Like I'm The Only Blog In The World

Hey everybody! First and foremost, I would like to take this time to apologize for my utter lack of commitment to updating this blog on a regular basis. The last few months have been considerably more hectic and crazy than I anticipated but, I assure you, I have not lost my insatiable appetite for all things pop-culture and entertainment.

Which brings me to my next order of business...

I have made a creative decision to restructure the way in which 'The Woolgatherer' presents to all of you the bits and pieces of entertainment that I deem worthy of your money and/or time and/or consideration. I'm hopeful that this new approach will 1. allow me the opportunity to update more often, 2. enable me to express more clearly why I think you should seek out the dojiggers of amusement that I suggest, and, most importantly, 3. embolden you to take a more active part in this holy sacrament we call social media. (Thank you, Mr. Zuckerberg!)

So, without any further ado, I present to you the brand new 'The Woolgatherer'...

THE WOOLGATHERER

VOUCHES FOR...

Every week I will vouch for 5 things to watch, listen to, or leaf through. Straightforward, simple, and savvy. These will be things that I can't seem to get enough of. Videos I watch over and over again... Songs I keep on endless replay loop... Books that I read late into the night and cannot for the life of me put down... You get the gist. They will be listed in no particular order, I will include links whenever and wherever possible to help you access these tasty lil' nuggets, and I will offer some insightful commentary as to why they have burrowed into my skull like unyielding mole crickets. Those are pretty much the only restrictions I'm putting on this new wrinkle.

Now, for those of you who are fans of my long-form explorations of movies, television shows, albums, and novels, don't you fret. I haven't tossed out the probability of me being just so altogether perfectly enraptured by some wholly wonderful piece of entertainment that I feel the need down to my core to expose to the nth degree my outright obsession with it (i.e., The Perks of Being a Wallflower)

And, finally, I hope all of you will grow to appreciate, enjoy, and depend upon THE WOOLGATHERER VOUCHES FOR... and will recommend it to every single person you have ever known. That'd be so damn sweet of you all.

Stay tuned!

Recommendations for Independence Weekend

Fourth of July plans come as varied and as zestful as Lady Gaga's outfits. There is no concretely distinct way to celebrate our nation's Independence Day. Of course, there are certain traditions that are typically included in the fanfare of the holiday: fireworks displays, bonfires, barbecues with scads of booze and food and friends. Also, because we are officially about two weeks into the culture-centric summer season, Hollywood is beginning to roll out its big fish, its heavy-hitters, its surest bets, its...its...creme de la creme (I'm hungry while I'm writing this, btw). Thus, I have spent the last couple of weeks assailing my eyes and ears with a jimmy-crack-corn-crapload of entertainment in an effort to sift through the avalanche of movies, music, books, and television shows being churned out and to reveal the true gems to all of you: my loving and adoring followers.

In any event, below is my Independence Weekend Guide to the new (and some older) entertainment sweetmeats that deserve your valuable and, I'm sure, scrupulous attention over this momentous holiday weekend. Outdoor festivities with family and friends certainly take precedent over the proffer of you secluding yourself in your house and devouring all of the enchanting morsels that I'm dropping off of my passionate pop-culture plate (although that would be extremely flattering). Yet, I hope that at least maybe a few of these suggestions will somehow wiggle themselves into your busy holiday schedules and will either reinstate or, perhaps, solidify some of your faith in the same industry that has, so far this season, given us the letdown of Iron Man 2, the misfire of Christina Aguilera's Bionic, and another brain-bleaching season of Wipeout on ABC. Enjoy!

MOVIES

Toy Story 3 - The third and final installment in (yes, you can quote me) the best trilogy ever to come out of Tinseltown is still in theaters. See it in Disney Digital 3-D if you can. TS3 manages to maintain all of the wonderment and pure joy established by the previous two chapters and ends on a picture-perfect note, which is a very rare feat for franchises. This Disney/Pixar masterstroke is on its way to being the highest-grossing film of the summer and is already an instant classic.

Shutter Island (DVD) - I know, I know, I know...I will admit that I was also slightly disappointed by this latest Scorsese/DiCaprio collaboration when I first saw it back in February. I agreed with most of the shortcomings pointed out and picked apart by the cavalry of film critics. However, I believe that Scorsese's hat tip to old school, Hitchcockian, psychological thrillers is a significantly stronger film on second and third viewings. When you already know how it's all going to end, you are more able to recognize the nuances of the major performances and appreciate Scorsese's still-unmatched creative eye and ear. Trust me.

The Cove (DVD) - This is the 2010 Oscar winner for Best Documentary. I don't want to go into too much detail about what this film is about because I have a feeling that the subject matter would deter a good number of you from actually going out, picking this up, and spending the 92 minutes watching it, especially during a weekend when we all should be kicking back, cracking open a bottle of our favorite beer, and celebrating. I will say that it is directed by the brilliant National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, it involves bottlenose dolphins and fishermen, and that it is unlike any other activist documentary you have ever seen. It is shocking and devastating and necessary to watch.

BOOKS

Portrait of an Addict as a Young Man: A Memoir by Bill Clegg - It only took me four days to plow through these 240 pages. That will give you Friday, July 2nd - Monday, July 5th to finish it. Peeeeeeeerfect. First off, let me confess, I am a big fan of memoirs. Dry by Augusten Burroughs, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin are personal faves. So, for me to say that I could not put this memoir down is a considerable endorsement. Clegg lost 40lbs., his partnership at a literary agency in New York City, a great boyfriend, and $70,000 in two weeks. How and why? Crack. Whitney should pick this one up too!

One Day by David Nicholls - I am an utterly hopeless romantic. Truth. I can be brought to tears by the simplest line in a book, or the quietest exchange between two characters in a movie, or the softest lyric in a song. Truth. I, as a twentysomething, still believe that love is everything and I believe in all of its magic and power and blahblahblah. Truth. Last summer, I read a great novel about love called, Beginner's Greek. Truth. Nicholls's One Day is even frickin' better. Truth x 2. Go. Get. It. Now.

TELEVISION

Over the holiday weekend, if I wasn't going away with some friends to an island, and if I wasn't married to my TiVo (I live in Connecticut, so it's totally cool), and if I needed to take a break from the heat outside and wanted to just chill in my favorite chair then I would be catching up on these shows: So You Think You Can Dance on FOX, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist on BRAVO, and True Blood on HBO. However, if you'd rather just start fresh with some new shows that you can follow for the next several weeks (cough) you'd be an idiot (cough) but you could start with Louie on FX on June 29th or Real World: New Orleans on MTV on June 30th or Big Brother 12 on CBS on July 8th.

MUSIC

Maroon 5's "Misery" - Maroon 5 are in the studio putting the finishing touches on their third album, Hands All Over, and this is their lead single off the Mutt Lange produced album. "Misery" sounds a lot like the band's biggest hit, "This Love," and is a great, easy rock song for the guys to blast in your car while you're driving home from work on Friday and are getting ready for your fun n' booze filled 4th of July weekend.

CHOICE LYRIC: "Your salty skin and how / It mixes in with mine / The way it feels to be / Completely intertwined"

Jessie James's "Boys in the Summer" - As for the ladies and ab fab guys like myself, we have Jessie "I Look So Good Without You" James's new single, which has dropped just in time for the big weekend. This one is a classic breezy summer jam in the same vein as Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" but with not as much 80's Velveeta cheese poured all over it. I'm shamelessly digging this track more and more and more. I was at a bar recently and it was just before sundown and I was on the outdoor deck drinking a Mmmmojito and this song came on and...well...it was just a perfect symbiotic moment of utter ebullience. 'Nuff said.

CHOICE LYRIC: "Summer only lasts so long / And there’s nothing wrong with having some fun yeah / No need to apologize / Just close your eyes and kiss on me tonight"

Travie McCoy's "Need You" - This track off of McCoy's excellent first solo album, Lazarus, manages to be upbeat and hooky-as-all-hell but carries a much deeper and more forlorn message within its lyrics than the above singles. As a matter of fact, "Need You" hasn't even been confirmed as a potential single of off Lazarus but I'm holding out some hope. I think it's the strongest track on the album lyric-wise and musically. One can assume that the song was at least inspired by McCoy's break-up with Katy Perry, and I, for one, believe that that poignancy adds to the catchy inventiveness of the track.

CHOICE LYRIC: "Call up the locksmith / Tell him we need him quick / We’ve got a million keys /None of them seem to fit/ While you’re on the phone / Call up the clocksmith / Cuz I could use some time / Even the slightest bit"

Well, well, well. There you have it, kids. I hope that I have provided each and every one of you with at least something that you can enjoy over your Independence Weekend. If not? Oh well. There's some good sh*t up there and you should just listen to me, Your Arbiter of All Things Entertainment. MuahahaHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!

P.S. The third season of Everwood (aka The Best Television Series To Ever Grace Your Sets) becomes available on DVD on June 29th. You have absolutely no idea how lucky you are all about to be. Seasons 1 and 2 are already available, obviously.

The Future of Family Television is...GLEE? Yep.

Last May, America anointed Arkansas's Kris Allen its new Idol and Glee made its debut on national television. A year later, America has a new Idol in Illinois's Lee Dewyze (I was on Team Bowersox, btw) and Glee has become a cultural phenomenon.

These events are inextricably linked together for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that in one short year, the once indomitable American Idol has seen its ratings and clout over water-cooler chatter falter while the show about a ragtag club of show choir misfits has single-handedly redrawn the schematic for family television.

Let us take a moment to remember the TV world as it was on Tuesday, May 19, 2009:

• The final showdown between Kris Allen and Adam Lambert was the pinnacle of appointment family television for most of our country.
• The producers of AI, the devoted viewers, and many of those in the media had turned this title match into an almost good vs. evil spectacle for families sitting around their HD television sets to behold. With Allen as the all-American, clean-cut, worship leader from the South and Lambert as the androgynous, is-he-or-isn't-he-gay, glam rocker from the West Coast, our country was pop-culturally divided.
• The 8th season of AI was one of the show's most buzzed-about, and the execs at FOX Broadcasting Company made the decision to air this funny little show about queer-ish high-schoolers who like to sing immediately after the AI performance finale.

Twenty-four hours later, the good ol' boy was crowned the winner of television's Grandest Karaoke Contest and these three magical minutes were quickly on their way to becoming iconic. Since that night, one year ago, American Idol has had its most lackluster season and lost its true star in Simon Cowell, and Glee, the little show that could, has become the touchstone of must-see family TV.

I've anticipated a few of the questions you may or may not be asking yourself at this point. "Why should I care about this silly gay show?" or "How the hell can he call Glee family television?" or "Why is any of this significant?" or "How does someone eat a whole KFC Double Down and not submit to fits of violent regurgitation?" Okay, so maybe that last question is one that I've been asking myself ever since I shit my Dockers upon learning that 10 million (10,000,000!!!!!) of those have been sold but I digress.

The reason I think you should care about Glee is a pretty simple one. The creators, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, have crafted and continue to execute the perfect balance between realistic and fantastical, and they have set their show in a world all of us have experienced: high school. Whether you look upon your high school years with glowing appreciation or stomach-turning disparagement probably depends on who you were in high school. However, the showrunners do a stellar job of giving equal representation to both sides of the hallway and writing our beloved characters as realistic, three-dimensional people. Does this mean that Glee is as true to life as something like HBO's critically-adored The Wire? Hell no. It's not even as authentic as FOX's Malcolm in the Middle for chrissake, but Finn, Rachel, Kurt, Puck, Mercedes, Artie, Tina, Quinn, Santana, Brittany, Matt and Mike have become near and dear to our hearts over the course of twenty-two episodes. We care about these kids and we celebrate, laugh and sing along to their triumphs and we clench our jaws and allow our hearts to ache over their disappointments and blunders week after week.

I believe down to the core of my being that Glee has turned family television on its head and has paved a new path for the long-standing genre. Usually when people think of old-school family TV, they think of Leave It to Beaver or The Brady Bunch or, more recently, something like 7th Heaven. But these were only considered family-oriented television shows simply because they were about...well...families. Beyond that point, however, I don't accept that these shows did a respectable job of honestly establishing and fleshing out real issues concerning the people that comprise families. Honestly is the key word here. In our first season of Glee alone, Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennan have more genuinely and convincingly addressed issues like marital troubles, mental and physical handicaps, teen pregnancy, coming out, social identity, first loves and breakups, losing your virginity, death of a parent, depression, and so many more. THIS IS SEASON ONE FOLKS! And the mere fact that these matters of contention are expressed through exceptionally arranged and choreographed musical numbers is just like whipped cream on top of a perfectly made ice cream sundae. Murphy is personally responsible for selecting all of the songs used and Zach Woodlee does all of the choreography. It says a lot about the show that I call the future of family television when the credits that roll at the end of every episode also read like a family. Each episode is a labor of love for the crew and cast involved and it's evident in every frame.

Now, I've had a lot of people tell me that they can't stand show tunes, or that they don't find the acid-tongued Cheerios coach Sue Sylvester funny (you're a mental defective if you don't, btw), or that they can't stand the preaching of the New Directions's coach Will Schuester (you're not alone if you can't, btw), or that they find the show too [enter any offensive and imbecilic adjective here].

Too campy? "Of course! It's called frickin' Glee."

Too gay? "Really? Are you that insecure?"

Too musical-y? "Shut up. You're dumb and boring."

Granted, we all have our own tastes and zest when it comes to the sources of entertainment that we choose to immerse ourselves in, but it doesn't take too much gumption to acknowledge how Glee is slowly but assuredly reapportioning the boundaries of family-oriented network television while also making impact on iTunes. This is a show that cleverly resurrects songs that can be found on any Best of the 80s! CD, reignites and solidifies fixations with past (Madonna) and present (Lady Gaga) pop-icons, and expertly handles the struggles real Americans are going through in these unsure, chaotic times. FOX has already greenlit two more seasons, the cast is currently on tour across the country, and the show has been given the coveted post-Super Bowl spot next February. You see, Glee no longer needs the help of American Idol to reel in its audience, and American Idol no longer provides the sole platform for mischievous, glittered, genre-bending performers (Adam Lambert & "Mad World" meet Kurt Hummel & "Bad Romance" HA!). In other words, the show is not going away. My advice to those of you who have not yet caught on would be to catch up on the first season this summer on Hulu. The thing is, we Gleeks are here to stay and we don't stop believin'!

P.S.: America, stop eating those motherforsaken Double Downs. Thank you.

Early Frontrunners for Song of the Summer

It's almost that time of year again...

We can all sort of feel it when we only have to throw on maybe a hoodie before we walk outside. And every once in a while we can smell and almost taste it when a neighbor down the road decides to cook his first hotdogs and hamburgers out on the grill. And we can just barely see it when we decide to throw on that cool pair of Ray-Bans (or Panama Jacks if you're on the Wal-Mart budget) before we walk to class or drive to work. But we can definitely hear it on the radio or Pandora or iTunes: SUMMER.

Yes. That august time of year that means no school, beach days, sunburns, cookouts, just-for-fun flings, and, most importantly, out-of-this-world music that becomes the soundtrack of our lives from May until September. Visions of every summer (as far back as I can remember, at least) can be conjured up in my mind with the melodies and lyrics of some iconic songs:

D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince's "Summertime," TLC's "Waterfalls," Lisa Loeb's "Stay (I Missed You)," Santana feat. Rob Thomas's "Smooth," Nelly's "Hot in Herre," Beyonce's "Crazy in Love," Usher's "Yeah!," Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," The Pussycat Dolls' "Buttons," and my personal faves, Rihanna's "Umbrella," Chris Brown's "Forever," and, of course, Miley Cyrus's "Party in the U.S.A." Whether we can hear these songs now and A) joyfully bask in their syrupy, pop-confection gloriousness or B) feel the need to stick rocks in our ears and dry heave like we've been drinking and smoking pot on an empty stomach all day is up to us and our musical tastes. However, no matter what reactions spill forth out of us, we cannot diminish the fortitude of these season-defining tunes.

EXHIBIT A:

"Summertime girls got it going on

Shake and wiggle to a hip-hop song

Summertime girls are the kind I like

I'll steal your honey like I stole your bike"

I think we can all agree that we, as a nation, want nothing more than to forget LFO and "Summer Girls" and these lyrics, yet we simply cannot. Thus, the staying power of the summer song.

Now, as for SUMMER 2010, I have compiled a comprehensive list of songs that I predict will all be vying for the official Summer Song Crown. This title is given to the song that will still be blasting out of the speakers of some random gay club or NAVY-approved strip joint in September. Just when we're all ready to close up the coolers, put away the flip-flops, throw away the half-used bottles of sunblock, and stop drunk-texting that boy or girl from...um...I think...well...we can't remember where they're from, but anyway, you get my point. You may be asking yourself, "Why should I trust Ryan and his 'Summer Girls' quoting ass?" And I can respect that. But at this moment, with my hand over my pop music loving heart, I will promise you this:

Over the next four months, these songs will creep out of your car radio, or slink out of your friend's iPod, or glide out of your favorite bar's jukebox, or wriggle out of your fling's laptop and will have you noddin' your head and tappin' your foot and shakin' your booty. Enjoy!

POP

Selena Gomez's "Naturally"

Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg's "California Gurls"

Ke$ha's "Your Love Is My Drug"

Justin Bieber featuring Usher's "Somebody To Love"

Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber's "Eenie Meenie"

HIP-HOP/R&B

B.o.B.'s "Airplanes"

Drake featuring The-Dream's "Shut It Down"

Taio Cruz's "Dynamite"

ROCK

Nickelback's "This Afternoon"

The Summer Set's "Chelsea"

DANCE/CLUB

Robyn's "Dancing On My Own"

Lady GaGa's "Alejandro"

Christian TV's "When She Turns 18"

Timbaland featuring JoJo's "Lose Control"

La Roux's "Bulletproof"

Kat Deluna featuring Akon's "Push Push"

And, of course, we all need a good song to just chill out to after the that humid summer day when we're surrounded by some of our favorite people and the sunset seems to last especially long and we begin that countdown of how many days left before...

Lissie's "Everywhere I Go"

Spike Jonze's I'M HERE - A LOVE STORY

The first time I saw Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, I knew that I had experienced something special and extraordinary. A flawlessly executed peek into the confusing, emotional, and sometimes devastating world of a 9-year-old boy captured by a 30-year-old artist/filmmaker who never lost his vivid imagination. With I'm Here - A Love Story, Jonze has traded in the theme of "bewildering childhood" for "confusing first love." And he has managed once again to create something singular and revelatory.

The scientific formula for I'm Here could be represented as: (500) Days of Summer + Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree ÷ I, Robot. Andrew Garfield and Sienna Guillory play robots living "ordinary" lives in Los Angeles until a chance encounter brings them together and they experience the rushes of creativity, fantasy, sacrifice, and, after all, love. Basic? Yes. Obvious? Not even for a second.

Some may pass off I'm Here as contrived or disingenuous because of the short-film's style. However, to be blunt, I would call those people cynics. Jonze has created immediately identifiable protagonists and a coy yet assured vision of love. In 30 too-short minutes, I was reminded that love truly is everything it is made out to be - the beautiful and the tragic - and is worth risking all you have for. There is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the film when, at a party, our two robo-mantic leads catch sight of one another from separate ends of a room. Smoothly, they lock eyes, remain in their spots, and simply bask in that moment when the world goes fuzzy all around you, if only for a split second, and you know wholly that you are not alone. That you belong to someone who gets you and wants you unchanged. That kind of love shares the same qualities as this kind of film: strange and wonderful.

Mission Statement

This blog will be a stomping ground of the people, places, events, experiences, movies, books, images, recordings, and television shows that have engaged and beguiled me. I am someone who is inspired and driven by creative invention and by people who are as true as the needle to the north. My hope is that this simple yet straightforward blog will shine a light on those persons and things that have the brilliance to give us all pause and unite us even if for a short flicker of a moment. A lofty ambition? Yes. But also one hell of an adventure.