The 20th Anniversary of... 1991?

There's nothing like seeing some of the most iconic music of your youth turn twenty to remind you of just how fast you're getting older. If you weren't paying attention this week, you might have missed a story that Facebook was allegedly removing pictures of the quintessential grunge album, "Nevermind", by Nirvana for violating its terms of service. The album, which features a naked baby boy on the cover, will be hitting the big 2-0 in September. "Nevermind" was easily one of the most important albums of the early 1990s, helping to launch the grunge movement into the mainstream, and helping to establish a new golden age of rock that would be seen throughout much of that decade.



Nirvana's breakout second album isn't the only big musical anniversary happening this year. In a few weeks Pearl Jam will be celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a three-night stand at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Pearl Jam will also be the subject of a Cameron Crowe documentary entitled "PJ 20" being shown in select cities on September 23rd. The trailer is available at pj20.com, and features never-before seen footage exploring the band's twenty year history. As a longtime fan, I can't wait to see this, and am looking forward to reading the accompanying book as well.

Also celebrating their twentieth anniversary, is my personal favorite, the Dave Matthews Band. Although arguably founded in late 1990, DMB began performing live in 1991, gradually building a grass roots fan base locally in Virginia, then in East Coast college towns, then nationwide until their first independent album and major label studio releases would be released a few years later. DMB is celebrating twenty years of relentless touring, by interrupting their first ever down year with four three-night multi-band festivals, colorfully known as the Dave Matthews Band Caravan. DMB has changed a little in the last few years, with a much heavier rock sound, and a somewhat revised lineup, but the essence of the band's shows remain the same.


On a side note, just for fun, I thought it might be interesting to take a quick look at some of the other events that happened in 1991:

- Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won their first of six NBA championships in the decade. The Minnesota Twins (MLB) and New York Giants (NFL) were also World Champions that year.

- "Silence of the Lambs" won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Writing

- "Terminator 2: Judgement Day", arguably one of the greatest action sci-fi films ever was released. Twenty years later the franchise has produced two additional sequels, with a third on the way, and a TV series that ran two seasons.

- Kentucky Fried Chicken officially changed its name to KFC.

- The Soviet Union fell, and Boris Yeltsin became President of Russia. The arguable end to the Cold War came with the dissolving of the Warsaw Pact.

- The World Wide Web project was announced by Tim Berners-Lee.

- Super Nintendo was released.

- Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton decided to run for the Democratic nomination.

- Magic Johnson announced that he had HIV.

- Sonic the Hedgehog was released giving Mario a legitimate rival in the mascot world.

- Roseanne, Murphy Brown, Cheers, Home Improvement, Full House, Murder She Wrote, Major Dad, and Coach, were all in the top ten most popular TV shows.

Comic-Con 2011: LOST Deleted Scene: Time to Laugh or Too Soon?

COMIC-CON 2011:

LOST Deleted Scenes:
Time to Laugh or Too Soon?

By Tom Ruff
July 28, 2011

If there is anyone out there who still remembers a little show called LOST, that ended with one of the most controversial endings ever last year, this past weekend the creators of the show brought a never before seen "deleted scene" to Comic-Con. This "deleted scene" was actually a tongue-in-cheek clip compiled of footage from the season one finale, and new footage shot with Mark Pellegrino and Titus Welliver (Jacob and "The Man In Black"). In the clip, Locke and Jack are debating the idea of destiny as the prepare to enter what would become the Swan hatch for the first time, as Jacob and MiB watch from the bushes and discuss what the Lostaways will encounter throughout the remainder of the series, including the button, time travel, the candidates, the death of Locke, the light of the island, and that "cork metaphor".

I recently watched the entire series again in its entirety, and while I may be in the minority I still stand by it as one of the best TV series ever. I also stand by my great appreciation for the show's finale. They tied up the story lines of the series' characters, and they left you with some questions to discuss afterwards. At the end of the day what always made LOST so great for me was the discussion about the mystery that viewers could have with each other. Answers were nice when they came, but nobody was ever going to be happy, and trying to figure out what it all meant made the show much more interesting then actually finding out. I liked the fact that answers always led to more questions, and I liked trying to decipher what it all meant, even if 9 out of 10 times I was wrong. It doesn't matter to me if they had a plan all along, or made it up from season to season, because it doesn't change the way I enjoyed the show. At the end of the day the best fiction to me is that which makes you think, and LOST always made you think.

If you weren't happy with the ending I suggest giving the series as a whole another shot. When you watch it again knowing the ending, the pieces really fit together. If you haven't seen the show before and are considering it, go in with an open mind.

Seeing this clip, shows me three things... A) that Damon and Carlton stand by their product; that they aren't making apologies for how the series ended... B) that they have a great sense of humor when it comes to how other people reacted... and C) that even after a year this tiny little "joke clip" can still make me want to talk about this show, and for that I say Thank You... oh, and I liked the cork metaphor...

Check it out... what do you think?

Mark Sanchez: A Model For America?

Mark Sanchez: A Model For America?
by Tom Ruff
July 27, 2011

I want to make it very clear that I know the title of this entry will right off the bat earn some ridicule, but I want to make a case for how Mark Sanchez should be a model for how the debt ceiling crisis... and politics in general... gets handled.

Just hours after the end of the 130+ day NFL lockout, the 2011 free agent frenzy kicked off, and the New York Jets found themselves scrambling to put their team together. Mark Sanchez came out almost instantly to make it clear that he would be willing to restructure his contract in order for his team to sign and resign the best possible players. You might be asking yourself, why would any player voluntarily offer to give up guaranteed money, but the answer is simple... he wants to win a Super Bowl. Whether or not the Jets take him up on his offer remains to be seen, but up against a decreased salary cap (thanks to the new CBA) and with 16 unrestricted free agents, Sanchez has shown fans that he is part of something bigger then himself. He's part of an organization that has the best chance of success if "me, me, me" doesn't factor into decision making. Coming off a lockout, and with so many athletes making record money, it's refreshing to hear this attitude coming off a major franchise's quarterback.

And this brings us to politics and the debt ceiling crisis. People who are disengaged, or uninformed can argue all they want that there is no difference between the two parties, but the fact of the matter is that one party is the "party of we" and the other party is the "party of me". The biggest debate going on now is that the Democratic Party, as flawed as it is, does believe the governments job is to improve the lives of its citizens, and the Republican Party does not. Obama and the Democrats are more willing to compromise because they know they have to. The GOP and the Tea Party have no interest in compromising because they protect only the interests of the people least likely to be hurt by a bad economy. The rhetoric in this country is out of control, and the fact that so many in Congress would rather let the U.S. default, and risk a depression, then compromise on any level, really shows how different the two philosophies are. Obama has made a great deal of mistakes in the last few years, and has alienated a great deal of liberals by compromising too much, but the fact of the matter is he recognizes that he has so much more to lose by not compromising. It's easy for Republicans to keep saying "no" when all they care about is protecting the nation's most wealthy. It's easy to win public opinion when your entire argument is "we promise no taxes", but that doesn't make their position right... no pun intended.

As for how this relates to Sanchez and the Jets; the real argument Obama should be making now is that its time for the American people to focus on more then just themselves again. Kennedy, FDR, and so many others recognized for America to prosper, everyone has to contribute, and when America is prospering, everyone is better off. Obama needs to call on all Americans to start rebuilding our country, to make decisions based on how everyone will be effected, and to think more big picture than "my personal tax rate". Everyone stands to lose if our economy doesn't get back on track, and everyone stands to lose big if we don't find a way to get this all-or-nothing thinking out of our government. For us to get out of this vicious cycle of decline, we have to start thinking about how our actions impact everyone... only then will we find our nation winning again...


Oh, and J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!!

BREAKING BAD: THE HERO DILEMMA

BREAKING BAD: THE HERO DILEMMA
By Tom Ruff
July 26, 2011

After what seems like an eternity, the fourth season of AMC's award winning drama "Breaking Bad" is underway, and the action picked up right where the show left off. As the show starts, Walt and Jesse are having to deal with their actions at the end of the last season, and viewers are left wondering, who are we supposed to root for in this show?

Don't get me wrong, the series is one of the best shows on television, with some of the best writing and acting in the business, but one of the aspects that makes the show so unique is the lack of any traditional protagonist. When the series began Walter White was a married high-school chemistry teacher, working a second job at a car wash, and trying to raise a disabled teenage son and a baby on the way. White was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and chose to use his professional skills to make and sell crystal meth as a means of leaving his family a nest egg. While his actions seemed unconventional, there was something admirable about a guy who would do anything for his family. As the show has progressed though, we have seen a fundamental shift in Walter's character, as his willingness to do anything to become a drug kingpin paints him not so much as a man protecting his family, but a sociopath who used cancer as an excuse to let his dark side out. Although Walt is currently in remission, he has continued to pursue his new found "career" and escalated his role from drug-making chemist, to underboss who has committed murder (and ordered murder) stole and laundered money, lied so many times that his marriage is completely ruined, and put his family at so much risk that they are worse off then they were when he was first diagnosed with cancer.

The second episode of this season was very interesting, as Walt made it very clear that his intentions are to murder drug boss Gus, and take over the business himself. Although he continues to rationalize to other people that his emphasis is on self-defense, its hard to believe that when he is buying guns with filed off serial numbers and making it clear to Mike the bodyguard that he intends to kill Gus. A very telling scene happens outside Gus' house, when Walt puts on his fedora, almost transforming himself into his alter-ego "Heisenberg" in what can best be described as a Jekyll and Hyde homage. Looking back at the entire series now, it seems much more likely that Walt entered the meth business not to raise money for his family, but to cure his life of boredom and regret. I think he made the choices he made because he had a dark side that he wanted to let out, and cancer became his excuse and his crutch.

So if Walt isn't the hero of the series, then who is? At this point everyone seems morally bankrupt and nobody is black and white. Walt's wife threw him out over his lies and criminal actions, but now she's laundering and spending the money. Hank, the DEA brother in-law was the victim of a horrible tragedy last season when he was shot and left paralyzed, but its hard to really make the case that he has ever been anything but an obstacle to the show's leads. This leaves Jesse, Walt's partner, and possibly the most interesting character. Whereas Walt has shown himself to be the bad guy, Jesse is much more ambiguous. In his character you see a guy who is nothing more then a train wreck who got into drug dealing because he didn't know better. Jesse loves to call himself a bad guy, but he is the only one who seems to show true remorse over his actions. Early this season, Jesse is desperately trying to deal with his murdering Gale, an action he clearly did for self-defense, but one that is tearing up his character from the inside out. It will be interesting to see if Jesse can use this event to get himself off the downward spiral or not.

It will be interesting to see how the writers continue to develop the show's characters going into the later part of the series. A lot of comparison will be drawn to "The Sopranos" as a great deal of fans will want to see Walt brought down, and others will want to see him come out on top, but the difference between the two characters is that Tony was born into a system he never had a real shot at escaping, and Walt made the choice to become the villain. It wouldn't surprise me to see the close tight "partnership" between Walt and Jesse dissolve in future episodes, and I could envision a situation in which Jesse ends up working with the DEA to bring him down. It's equally possible that the show ends with Walt getting the better of everyone... a kingpin with his family at his side and all the money and power he clearly seems to want… or maybe it ends as it began, a sad and pathetic guy desperately trying to avoid dying of cancer. "Breaking Bad" airs on Sundays on AMC.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM… "THE PALESTINIAN CHICKEN"

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM…
"PALESTINIAN CHICKEN"
by Tom Ruff
July 25, 2011

For the last several seasons, I have really felt like HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has been headed downhill, losing track of what made it good in the first place… Larry David's lack of self-awareness getting him into trouble. Instead, the emphasis and focus has been more oriented towards shock value, and an increasingly meaner Larry, who has become more and more unlikeable. I don't know if the change in direction is the result of LD's bitterness towards his real life divorce, or just what happens as shows get older. "The Office" was doing the same thing to Michael Scott in season 6 with the Scott's Totts episode, and don't get me started on the "hit or miss" of "South Park" in recent years. What I do know that I've found less and less episodes of Curb smart and funny in the last few years.

In the third episode of this season "Palestinian Chicken", the show seemed to get back to its roots, while also making a political statement about the 2010 mosque/NYC controversy. The plot finds Jeff and Larry stumbling onto an anti-Semitic chicken restaurant, and they are more then willing to check their Jewish heritage at the door in order to enjoy epic chicken. Meanwhile, Larry's friends plan to protest the chain opening a new location next door to a Jewish deli, putting LD literally in the middle of his people and his chicken. Without giving the entire episode away, side plots include Larry being asked to become a "social assassin" when a friend's wife is guilty of annoying "verbal texting LOL" instead of just laughing. The story also features a golf tournament, cheating married friends, blackmail by a teenager, and newly devout Funkhauser overhearing Larry having sex with a Palestinian.

The plot seems to be derived in part from the classic Kenny Rogers Roasters episode of Seinfeld, in which Kramer has to choose between his hatred of a bright red light that is making him crazy, and love of chicken, but takes it to a whole new level as only Larry David can do. These days, it's hard to know which Curb will show up from week to week, but if the remainder of the season focuses on this style of irony and awkwardness, then I can't wait to see what happens LD takes Manhattan. "Curb" airs Sundays on HBO.