MY TOP 10 POP SINGLES OF 2009
Confessions of a pop music junkie

Here's a list of my 2009 Top 10 pop songs - they’re club-ready and remix-friendly and just generally fantastic. Except for #6, this list of songs is comprised exclusively of female vocalists proving that the ladies sang some great tunes in 2009. Away we go:

10. Already Gone – Kelly Clarkson
STANDOUT LYRIC: “You can’t make it feel right when you know that it’s wrong”

Finally, a Kelly song I love again. This one brings me back to the good ol’ days (ie: 2004/2005) when singles from “Breakaway” were EVERYWHERE and for good reason… they were amazing. This single has allowed me to re-fall in love with Ms. Clarkson.

9. Yeah Yeah Yeah’s – Zero
STANDOUT LYRIC: “Try and hit the spot, get to know it in the dark”

If Chrissie Hynde and Tori Amos had a love child, she would be Karen O, the singer in Yeah Yeah Yeah’s who kicks a helluva lot of ass. The first time I heard this song I was driving and turned up the radio nearly as loud as it would go.




8. Metric – Help I’m Alive
STANDOUT LYRIC: If you're still alive My regrets are few If my life is mine What shouldn't I do?

Hands down (mine) this is the best single by a Canadian act to make an impact in 2009. I realize it was released in the last week of December of 2008, but its impression was made through 2009 and that’s also when I heard it.
Something about this tune (if not the entire band) reminds me so much of Curve, a band I loved dearly back in the day (early 90’s).
Help I’m Alive contains moments of pop perfection and has balls the same size as any other rock song you put next to it.

IT'S COMPLICATED
Yet it isn't... go see this movie!

Christmas Day 2009 is no different than any other year in terms having lots of tantalizing new movies on offer... the cinema beckons us as does ostentatiousness beckon the Haus of Gaga.

Equally, last night me and muh fam damily couldn’t resist the appeal of going out to see It’s Complicated the new film starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. The first thing I’ll say is I love, love, LOVED this movie. It’s really terrific.

It’s a comedy and a love story with a lot of heart, not to mention an objective to show how hearts and minds work, specifically the hearts and minds of those who are divorced.

It’s Complicated is the story of Jane and Jake Adler (Meryl Streep and Alex Baldwin, respectively) who have been divorced for 10 years after having been married for 19. They share two daughters and a son. Jane is single while Jake is married to Agnes, the much younger woman with whom he had an affair and for whom he left Kate.

The Adler family is brought together in New York City for Jane and Jake’s sons graduation from college. After bumping into each other in their hotel lounge, Jane and Jake get to talking, get to drinking and dancing, and - before anyone knows it - get to jumping into the sack together and embarking on an affair.

The family returns to their home town (a beautifully portrayed Santa Barbara, California) and thus begins the “complicated” path Jane and Jake find themselves on. Jake has realized he never fell out of love with his ex-wife and wants her back, while Jane is enjoying their revisit but isn’t so sure what it all means.

Meanwhile, an architect named Adam (played by Steve Martin who does well here with a fairly bland character), who is working on Jane’s home renovation project, takes a shine to her and they pursue some extra-curricular “activities” together, further complicating Jane's situation with Jake.

The performances in It’s Complicated are absolutely excellent. As always, Meryl Streep hits nothing but perfect notes as Kate.

Remember, this movie is a comedy and as Streep has proven time and time again (The Devil Wears Prada, Postcards From The Edge, Julie & Julia) she is as much a master of comedy performance as she is of serious drama (Kramer vs. Kramer, Doubt, Silkwood).

Not to mention that Meryl Streep can accurately and believably portray pretty much any accent she tries… one day I’d like to hear her do a thick Scottish brogue. I digress… Meryl Streep can do no wrong as an actor, in my eyes. And doesn’t it just seem like she’s been in about a zillion movies lately? A very prolific actor she is.

Her performance in It's Complicated as Jane Adler is the kind that is just a pure pleasure to watch. There’s nothing to prevent you from wanting to climb inside Jane’s life and experience it with her – the second guessing of the end of her marriage, the joy she derives from her post-divorce entrepreneurial success, the devotion to her kids, the authentic laughing fits among she and her gal pals… it’s all good because Meryl Streep is just such a natural performer and truly a pleasure to watch on the screen.

Alec Baldwin is also very fun in his role. Although his character Jake is a self-centred adulterer, he’s also an open book and totally willing to show his own genuine surprise, an authentic caught-off-guard quality about wanting his ex-wife back. Jake is flirtatious, mischievous and charming.

And together, dare I say it, Baldwin and Streep are sexy. It’s not often in Hollywood a woman who has just turned 60 is given a role where she can be as sexy as all get out, but like everything, Streep pulls it off without flaw.

All in all, I really loved It’s Complicated. I must admit, it was an interesting feeling to watch this movie – about a divorced woman and mother of three – with two of my siblings and our mother because our family too is the “product” of my parents divorce when us kids were very young. It was not at all uncomfortable for me to see this particular story play out on the movie screen. Mayhaps it just goes to show how easy it is for anyone to relate to and enjoy It’s Complicated. The movie is just plain great storytelling.

And on a related note, the movie made me recall how beautiful some parts of California are - such as Santa Barbara where this film’s story is situated. Kinda makes me wanna go back for a loooooong visit :)

The sole unfortunate quality of it though is that it shares the name of that horrible Denise Richards’ reality tv show “It’s Complicated” which inexplicably found a home on E! for two seasons. Thankfully it’s no longer airing here in the Great White North.

Last thing I wanna say about It's Complicated (the *film*) is that while I was watching it my mind occasionally flashed to another film, Something’s Gotta Give, because I kept noticing strong reminders of the storyline from that film – another one which I love and have seen several times.

Turns out that familiarity occurred for a reason which somehow escaped me in the marketing of It’s Complicated… it’s written and directed by Nancy Myers (also 60 years old) who not only is responsible for Something's Gotta Give (2003) but also other great films about likeable women and their relationships such as Private Benjamin (1980) and Baby Boom (1987).

It’s Complicated is actually very simple after all, simple to enjoy and simple to recommend as a must-see for this holiday season and beyond.

Here's the trailer to whet your appetite:

BRITTANY MURPHY DIES AT 32
Cardiac arrest is cause of death

A shock this morning as reports circulate of the death of actress Brittany Murphy, 32. TMZ has the still developing story of Murphy's early morning death today:

Brittany Murphy died early this morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, multiple sources tell TMZ. She was 32. A 911 call was made at 8:00 AM from a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to her husband, Simon Monjack, the Los Angeles City Fire Department tells TMZ. We're told Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Murphy starred in such films as "Clueless," "8 Mile," and "Don't Say a Word." (tmz)

This is just really sad news today, and it certainly reinforces 2009 in my mind as a particularly notable year for entertainers who have lost their lives.

First time I saw Brittany Murphy was in the 90s classic "Clueless", but my favourite role she played was Alex in 8 Mile.

Aside from acting though, I friggin' LOVED "Faster Kill Pussycat", the club single she released a few years ago (2006, I think?) with Paul Oakenfold. Damn we used to rawk out to this one on the dancefloor... good times :)

This video clip of the song features clips from one of my all-time fave cult-films "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!" directed by the great Russ Meyers.



Thank you Brittany for leaving behind something everyone can enjoy forever!

My heart goes out to her family and friends and loved ones... may Brittany Murphy be in peace.

'Extract' some Hollywood goodness
Unless you hate good times, go see this movie

Somehow, I hadn't heard too much about the new movie EXTRACT until Jason Bateman was on Late Show with David Letterman last week.

He's the star of the movie and certainly was on Letterman's show to promote his latest film (release date: Fri Sept 4). Bateman is totally classic story-teller. See for yourself:

Back to EXTRACT, we went to see it on Labour Day and can I just start by saying that if you hate laughing, skip this movie.

Directed by Mike Judge (Beavis & Butthead, Office Space), EXTRACT is great big 'ol slice of fun at the movies the movies with countless laugh-your-head-off moments thanks to a script that practically sparkles with hilariously everyday dialogue enlivened by a nearly perfect cast of actors who all possess the ability to fire off their lines with just the right amount of bang.

Jason Bateman is Joel, owner of "Reynolds Extract" who is thirsty for relief of his sexual drought shared with his wife Suzie, played by the understated and still-underappreciated (she should be a household name by now) Kristen Wiig (currently of Saturday Night Live).

To make matters worse, a hot new temp (Family Guy's Mila Kunis) at Joel's office has him realizing he's starting to get a wandering eye.

Joel complains to his bartender-buddy Dean - played by Ben Affleck with longer, wavy-ish hair and a full-beard making him semi-unrecognizable - about his sexless marriage.

Dean concocts a ridiculous scheme to hire a gigolo he knows named Brad played perfectly by Vancouver's Dustin Milligan.

Brad's "V8-slap-to-the-forehead" dumbass-ness is a far cry from Milligan's 'Ethan' character on last year's first season of 90210.

And Milligan best be careful because his adroit pursuit of portraying an utter moron with convincing hilarity could pigeon hole him as the hot himbo going into the next decade. But I have a feeling he's too bright to let that happen (a recent article helped me draw that conclusion - to read it, go here).

Dean's scheme calls for Joel to "hire" Brad as the new pool cleaner, but actually he'll attempt to seduce Suzie. If he succeeds, and Suzie has an affair, then according to Dean, Joel will be in the perfect position to have his own affair with Cindy the hot temp. Thanks to a semi-unitentional ingestion of horse tranquilizer, Joel finds himself agreeing to go ahead with the scheme.

EXTRACT is very, very funny as it follows both the painful reality of a tanking marriage and is quite keenly balanced by a secondary story line involving Joel's company with its yappy employees who become disgruntled upon learing of Joel's plans to possibly sell his company.

If you haven't seen it yet, here's the EXTRACT trailer:

Even though I regularly watch Family Guy, I need to give myself a bit of a "V8 slap-to-the-forehead" because somehow... somehow... I just didn't realize until the end of the film that the gorgeous actress playing the hot temp Cindy was Mila Kunis who voices Meg Griffin on Family Guy.

It's just so hilarious to me that a character like Meg is voiced by such a lovely young lady. She's a great choice for EXTRACT.

Here she was, on the set of EXTRACT... love her T-shirt:

Jason Bateman continues his adroit ascent to becoming one of Hollywood's funniest leading men. From Arrested Development to State of Play to Extract, even just the past few years or so of his work shows us he is one damn funny guy.

And he's been consistently working with superb material to showcase his talent.

Looking back to Bateman's role as Derek on TV's Silver Spoons in the 80's, I do think now (and I thought it then) that he had an edge and a certain "Je ne SASS quoi" that has allowed him to appeal on TV and movie screens for quite a long time now. Tu d'accord?

PLEASE DO(n't) STOP THE MUSIC
Charo Say, Charo Saw, Charo Ma Coo Sa

It figures that the ONE year I would skip watching homophobe Jerry Lewis’ annual telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association would be the same year Charo appears to let us see her do her own special brand of justice to a great Rhianna song (which itself was made great by borrowing from one of Michael Jackson's greatest songs).

Have y’all seen this yet? I have no words…

Kootchy-kootchy-koo!!!

HOCKEY IS #1 WITH CANADIANS
Summer's here, but ice is the focus

It makes no nevermind that a heat wave has been felt right across the land, and that very warm summer-style weather has been enjoyed a little earlier than usual this year. Nope, makes no difference at all because Canadians are still All. About. The. Hockey.

From the Canadian Press, here's the latest Top 10 TV ratings and, natch, the Stanley Cup finals top the list.

Here are the top 10 English television programs in Canada, with viewer numbers, for the week of May 25-31 according to BBM Nielsen Media Research:

1 Stanley Cup Finals (CBC, Saturday-Sunday)—1,803,000

2 So You Think You Can Dance 5 (CTV, Wednesday)—1,544,000

3 NHL Playoffs (CBC, Tuesday-Wednesday)—1,398,000

4 So You Think You Can Dance 5 (CTV, Thursday)—1,374,000

5 The Mentalist (CTV, Tuesday)—1,182,000

6 Bones (Global, Monday)—1,178,000

7 NCIS (Global, Tuesday)—1,127,000

8 Two and a Half Men (CTV, Monday)—1,122,000

9 Criminal Minds (CTV, Wednesday)—1,107,000

10 CTV Evening News (CTV, Monday-Friday)—1,097,000

As the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins prepare for a death battle today in the NHL, I'm sure the next time we see the Top 10 shows in Canada there will be ZERO change in what's on top.

HAPPY WORLD OCEANS DAY
Wave of jubilation

As declared earlier this year by the United Nations, June 8 is World Oceans Day.

What are you doing to help keep oceans clean? If you litter, just knock it off. And don't butt out your cigarettes ANYWHERE other than an ashtray (or better yet, just don't smoke). Cigarette butts are the #1 most common litter item found on Canadian shorelines (followed by plastic bags and food wrappers).

If you use chemical cleaning products at home or work, stop it! Because when those products go down your drain, they go straight into the ocean and poison fragile marine environments and ecosystems. Human life depends on healthy oceans so do what you can to preserve ocean health.

I'm kinda thrilled that Canadians thought up the whole World Oceans Day thing. Here's what it's all about, from The Ocean Project:

The concept for World Oceans Day was proposed in 1992 by the Government of Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and it had been unofficially celebrated every year since then. Official designation by the U.N. is a significant step in conserving and protecting our world's ocean.

World Oceans Day provides an opportunity each year to celebrate our world ocean and our personal connection to the sea. The world's oceans:

*Generate most of the oxygen we breathe

*Help feed us

*Regulate our climate

*Clean the water we drink

*Offer us a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines

*Provides limitless inspiration!

Yet for too long, human society has taken the world's ocean for granted. It's up to each one of us to help ensure that our ocean is protected and conserved for future generations. World Oceans Day allows us to:

Change perspective - encourage individuals to think about what the ocean means to them and what it has to offer all of us with hopes of conserving it for present and the future generations.

Learn - discover the wealth of diverse and beautiful ocean creatures and habitats, how our daily actions affect them, and how we are all interconnected.

Change our ways - we are all connected to the ocean! By taking care of your backyard, you are acting as a caretaker of our ocean. Making small modifications to your everyday habits will greatly benefit our blue planet.

Celebrate - whether you live inland or on the coast we are all connected to the ocean; take the time to think about how the ocean affects you, and how you affect the ocean, and then organize or participate in activities that celebrate our world ocean.

Random Ocean Item: off the top of my head, the only song from the 80's I can think of that mentions the ocean is Ocean Blue by ABC. Go here to relive the joy that is ABC: Ocean Blue

Wondering what celebrities are up to help promote World Oceans Day? GO HERE for sexy evidence!

PRISON BREAK RETURNS (AGAIN? STILL?)
Is Wentworth Miller reason enough to tune in?

For anyone who is still a fan of Prison Break, TGIF is about to take on a whole new meaning.

Prison Break comes back to TV for a new season this Friday night (April 17) and will show on that night thereafter.

I'm hangin' in there, but just barely. After the extremely intriguing early days of this series, it all got to be a bit much when the focus turned to Panama.

Since then, I'm watching it mostly only because it's a case of "I've watched it this long, I may as well see how it ends".

And also because Wentworth Miller is, quite simply, a whole wide world of deee-lish!

That said, it's entirely possible that the following video is way more entertaining than Prison Break will be on Friday night:

WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO DESERVE THIS?
Pet Shop Boys receive odd request from PETA

There's quite a hilarious story coming from the Pet Shop Boys today.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) sent a letter to Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe of Pet Shop Boys with a request they officially change their name to Rescue Shelter Boys.

Sounds like yet another in a long list of creative, guerilla tactics employed by PETA to get folks rethinking the ways humans interact with our friends from kingdom animalia.

But despite the urgency and significance of the PETA request, Pet Shop Boys didn't take long to ponder the unusual suggestion.

Check this out, it's from the BBC

Pop group Pet Shop Boys have revealed they have turned down a request by animal rights group Peta to rename themselves the Rescue Shelter Boys.

"Peta Europe has written to Pet Shop Boys with a request they are unable to agree to," reads a post on the band's official website.

But the band admits the request "raises an issue worth thinking about".

Peta's letter requests the name change because of the cruelty it alleges takes place in the pet trade.

If the band were to agree to the name change, it continues, it would "encourage your millions of fans to consider giving a home to an abandoned or unwanted animal from an animal shelter".

In her letter, Peta's special projects manager Yvonne Taylor admits that her request "may at first seem bizarre".

It goes on to list a series of criticisms against the way pet shops obtain, maintain and house their animals.

Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe were inspired to call themselves the Pet Shop Boys by friends who worked in a pet shop in west London.

Originally named West End, the electronic pop duo won a Brit award for their outstanding contribution to music earlier this year.

The group - whose hits include West End Girls, Heart and It's A Sin - released Yes, their 10th studio album, last month.

HA! Love it. PETA has a very unique way of getting attention. And I appreciate Pet Shop Boys decency in acknowledging the issue raised by PETA's query.

It'll never ever happen, but you gotta give props to PETA for having the cajones.

Bee-tee-double-u, have you heard/seen the new Pet Shop Boys single, Love Etc.? It's from their new album "Yes" and ya know, it's not too shabby at all.

U-F-Ok
Monsters vs. Aliens = Good vs. Times

What better way to spend Thank Goddess It’s GOOD Friday than a matinee of Monsters vs. Aliens 3D.

I’ve been kinda dying to see this movie since it came out a couple weeks ago, so this afternoon Me and M-dub went down to the old Paramount to check it oot.

The film has a great cast which had me looking forward to the voice work; Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett & Hugh Laurie voice the four main characters. But it wasn’t until after the film that I also realized my lover Paul Rudd is in it, too! He voices Derek, a self-absorbed TV anchorman wedded to Susan at the film’s opening.

Monsters vs. Aliens follows the classic good vs. evil theme and is teeming with imaginative animated effects and clever dialogue. There’s quite a good amount of LOL-worthy scenes, especially Stephen Colbert’s synthesizer-playing U.S. president who gets down with his bad self in a hilarious music sequence set to Harold Faltermeyer’s gem Axel F.

Another great, funny scene is with the high school kids on a date, making out in the front seat of a car, the boy portrayed as a jock – a gymnast to be exact – with a personalized license plate which reads GYM-NASTY who would rather sing along to an old Journey tune on the radio than get hot n’ heavy with his girl.

Despite laughs and wit, me and M-dub later agreed that Monsters vs. Aliens is forgettable.

That sentiment doesn't result from a lack of enjoyment in watching this film. The movie is quite good, and it’s a whole lotta fun to watch while it’s on the screen in front of you (playing out in Intel’s gorgeous InTru3D technology).

But as soon as it's over, so is the feeling generated by watching it. Methinx it just kinda lacked some depth, some heart, some relatable elements that let you connect on an emotional level.

Movies like Shrek, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles… all those films live in my memory as among the greatest animated films I’ve ever seen. And it’s not just the pleasure of the creativity of those films I recall, but also the lasting feeling I have from having basically fallen in love with those films when I first watched them.

As for Monsters vs. Aliens, I can definitely say that my favourite character is B.O.B. voiced by Seth Rogen. B.O.B. is just so funny, so cute, so totally dumb... ya can't help but love him. He's described in the film as 'goop that somehow gained consciousness', a description portrayed perfectly hilarious by Seth Rogen.

We were interested to note in the end credits something I’ve never seen before... which was Dreamworks (the studio which produced the film) preferred processor is Intel. I think the credits also included that HP is the preferred hardware or something like that, but I could be wrong on the specifics of that one.

Overall, Monsters vs. Aliens is a good film and well-worth seeing, but for me it’s already come and gone and I’m on to the next one.

Which in this case I think will be “Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, coming out this Fall. Seriously, this move looks GREAT! Check out the trailer: