The Watchin' Stuff Orange Is the New Black drinking game!

All right, boys and girls. It's been a while since I posted anything at all so I'm pleased to present you with a drinking game for my favorite show of the summer, Orange Is the New Black. So, grab your toilet hootch and knock a few back to the women of Litchfield.

The Reenactors! Episode 3: Fight Club

Several months and a different haircut ago, Talor, myself, and a few good friends made a third episode of The Reenactors! (If you missed the first two you can see the Breakfast Club episode here and the Labyrinth episode here) This time our parody fodder was Fight Club. If you're a fan of Fight Club, Talor, me or you just have a spare 8 and a half minutes you're looking to kill, check it out.

5 "Huge Mistakes" made by the new Arrested Development

All right, don't worry Arrested fans, I'm not going to completely bash the new Arrested Development, but I must note that the new incarnation seems to be just that, the "new" Arrested Development. Basically, revamped to capture the audience that eluded them in their original run. Though it did grow on me in the later episodes of season 4, there's still something about the relaunch that feels watered down and seems like it's pandering to the audience in a way that other shows do, but Arrested managed to not only avoid, but make fun of. It's just not the same, guys. And even though I do admit they could've never lived up to the hype that was generated, I came up with a list of five "huge mistakes" that couldn't be overlooked.

1. Seth Rogen as young George Sr.:
Kristen Wiig as young Lucille, yes. Seth Rogen as young George Sr., absolutely not. Some may argue, what's the difference? I say, talent. Kristen Wiig can effectively play Lucille because she is actually able to replicate the Lucille created by Jessica Walter fairly well. Seth Rogen, on the other hand, is unable to play anything but Seth Rogen. So, instead of being invested in the story during the flashback scenes, I was distracted by the fact that Lucille apparently used to be married to Seth Rogen. Maybe I'm in the minority here, but I kind of feel that the plot of the show suffers when it is blatantly obvious that a well known actor has been brought in to play a part because they are well known. And Seth's wasn't the only cameo I found incredibly distracting. I mean, I know cameos have kind of been their thing since the beginning (and I really didn't have a problem with the people who appeared in the first three seasons reappearing), but, come on, the only reason to put Ed Helms, John Krasinski and the Workaholics guys in there was to garner cheap enthusiasm from the audience. Not enjoying the show? Well, look, it's Jim from The Office! Isn't that fun? No, it's cheap and you're better than that Arrested Development.

2. Telling Tobias that everyone thinks he's gay:
So, that's how it's gonna go down? Lindsay's just gonna tell Tobias flat out that not only does everyone think he's gay, but that it's a "running joke"? Yes, the show has always been very self-reflexive and snarky, but that's just too far. You never tell Tobias he's gay, that's like going back in time and talking to your past self about the future. It will tear a hole in the space/time continuum! Also, once he knows, they do nothing with it. He just goes and finds another woman to not have sex with. So, he's not gay?

3. All the meta
Michael trying to get the life rights for a movie about his family directed by Ron Howard while all the while pretending that Ron Howard isn't the one narrating? That's a lot of meta, even for a show that has always kept us well aware of the fact that they know it's a TV show. I was okay with the little things they put in during the original run, like the begging for viewers in the third season and the shameless Burger King plugs from Carl Weathers, but to have Michael's entire plotline revolve around producing the movie that we all know is coming is more meta than I can handle. We get it, there's gonna be a movie. And if the movie is about making the movie I'm gonna be pretty disappointed.

4. Putting all the good episodes too far in:
Raise your hand if you were dying to know what George Sr. has been up to... Oh, no one. Yeah, that's what I thought. Let's face it, for a lot of people the first three episodes were hard to get through. I understand trying to keep people on the hook so they watch the whole season but were you really worried about viewership? Everyone was gonna watch it all anyway. Starting us off with a Michael episode followed by a George Sr. episode and a Lindsay episode didn't serve to keep people in it to the end, a lot of people I talked to were actually so disappointed by the initial episodes that they stopped after the first or second. Putting Gob, George Michael, Maeby and Buster at the end was a horrible choice. In my opinion, they were the one's with the most interesting stories and the ones most people were interested in seeing. If you were one of the people discouraged by the first episodes I highly recommend skipping to the end and then coming back. It's much better that way.

5: Playing to the "hop ons":
I know not everyone is going to agree with these issues I had. I'm sure there are many people who felt the newest season was a total success, but to me, it seemed as though all of these things served to reach out to a broader audience than it had initially. Things were spelled out more blatantly, jokes were a little less thought out and they relied to much on people's delight in "being in the know" (i.e Henry Winkler didn't have to say "Chachi" during the trial with Bob Loblaw for me to get the fact that he and Scott Baio were on Happy Days together. And either way, that's not a joke). Once you get to the end of the season, it's obvious that the plot was as well thought out and interconnected as the show was during the original run, but in a lot of ways I feel they took the easy way out. Overall, it just felt cheaper. Like a mere suggestion of the show so many of us loved before everyone on the Internet decided they loved it too. I feel that this season could very well garner a new audience. And I'm sure for a lot of avid fans this was exactly what they were hoping it would be. I, personally, was a little let down. But as I said, it would've been very hard to live up to the hype and, hey, there's always the movie.

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 11

#1: "Fox On the Run" - Sweet

#2: Bully. Netflix continues to add wonderful new things and this movie is one of them. Although it enters the realm of depressing from time to time, Bully is an incredibly well made documentary maintains an uplifting tone despite the subject matter. I would highly recommend it to anyone raising kids, thinking of doing so, or who was ever once a kid themselves.

#3: "Sweet Talking Woman" - Electric Light Orchestra

#4: Circus. A documentary show I just discovered yesterday and ended up watching all six episodes. It provides an in-depth portrayal of all those involved in the running and performing of the Big Apple Circus. Over the course of the series it becomes apparent just how much work goes into the production and how much dedication to the tradition there is for those who were born into circus families.

#5: "Handbags and Gladrags" - Rod Stewart

Game of Thrones mix tape

As I'm sure most of you know, season three of Game of Thrones starts tonight. So, in order to get everyone pumped for the premiere, here's a fun little Game of Thrones inspired mix for you all.

1. "Immigrant Song" - Led Zeppelin
2. "Heads will Roll" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. "Kings of the Wild Frontier" - Adam and the Ants
4. "War Pigs" - Black Sabbath
5. "Zombie" - The Cranberries
6. "Only A Lad" - Oingo Boingo
7. "No More Mr. Nice Guy" - Alice Cooper
8. "A Hazy Shade of Winter" - Simon & Garfunkle
9. "Dragon Queen" - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
10. "Baptized By Fire" - Spinnerette
11. "War Child" - Blondie
12. "Devil Woman" - Cliff Richards
13. "Renegade" - Styx
14. "Back from the Dead" - The Adverts
15. "Set the House Ablaze" - The Jam

And of course:

5 reasons season three of Portlandia was the best

As you probably know, it's been a couple of weeks since the end of Portlandia season three. And in its absence I've been forced to do a lot of soul searching and reminiscing about the season as a whole. As a result, I've come to the decision that, for many reasons, season three was the best season yet. Don't wanna take my word for it? Well, check out a few of my reasons below. 

1. Season-long character arcs: Although I do love the the standard, disjointed Portlandia skit format, this season they switched it up with some of our favorite characters existing within storylines that developed over the course several episdoes. There were still a lot of crazy stand alone skits that were never referenced a second time, but having running plotlines throughout the season really served to bring more closure in the season ender. Peter and Nance became B&B owners, Fred and Carrie were almost torn apart and in the last episode we were left with a sense of finality and fulfillment which was a refreshing change from the previous two seasons. 

2. Winter special: Airing a few weeks before the actual first episode of season three, the winter special, "Winter in Portlandia", served as a good way to ease us into the season. There were very few things from the episode that were carried through into the next ten episodes, but it was nice to get a special, extra episode before the start of the real season to set a tone of sorts. Not to mention, it was just a really good episode. 

3. Use of the word "shit": In the previous two seasons of the show, there was little to no swearing, but it seems they got a little more lax in the third by throwing the word "shit" into the mix. Still no sign of an uncensored "fuck", but I'll take the occasional "shit". Not sure why I find this so exciting, I guess I just like swearing.  

4: Roseanne as the temp mayor: Initially, I wouldn't have necessarily thought that Roseanne would make such a great addition to the show, but, for me, she was one of the standout guest stars of the season. As much as I love Kyle MacLachlan as the official mayor of Portland, Roseanne's few episodes as the temp mayor were great and just watching her walk around the city judging the Portlandia natives was possibly one of the funniest things to happen all season. 

5. Carrie finally in a relationship with a girl: Carrie Brownstein and Chloe Sevigny guys, this cannot require much explanation. I know I can't be the only one who was hoping that the show wouldn't deny Carrie's occasional love for the ladies. So, after three seasons of the Carrie's character exclusively dating men, it was a nice change of pace for her to get a bit of action from Chloe Sevigny. Furthermore, and on a slightly more political note, I really appreciate the way they approached the whole "girl on girl" subject by totally going for it but, at the same time, not making a big deal out of the fact that Carrie is into girls. There was no big coming out or dramatic "I don't know what to do, I think I'm into her". It was just, "I'm into this girl, whatever", the way it should be, so thanks for that guys because, not gonna lie, this scene accounts for about 35% of my love for season three. 

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 10

Hey guys, sorry it's been a couple weeks, but I'm back with more recommendations for this lovely Friday.

#1: "Driver's Seat" - Sniff 'n' the Tears

#2: Dogtooth. If you're on Netflix as much as I am you've probably seen this one on there a few times. However, despite the amount of times I've seen it on Netflix, I had yet to watch it until recently, in fact, I didn't even know what it was about. Having now seen the movie I can highly recommend it to you as an unsettling foreign film about young adults who have been isolated from the rest of the world for their entire lives and therefore can't function as normal people. It's one of those movies that'll stick with you into the following days.

#3: "Girl Anachronism" - The Dresden Dolls

#4: Slums of Beverly Hill. On a much lighter note, I also recently watched this movie on Netflix. Not much to say about it but: Natasha Lyonne, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, dysfunctional family, the 1970s, living in cheap apartments on the outskirts of Beverly Hills. If you're looking for a way to come down from the intensity of Dogtooth, this would be a good movie to turn to.

#5: "#1 Crush" - Garbage

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 9

#1: "Home Again" - Oingo Boingo. According to the Portlandia from two weeks ago, because I had an asymmetrical haircut a little while back, I should also (assumably) know Oingo Boingo. So, here's proof that I'm not a cultural tease. Also, I just love this song.

#2: Sassy Pants. Trying to break away from documentary recommendation for a bit with this movie about a home-schooled and ridiculously sheltered girl who breaks free of her mother's clutches to a new life with her dad and his live-in boyfriend Haley Joel Osment. Basically, one of the main reasons to watch this is to see the kid from The Sixth Sense play an adorable gay boy in cut-offs with scene hair.

#3: "Place In the Country" - Adam Ant. Sticking to a similar vein as Oingo Boingo, here's a fun Adam Ant tune.

#4: A Bag of Hammers. Another random Netflix find, this is a surprisingly sweet movie about two con men (Jason Ritter and Jake Sandvig) who take it upon themselves to take care of the 12-year-old boy from next door who's having a rough time with his single mother.

#5: "Thirteen" - Big Star. Just because it makes me happy.

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 8

#1: "Circle Game" - Joni Mitchell. Continuing with the aging and nostalgia theme I had going last week.

#2: I Need That Record! The Death (or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store. Back on my documentary kick here, this film examines the development of music formats and the struggle to maintain the record store community. Plus it has cameos by some really cool people.

#3: "Right Through You" - Alanis Morissette

#4: Cleanflix. Another documentary I found on Netflix, this one is all about a Utah based company who helped Mormons avoid vulgarity in movies by editing all the sex, violence and language out of popular films and renting them out.

#5: "Pump It Up" - Elvis Costello

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 7

Happy Friday everyone. So, since my birthday is tomorrow, I thought I'd do a special 6 suggestion Watchin' Stuff Lite for you all, with some of my favorite age themed songs. Please, do enjoy.

#1: "At Seventeen" - Janis Ian, yes, like the Mean Girls character and I'm sure that wasn't a coincidence seeing as this song plays in the background of a fairly unfitting scene. But, anyway, this was one of my favorites from when I actually was seventeen.

#2: The West Wing. Since I haven't given a TV suggestion in a couple of weeks I thought I'd throw in one I'm watching currently. I recently noticed this show on Netflix and decided to give it a watch. Though not the most exciting show ever, there are some great story lines and some wonderful characters. Overall, I'd say it's a nice, entertaining fairy tale about good-hearted politicians trying to do what is right for the country.

#3: "I'm Eighteen" - Alice Cooper.

#4. Zeitgeist: The Movie. Going back to my documentary kick, I have to recommend this one because it blew my mind. It's a fairly heavy and dense look at conspiracy theories and relatively unknown truths about the origins of religion. Even if you don't want to take the whole thing at face value, it's still nice to see another side of the story.

#5: "No Time To Be 21" - The Adverts.

#6: "Leaves That Are Green" - Simon & Garfunkle. I was 21 years when I started this blog, I'm 22 now, but I won't be for long. Time hurries on and the leaves that are green turn to brown.

Covers vs. the original

Although this has nothing to do with television, it's no secret that Watchin' Stuff also loves music, so I decided to take a little time out to discuss the topic of covers vs. originals. Just as in remakes of movies and TV shows, remakes of songs can be done beautifully, not only doing the original justice but surpassing it in some cases, it can be a passible alternative, or it can be outright offensive. I listen to quite a few covers in my daily life, some don't quite win out over the original, some I like far better, but they're all special in their own way. So, here are some of my favorites in covers vs. originals (click on the artist names to compare for yourself):

Cover > Original:

• "I Heard It Through the Grape Vine" - The Slits vs. Marvin Gaye: I know I'm probably in the minority on this one because Marvin's version is undeniably soulful and an absolute classic, but for me, The Slits win out in this one. Featured in my "year in review" a month and a half ago, I love this song for all of the reasons I listed there. 
• "Diamond Dogs" - Beck vs. David Bowie: Those who know me know I am a huge David Bowie fan (so much so that I have a Bowie inspired tattoo on my arm) but, much to my surprise, I like Beck's version of this song (made for Moulin Rouge) a lot better than Bowie's. Whether it's because Diamond Dogs was never my favorite Bowie song, or because Beck just rocked the cover, I don't know, but this is one of my favorite covers of all time. 
• "Femme Fatale" - Dramarama vs. The Velvet Underground: Some might find this one blasphemous but I prefer the Dramarama version of this song. I will say, that it was the first version of the song I heard so that might have something to do with it but, either way, as much as I like Nico's voice, for me, John Easdale wins out on this one. 
• "Rock & Roll" - The Runaways vs. The Velvet Underground: This might make it seem as though I don't really like the Velvets, but that's not true, there are just some good covers of their music, which basically just comes with the territory of being a groundbreaking band I suppose. Anyway, my love of the Runways is just as well known among my friends as my love of Bowie and this cover is by far one of my favorite Runaways songs ever so really, the original just doesn't hold the same draw for me. 
• "Do You Wanna Touch Me" - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts vs. Gary Glitter: Above all of my favorite musicians, Joan Jett is by far the closest to my heart and a good amount of the covers in my itunes library happen to be by her and the Blackhearts. Sometimes her covers win out and sometimes they don't but this one is one of the former. Though I do greatly enjoy Gary Glitters version, this is probably one of my favorite Joan Jett songs of all time so it's not much of a competition. 
• "Androgynous" - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts vs. The Replacements: Here is another Joan Jett cover that I prefer to the original. Just as in the last pairing, I do really love the Replacements version, in fact it's one of my favorites off my favorite Replacements album Let It Be, but there's something about the Joan Jett version that resonates with me more, that's really all there is to it, but it's probably the closest race of all the ones up here. Like, as in, almost a draw.  
• "Woodstock" - Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young vs. Joni Mitchell: As much as it pains me to admit this, I think I like the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young cover of this song better than the Joni Mitchell original. It is honestly my favorite cover of any song I've ever heard, and it has to be for me to say it's better than Joni Mitchell's. Both versions have a quality in and of themselves (Joni's haunting piano vs. CSNY's beautiful harmony), but I can listen to the Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young version any day of the week and the just isn't the case with the original. See for yourself. 

Joni Mitchell's original

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young cover

Original > Cover: 

• "River" - Joni Mitchell vs. Sarah McLachlan: Had to give Joni a little recognition after doing her like that in the last category. Personally, I think her version of "River" was not surpassed by the Sarah McLachlan cover. Though Sarah has the beautiful voice that reminds me of my childhood, Joni has the unique voice that does the same. I feel like what it really comes down to is the fact that Sarah's version is too pretty. It's beautiful, soothing, holiday music to be enjoyed with cocoa by the fire but Joni's has heart, meaning and originality and for me it can't be beat. 
• "With A Girl Like You" - The Troggs vs. Alex Chilton: While I do enjoy Alex Chilton's cover, the Trogg's version of this song is still better in my opinion. I think the biggest factor in this failure to surpass the original is the fact that it's too similar and the Troggs were better at it. I wish Alex had been a little more innovative with it, but still, I will gladly listen to both versions. 
• "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" - Paul Revere and the Raiders vs. The Monkees: This is probably the first experience I ever had with cover songs as a small child. I used to listen to both versions in my elementary school days and have alway preferred the Paul Revere version. Just as in the last pairing, I feel like the Monkees made a cover that was far too similar to the original and unfortunately Mickey Dolenz couldn't bring it like Mark Lindsay.
• "Gloria" - The Shadows of Knight vs. Patti Smith: Hard to say whether this is actually a cover or if it's a completely different song that just shares some of the same lyrics but I'm using this as an indication that, despite what it seemed like from the last two comparisons, it's not just about changing up the original for me. Don't get me wrong, I love both versions and I understand and respect what Patti was doing, but personally, I enjoy the Shadows of Knight version a little more. It's a preference thing more than a quality thing here (and probably for this whole list), I just love the original. 
• "Ask The Angels" - Patti Smith Group vs. The Distillers: I had to get Patti back here and show that although I don't prefer her "Gloria" cover, her originals are hard to (if not impossible to) touch. Neither the Distillers cover of this song nor the 10,000 Maniacs version of "Because the Night" come close to the original for me. That being said, I think it's an admirable cover, it's a lot of fun and if the Patti Smith version didn't exist it would be a great song. But the original is still better. *Side note: there is a version of this song that falls between the Patti Smith version and the Distillers one, though not quite as good as Patti Smith it is not just a valiant effort but a great cover that's a bit better than The Distillers' but it has yet to be recorder. So, as an honorable mention, here is Wild Flag's live version. 
• "Be My Lover" - Alice Cooper vs. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: As I said before, Joan Jett does a lot of covers and not all of them are better than the original, which is the case with this one. Though I do like her version and I do prefer the speed of hers, the original edges the cover out by a bit. Plus, there's a line in there somewhere about a girl asking "why the singer's name was Alice," which is a little too personalized to really fly in the cover and that has always bothered me. 
• "I Wanna Be Your Dog" - The Stooges vs. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts: For this one, Joan had some crazy big shoes to fill, so I can't fault her too much for falling short. The Stooges version of this song is actually my favorite song ever recorded so, despite the fact that this is actually one of my favorite Joan Jett & the Blackhearts songs (and one of the best ones she does in concert), it wasn't gonna beat Iggy and the boys. That being said, I must note that even though sometimes Joan's covers do fall a bit short of the original, a good number of them improve upon the one that came before it and not a single one of her original songs can be touched by others. Or at least that's the way it seems based upon the fact that I have yet to hear a cover of a Joan Jett song that has done the original justice (in fact most are downright offensive). But, anyway, here are the two versions of this song for comparison's sake. 

The Stooges original 

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts cover 

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 6

Five more suggestions for you, brought to you by me.

#1: "Walking On Broken Glass" - Annie Lennox. Feeling a little nostalgic, I guess, so here's one of my favorite childhood songs. Also, John Malkovich and Hugh Laurie in the same video? Magic.

#2: Exit Through the Gift Shop. Continuing with my documentary kick here, Exit Through the Gift Shop is one of the best I've seen on Netflix so far. At the outset, this seems like a straightforward documentary about the street art movement but it turns out to be a lot more. I don't want to spoil the twist at the end so all I'll say is, it's definitely worth the hour and a half.

#3: "Not Living At All" - Mr. Airplane Man. This is a great band and I feel like more people should know that about them (I wanted to post "Shakin' Around" but I couldn't find a video for it on YouTube, you should look up the song if you like this one, or even if you don't).

#4: This Film Is Not Yet Rated. Like Exit Through the Gift Shop, this is one of the best documentaries I've seen on Netflix in the past few weeks. This one covers the hypocrisy and agenda-pushing system behind the movie rating system in a very effective and entertaining way. It is pretty infuriating but in every way a documentary should be really.

#5: "59th Street Bridge Song" - Simon & Garfunkle. This just makes me happy.

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 5

Happy Friday, folks. Here are five more suggestions for those who still come around.

#1: "Because the Night" - Patti Smith. Patti Smith songs really need know explanation or justification, as far as I'm concerned.

#2: Following Sean. In the 60s, the director of this movie made a short film about a 4-year-old kid named Sean who lived in the apartment above his with his hippie parents in the Haight. Following Sean  is basically a follow-up to that short film where the director catches up with Sean 27 years later to see how he ended up. I definitely recommend this movie, but also, check out the original short film, Sean, on YouTube because it's adorable.

#3: "Blood" - Band of Skulls. I heard this song a couple weeks ago when I was out with a friend of mine and quickly realized I needed some Band of Skulls.

#4: The "Up" Series. These movies are fairly similar to Following Sean in that they catch up with the characters at different points in their lives. A British television special from 1964, the original "Up" film, Seven Up, documented a group of seven-year-olds from very different social backgrounds. Every seven years since, the film crew has come back for new films (7 Plus Seven, 21 Up, 28 Up, 35 Up, 42 Up and 49 Up, all on Netflix. 56 Up came out last year but is not on Netflix yet) to see where they all are and what their lives have become. Some stories are a little sad and some of the kids drop out at some point but it's very interesting to see the group as they move through their lives and see their aspirations come true or fall flat. But, be forewarned, there's a lot of repeat in each film so you might want to fast forward a bit.

#5: "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl" - Broken Social Scene. This is something I listened to a lot when I actually was a 17-year-old girl and still enjoy it whenever it comes up on shuffle.

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 4

Well, it's Friday folks and that means it's time for more Watchin' Stuff Lite. So, here are some recommendations for those who are interested.

#1: "Bang Bang" - Terry Reid. I'm really just a fan of Terry Reid across the board, in fact I might post more by him in the future, but for now I give you his version of "Bang Bang" because, although there are many good versions of this song, this is my favorite.

#2: First Position. In the last week or so I've been really into documentaries on Netflix and this is one of the best I've found thus far. I've had a bit of a dancing theme on this blog for a month or so unintentionally, and this movie falls in line with that. So, if you enjoy watching talented kids dedicate all their time to dance in order to make their dreams come true (as I apparently do), you should check out this documentary.

#3: "Anything, Anything" - Dramarama. I'm surprised I never played this song on the show because it's one of my favorites off of one of my favorite albums. But, at any rate, here it is.

#4: Craigslist Joe. Another documentary I watched this week, this one follows a man named Joe as he attempts to live for a month solely off of the goodness of people he meets on Craiglist. Though it might not sound terribly exciting from the outset, it's really very entertaining an endearing. Definitely worth a watch.

#5: "Sweet Thing" - Van Morrison. One of my favorite Van Morrison songs and a very nice one to fall asleep to.

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 3

All right folks. Here's a little more Watchin' Stuff Lite for everyone.

#1: "Accidents Never Happen" - Blondie. I didn't really play any Blondie on the actual show which was kind of an oversight on my part. This week I was listening to a bit of Eat to The Beat so I figured I'd put up one of my favorites off the album. Hope you enjoy.

#2: Tank Girl. I wish I could say I was cooler and have loved this movie since I was a kid but, alas, I just saw it for the first time this week. Can't say it was the best movie I've ever seen but it certainly does have a quality (and a great soundtrack) and it's definitely worth a watch, even if only to understand its cultural relevance.

#3: "Hall of Mirrors" - The Distillers. At some point near the end of the show I got the urge to put this song in an episode, unfortunately I never really found a good place for it so here it is for your listening pleasure.

#4: Django Unchained. Now, I'm sure everyone and their brother was raving about this one on your Facebook feed a couple weeks back so this isn't one of my best suggestions, but still. I'm just saying, it's not just hype, this was a legitimately good movie that is definitely worth a watch.

#5: "Blank Generation" - Richard Hell & the Voidiods. I've loved this song for years but had kind of forgotten about it until I heard it again in Tank Girl. Check it out, it's some good stuff.

The Parks and Recreation Drinking Game

All right, after several months without a new TV show drinking game, I present to you the official Watchin' Stuff Parks and Recreation drinking game! I hope you enjoy it with some Beer-yonce Knowles or some Jay-Zima.

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 2

Hello friends! I'm back with more suggestions for this week, with Watchin' Stuff Lite Vol. 2, where I suggest some TV shows, movies and music you should check out. And since I set the precedent of five suggestions last week, I'm thinking I'll take a cue from Carrie Brownstein's blog Monitor Mix and turn this into a bit of a Five For Friday thing. But anyway, without further ado, here are this week's suggestions:

#1: "Addicted" - Io Echo. Couldn't find a studio recording of this song on youtube but this should give you a good idea of what this band is like. A lot of their music is kinda hard to find but it's worth the effort.

#2: Now, I have to say, I usually try to stay away from suggesting reality shows because most of the time they're guilty pleasures and no matter how entertaining they may be, they don't command a lot of respect. But this week, both of my suggestions happen to be reality TV of some sort. First off is Catfish: The TV show. Based on Catfish the movie, this MTV show follows a guy named Nev as he attempts to help people in online relationships meet their virtual significant other face-to-face. Don't let the fact that this show is on MTV sway you because this is actually a pretty well made and intriguing show.

#3: "Black Leather" - The Runaways. I don't know how it's possible but I never actually played a full Runaways song on the show, so here is one of my favorites to rectify that a bit.

#4: Dance Moms, my second reality show suggestion of the day. I know it might seem like just another stupid reality show about moms exploiting their children, but it's not really. I mean, sure the moms are kind of living vicariously through their children and Abby Lee Miller is a very aggressive dance teacher. But at the end of the day, it's just a very entertaining show about crazy moms and their incredibly talented daughters. I'm sure it's not a show for everyone, but if you're one who enjoys the occasional reality show, you should check it out. 

#5: "I'm A Train" - Albert Hammond. A cute little 70s song I used to love and just recently rediscovered. 

Watchin' Stuff Lite: Vol. 1

Good evening, friends! So, despite the fact that Watchin' Stuff the radio show has come to an end, I figured that doesn't mean I can't continue to suggest things to those who visit the blog. And for that reason, I give you "Watchin' Stuff Lite" Vol. 1. A hint of Watchin' Stuff flavor without all the banter and games. Anyway, here are some things I thought I'd share:

#1: Here's a song I meant to play on the show at some point but didn't get a chance to.

"Hey" - Pixies

#2: Portlandia season 3 starts tonight, but while you wait, you should really check out the winter special, "Winter In Portlandia." It seems my favorite show hasn't lost it's touch and we're in for some fun this season. 

#3: Here's a song I'm kind of into. A little different than my usual plays on the show, but fun nonetheless. 

"Bad Girls" - M.I.A.

#4: The Supersizers Go..., available on hulu, find it and watch it. Introduced to me by "friend of the show" Chloe Holtzman, The Supersizers Go... is a British history/culinary show that follows a food critic, Giles Coren, and his comedian friend, Sue Perkins, as they attempt to live as people from various English time periods (although they do go to Ancient Rome and the French Revolution also) for a week. Although it is informative, it's also incredibly entertaining and always good for some laughs. 

#5: This tune I recently rediscovered. 

"English Rose" - The Jam