Live Chickenfoot

A new band in the last few years that I really dig is Chickenfoot. They have uploaded a live version of their cover of Jimi Hendrix' classic "Foxy Lady", recorded on April 24, 2010 at the 20th-anniversary celebration of Sammy's Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

I never got to see them live while they were supporting their first album so hopefully on their next tour I can, even if I have to go to Cabo San Lucas to do it. These live videos will have to do for now I guess. Check out their live DVD "Get Your Buzz on Live" sometime too.

Mr. Big Is Back

There's a new CD from Mr. Big called "What If..." that's out in Europe on January the 21st 2011 on Frontiers Records. This is the first video for the song "Undertow." It's going to be out sometime in February in the U.S. I believe.

Eric Martin - lead vocals
Paul Gilbert - lead & rhythm guitars
Billy Sheehan - bass guitar
Pat Torpey - drums, percussion

If you don't know... that's 4 very talented dudes right there.

It will be the band's first album since their 2009 reunion, their first album in 10 years since 2001's Actual Size and their first album with the original line-up featuring guitarist Paul Gilbert since 1996's Hey Man.

Program Alert... David Garrett on AETN

Tonight on PBS/AETN at 7:00 PM (central) is David Garrett "Rock Symphonies" and if you don't know who this dude is, I posted some info below. He's awesome.

David Garrett -- the best-selling new classical artist of 2009 -- brings listeners along on a roller coaster ride of genres colliding on his sophomore album, Rock Symphonies. Rock Symphonies displays Garrett's love of both classical and rock, marrying the two genres with a fierce intensity. Featuring new interpretations of his favorite rock anthems by U2, Nirvana, Metallica and Aerosmith to name a few, David's virtuosic violin playing shines through with precision and power, backed by his band and The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Rite Trailer

It seems like in the last few years that some studios have gotten in the habit of releasing some horror movies in January, sort of a dropping point for post Halloween films I guess. This new one from Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line called The Rite looks pretty good for this coming January 28th. It's a psychological thriller and it's got Anthony Hopkins and Rutger Hauer in it. Trailer and website below. Beware the dreaded "inspired by true events!!!!" Yeah, sure it is.

Synopsis: Inspired by true events, “The Rite” follows skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While he’s in Rome, Michael meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the darker side of his faith, uncovering the devil’s reach even to one of the holiest places on Earth.

www.TheRiteMovie.com

Sunday Funnies

Still Hungary?

Ektomorf was founded in 1993 in Mezökovacsháza, Hungary, a small city near the Romanian border. This is their new video clip "Last Fight" taken from their upcoming 9th studio album "Redemption", to be released on December 17th.

Dear Turkeys

I was trying to think of a good Thanksgiving video to post, so I'll dedicate this one to the turkeys. The wonderful, tasty turkeys. This is Ratt's new video for "Eat You Up Alive" from their Infestation CD. These guys have been around for decades now but as this song shows, they still rock. I think the whole CD is solid.

If you're a vegetarian or something, just dedicate this to your dressing or cranberry sauce or something I guess.

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes

Synopsis: Detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and his stalwart partner Watson (Jude Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.

I didn't think Guy Ritchie's directorial style would be a nice pairing with the legendary Sherlock Holmes, but actually the movie felt much fresher and more energetic than I expected. Part of that is probably due to an excellent performance by Robert Downey, Jr. but also the excellent action style of the film. It stays pretty true to the source material while giving it a modern-day shot of steroids.

It's also got a bit of The Da Vinci Code mixed with National Treasure and a touch of James Bond. There's some puzzle solving mixed with action, but Downey and Jude Law in the leads are a lot more fun than either Nic Cage or Tom Hanks in my opinion and have a great chemistry. I'm also a fan of sexy Rachael McAdams, who is great in her (too) limited screen time.

It's a definite re-imagining of the Sherlock Holmes character but still feels true to the source while being fresh. A lot of it looks old-fashioned but at the same time feels modern. Does that make sense? Of course not. Just trust me!

Overall, it's not incredibly original but it's a very entertaining, stylish film. Think an ADD version Lethal Weapon style buddy flick circa old school London. Bingo.

7.5/10

Jimmy Kimmel Pulls A Train

Train was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and they performed "Marry Me" and "Hey Soul Sister" from their fifth studio album, Save Me San Francisco. I posted both videos below for your viewing pleasure.

Black Tuesday?

Is that racist? Can I say Black Tuesday? I mean it's the Tuesday before Black Friday, so yes... yes I can say it. We are getting close to the annual shopping brawl, so there are a few goodies out today that I'm going to recommend. As for myself, I'm fully aware that Amazon.com matches most of the big deals on electronics all day Friday so forget the long lines and silliness and bless The_Internets. Oh, and the US Postal service.

Here's some good new stuff for ya, with a couple of hidden gems:

* The Expendables DVD (Sly Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture and a partridge in a pear tree)

* David "Rock" Feinstein ~ "Bitten By the Beast" CD (features one of the last recordings of Ronnie James Dio, on "Metal Will Never Die")

* haarp ~ "The Filth" MP3 (New Orleans heavy metal group, on Philip Anselmo's Housecore label)

* Yngwie Malmsteem ~ "Relentless" CD (vocals from Tim "Ripper" Owens)

* My Chemical Romance ~ "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" (see blog here)

* The Disappearance of Alice Creed DVD (crime/thriller with Gemma Arterton)

* Splatterhouse VG (PS3,X360... not for the kids)

High Speed Bus Plan

President Obama's proposed high-speed train system will be replaced with a fleet of buses that will rocket along highways at speeds up to 165 mph.


Obama Replaces Costly High-Speed Rail Plan With High-Speed Bus Plan

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1

Synopsis: As Harry, Ron and Hermione race against time and evil to destroy the Horcruxes, they uncover the existence of three most powerful objects in the wizarding world: the Deathly Hallows.

So for starters, let's face it, the Harry Potter movies ceased to be for young kids a long time ago. Never is this more evident than with this latest film. Gone are the whimsical days of a good game of quiddich or a spell cast to make you puke slugs. Now, spells are cast with deadly intentions and the characters are young adults facing live and death decisions. This film is dark and wicked with a lot of evil and death.

I feel as though I watched the 3 young stars grow up, and in a way I have. At least as these 7 movies have gone. Daniel Radcliffe as Harry has improved tremendously since he first appeared on screen way back in the first movie. He's got a range of emotions and is very believable and likable. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley finally gets an opportunity to show some personality beyond being perplexed or whining and does his best work. And Emma Watson as Hermione Granger seems to me to be the one with the biggest future on the big screen past this franchise.

Again, what's missing here is a lot of fun. There's no trip to Hogwart's. No fun magic classes. No time spent in the great hall. And I've always loved all the magical creatures like hippogriffs, dragons, giant spiders and car-smashing trees, but there's not much of that here. There's are a lot of words however as it's very plot heavy. This is the political world of Harry Potter. Yes there are still some action sequences and the awesome Dobby the house elf makes an appearance, but things are just scarier and more serious.

In summary, if you've followed the films (I've watched the first 6 in the last week) then it'll all make sense and as movies go it's very well done and entertaining. But if you're new to the franchise most of it will mean little and on it's own it's not a real fun, cheery movie by any means.

8/10

Sunday Funnies

Spartacus Returns! (sort of)

OK, so Spartacus: Gods of the Arena is actually a prequel and won't feature our favorite Thracian gladiator, but it's still pretty cool looking. I have a hunch that there shall be violence, blood and nudity a plenty. Plus, it's all we've got as far as new episodes so you might as well live with it. It premieres Jan 21st 10pm e/p only on Starz.

Synopsis: The House of Batiatus is on the rise, basking in the glow of its infamous champion Gannicus. Poised to overthrow his father and take control a young Batiatus will freely betray anyone to ensure his gladiators are in the highest demand. With his loyal and calculating wife Lucretia by his side, they will stop at nothing to deceive the masses in this audacious prequel to "Spartacus: Blood and Sand."

http://www.starz.com/spartacus

UFC 123 Tonight

I think it's a pretty decent card tonight from Michigan for UFC 123: Rampage vs. Machida. Overall no single fight is really a main eventer in my opinion, but the top 2 fights are both pretty exciting match-ups. I guess it's just the fact that there are no belts on the line that sort of has me feeling "meh" about the whole thing.

Here's the main card on PPV:

* Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida
* Matt Hughes vs. B.J. Penn
* Joe Lauzon vs. George Sotiropoulos
* Tim Boetsch vs. Phil Davis
* Maiquel Falcao vs. Gerald Harris

And the prelims on Spike TV:

* Matt Brown vs. Brian Foster
* Mark Munoz vs. Aaron Simpson

Let's start with Matt Hughes vs B.J. Penn. This will be their third fight and it's 1-1 between them but after Hughes beat BJ at UFC 63 he dropped the title and 3 out of his next 4 fights. Then just when I thought he was done and just having 1 more fight with Matt Serra, he beat him and then stopped Renzo Gracie and Ricardo Almeida, wowing me a bit in the process. BJ has lost 2 straight decisions to Frankie Edgar though and the first cost him the title. Is Frankie just a bad match-up for BJ? Or is he as uninterested as he seems? He's lost 3 out of his last 5 fights. See what I mean? A good fight... should be. A co-main event? I don't think so.

Then there's Rampage vs Machida, 2 former champs. Rampage just got beat by Rashad Evans and the fight before that went the distance with Jardine, and although that was a great fight it seems everybody has been knocking Jardine out and he's not even in the UFC any more. What worries me more is that in Rampage's last 5 fights, 4 have gone the distance and 2 of those were 5 rounders. Machida just lost the belt after getting destroyed by Maurício Rua and while he won the fight before that according to the judges... he really didn't. So really he's on a 2 fight losing streak himself.

So... fun, interesting fights? I think so, just no main event really. I'll be watching though. Lots of good young, hungry guys on the undercard and the winners of the co-main events will be back in the long line for title shots at least.

Here's some videos to get you ready:

More Season's Beatings!

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I liked a bit more "offbeat" holiday movies and gave a preview for an upcoming film called Rare Exports. I figured that would hold me over for another Christmas season since very few films of this type come out. So imagine my surprise to find another really cool looking horror film coming out this year. It's called Sint (Official Site) and it's a Dutch film that's breaking records at their box office already. No word on if/when it's coming here but I'll be watching for it to at least make a DVD appearance by next year.

Now I don't know much about Dutch holiday folklore and traditions, but I've read that their dude Sinterklaas is comparable to the English Santa Claus. This film seems to turn him around as a murderous ghost who kidnaps and murders children when there is a full moon that falls on December 5th. The Sinterklaas feast celebrates the name day, Dec 6th, of Saint Nicholas (280–342), patron saint of children and sailors.

Sounds like a cross between Santa's Slay and A Nightmare on Elm Street.



Sint - English Subtitled Trailer
Uploaded by dreadcentral

My Chemical Romance on Late

My Chemical Romance was on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and they played "Sing" and "Na Na Na"... check 'em out below. Their new CD, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, is out next week.

Satriani Still Smokes

Just in case it slipped your mind that Joe Satriani is one of the greatest guitarists on earth, here's the official video for "Light Years Away", the first single from his 14th and latest studio album "Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards".



Directed/Edited by Jon Luini and Arthur Rosato. Shot by Jon Luini, Chris Sentovich, and Boris Karpman.

For more information about Joe, visit http://www.satriani.com/

Keith Urban Documentary

I came across this very cool 30 minute Keith Urban behind the scenes video on Hulu.com of him recording his new CD, Get Closer, and a bit about the flood that decimated Nashville.

Count Me In: An Insider Look

New Video From Disturbed

Here's a pretty weird video from Disturbed for their song "The Animal," the third single off of Asylum.



© 2010 WMG
Disturbed - "The Animal"
Official Music Video
http://www.disturbed1.com

Frank Mir Training

I came across this very cool training video of former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir with Pop Evil's killer new single "Last Man Standing" as the soundtrack. Check it out.

Hump Day Funnies