From Becsters: Someone from the Gyno Colleges called, they said the Pabst beer was normal.

So my show list has been updated yet again, due to the fact I can’t make SO many of the shows because of rehearsal demands. I’ve kept on 3 shows I’ll probably try to push and make since they’re gonna be AWESOME.

September 4: Electric Zoo Music Festival.
September 17: Biffy Clyro at North Star Bar.
September 18: Sea Wolf at North Star Bar.
*September 23: Andrew Belle, Joey Ryan, Paula Valstein, Jay Nash and Amber Rubarth at World Cafe Live.
September 26: Gabriela Martinez at the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.
*September 30: Stars at the Troc.
October 15: Ingrid Michaelson at the Troc.
October 16: Sara Bareilles/Greg Laswell/Holly Conlan at the Troc.
*October 17: Yo-Yo Ma and Kathryn Stott at the Kimmel Center.
October 22: Guster at the Electric Factory.
October 23: Phoenix at the Tower Theater.
October 29: K-OS at the North Star Bar.
November 9: Dala at World Cafe Live OR La Roux at the Troc.
November 10: Sufjan Stevens at the Academy of Music.
November 19: The Frames at the TLA.
November 21: Brooke Fraser at World Cafe Live.

This version from The Baseballs just edges out Biffy Clyro and Mechanical Bride for my favorite rendition(s) of Umbrella. Rihanna’s original is pretty low on the list now. I so love rockabilly.

After a 3-hour jaunt to Eulogy the other day with Airplanes, I was feeling upbeat about a few things. 1) Life is good. 2) So many ideas for songs for the “musical” or my scrapbin to pull out the next time I promise to write a musical with someone… too bad I’ve forgotten half of the song ideas since I didn’t write anything down. Even as I write this I regret not opening up Finale… but I’m not motivated enough right at this point. I’m going to invest in a tape recorder, so I will be purchasing one. Soon. 3) I had a beer that tasted like malt vinegar – and I didn’t mind. 4) I need a good fight every now and then.

I’ve got Into the Woods. So I’ll be at Penn like every night, again. I’ve got 6 weeks to whip a huge cast into shape, musically. Plus the pit. I groan at the thought of the work involved. Groan, I tell you. But I’m excited. Really. Also, a real decent idea for the setting of the “musical.” I’m putting it in quotations until we actually do something solid on it. I wanted to take a musical writing class from Lowdermilk this fall, but classes are on Thursdays during rehearsal. Boo hiss. Here’s to the spring semester?

I would like to see Rachel Bloom do more standup (I’ve seen her short clip which was moving not because the material was really hilarious, but she had really good flow and had incisive comments about a lot of topics that kept me entertained. No “who I saw on the subway” bits, no sex jokes, no “’so how bout these internets these days” anecdotes… all that usual i’m-a-comedian-on-the-club-circuit-give-me-my-$150-so-I-can-afford-gas-to-my-next-gig-I-look-tired-of-my-material-that’s-all-good-night-folks. And few comics actually talk about art!). Coincidentally, I happen to think she’s really cute. I also know that she really is cute because a lesbian told me so. They’re usually right about hot women. Thank god the song wasn’t about Gary Gygax, that might have been going a bit far.

Electric Zoo is coming up real soon. I’m psyched. Though I am mad I can’t make the Sunday show, meaning I miss out on XXXChange, A-Trak, Diplo, Fedde Le Grand and Boys Noize. Son of a… by the way, that version of Superfresh (Boys Noize ft. KO the Legend and Afari) that they used on the Fanboyz episode of The LXD… HOT. Download it. I’m about 3/4 done a (mostly) electro mix that I’ll post soon. Here’s a track I needed to get on there. Love it.

1. Arcade Fire, Spoon. Amazing company, amazing show. Spoon played all their Transference album, which was good, but I’d have preferred them to ALSO play some of their old stuff. Arcade Fire does actually rock live, and them ending the show with Keep the Car Running and Tunnels blew my mind. I did like the recorded Tunnels better than their live version, but on the other hand, the energy they had was palpable and definitely impressed. The girl did this weird skip dance around the stage every time she had a number, kinda like she didn’t know what to do with herself. Apparently I now have a concert buddy, which is awesome – I need someone to go to more classical shows with anyways, since I’m rediscovering my liking for classical music. And she’s not opposed to bluegrass. I like shows at the Mann Center, I’ve decided.

Speaking of classical, Melanie Laurent playing a classical violinist? Hot. She’s hot. The finale of The Concert is her soloing with the fake Bolshoi Symphony (actually the Budapest Symphony Orchestra with unknown soloist… finding out the info is damn hard for some reason), and it’s a pretty amazing piece. Killer for the violinist, especially.

2. Kadawatha, New Found Glory, Tegan and Sara, Paramore. Aside from annoying preteens, an actually good show. Penn’s Landing, as always. Really liked Kadawatha. They are a Swedish band whose lead singer is a Sri Lankan who has a good rock voice with a nice high range. They got only a little bit of applause, but what can you expect from teens who only cheer if they know the band, not if they’re actually good? New Found Glory is not that great live but they have a shit ton of energy and can pull you in regardless. I finished being like wow, they’re charismatic. And then I realized later that musically, they were eh. Oh well. Tegan and Sara played all their new stuff which is a lot more rock-based and much more produced than their older stuff. I didn’t mind, but I did want to hear some of the older stuff that I latched on to them for to begin with! (Torontonians unite… Arcade Fire, and then Tegan and Sara…) A few people fainted in the front, it was so hot. Tegan stops the whole band in the middle of a song, sprays water on a few people in the front, calls off a fight and points out the faintees, and then starts up again. I think that won them some extra applause. Paramore was great, as expected. Really pleased to hear all songs off the new album, since it’s much more… introspective? They did most of those numbers during an acoustic set in the middle, which was just awesome. Hayley pulled out a cover of Loretta Lynn’s “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)” along with guitarist Josh as backup. Then, the whole band sat together for the acoustic set, which was kinda like seeing them in a small hall as the venue. Intimate, great songs (Misguided Ghosts was killer) and almost perfect… those annoying kids again, cheering THROUGH the music and not actually listening. I was like WTF you’re louder than she is. Some lucky girl was called up, shared the mic with Hayley for the last half of Misery Business (soloing at the climax of the song in the midst of a confetti shower… geez, what a rush) and then got some free shit. Even I was jealous. And a lot of biker types hangin out and rockin to Ignorance and their “harder” songs, that was kinda funny to watch. A lot of lesbians making out. A tidbit: Paramore played at Pontiac Grill their first few times through Philly. Too bad that place is now gone, and hardly any of their current fans will ever realize what it used to be.

Kadawatha playing Agape.

3. Getting real drunk at Drinkers Pub with a couple hot nurses and some cute Cali chick who saved the day with a lighter. They played Home, by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros… that was just mindblowing.

Saudi Arabia and UAE banning Blackberrys because of inability to crack call encryption for monitoring purposes. India also considering ban. Indonesian government instituting online porn ban in 4 days due to pressure from Muslim groups. The leaders of those groups probably have a huge stash of porn in their closet already and figure they’re stocked well enough for the drought while they impose strict moral standards on everyone else. Cousin Louisa seeing Gaga for free at Lollapalooza. And I really wanted to go (not for Gaga), while she gets a free ticket.

Since I am going to a wedding this afternoon, this seemed the appropriate mix. Hooray for Christopher Rubino and Megan McGowan! Yes, I am a closet romantic. Stole My Heart is on the Amazon Kindle commercial. Sister Hazel actually has some good stuff beyond their most popular late 90s period. Carissa’s Wierd was a Seattle “chamber pop” band, one of the members went on to Band of Horses. They apparently didn’t know how to spell. Good to see Jennifer Knapp coming back with some good stuff. Ima see Katie Herzig live pretty soon, so am looking forward to that. The Lily Allen song has weird grammar but maybe that’s a Brit thing… “get a Chinese” rather than “get Chinese”? I assume she’s talking about Chinese food and not adopting a Chinese baby. The song has a nice cover by some UK kids choir, was listening to that the other day and it was utterly charming… possibly even a little better than the original.

Stole My Heart – Little & Ashley
Dead Hearts – Stars
You’re Not The Only One – Paul Thorn
What Kind Of Living – Sister Hazel
Raining In Me – The Benjy Davis Project
Lions – Samantha Crain
Chinese – Lily Allen
Princess – Lee Dewyze
Die – Carissa’s Wierd
Things I Used to Know – Riley Etheridge Jr.
Blue Sunshine – Blue Giant
Check Your Pocket – The Benjy Davis Project
Dive In – Jennifer Knapp
Wasted Daylight – Stars
Static Waves – Andrew Belle & Katie Herzig
Queen of the Lot – The Spring Standards
Heart To Tell – The Love Language
Smile with Candy Hearts – Clara C

First time at Tin Angel. Was there for Amy Regan, though I didn’t mind listening to Jer Coons as well. I played a bit of Jer Coons’ stuff from YT and it was okay – commenters pointed out he was on the Hollister store soundtracks and I could totally see how that would be. Amy’s voice was great but she had some guitar issues for some reason. I liked the 2 new songs she did; apparently, they’re not recorded yet so can’t get a copy of it. Oh wells. I did like her previous show more, as the piano was there and somehow it was more of a cozy feel? I mean, the room was fine acoustically speaking (and of course nice mic-ing), but the rowhouse feel to the room (long, not wide) definitely made it seem a little less cozy. Had a chat with her after the show, she’s real down to earth. Jer Coons was a little too self-deprecating. He’s funny but would have made a much better impression if he didn’t keep saying every 5 minutes how uncool he was. I know it was nerves, but still. His songs were okay, and I liked how he slyly threw in a line of Party in the USA to one of his songs. His cover of No Air (“No Chair”) was funny. I DID like his guitar playing though, much more than his vocal stuff (which I hate to label… but there’s a reason he’s playing on the Hollister soundtracks). During his last number, he went into somewhat of a jam session and it was real entertaining watching the fingerwork.

Her two-song recent release. This time with a cover. And an autograph.

Jer Coons doing Legs. Is it bad that I think John Mayer?

Two treatments of Don’t Stop Believin. I’m almost tired of the song, even though it’s so great. And I think I may not watch Glee when it comes back… I’m tired of that show already!

Just returned from Vegas. As usual, I stayed at the Wynn. Unlike 2 years ago when they gave me the 2nd-largest suite available in the Tower Suites, I just got a normal room but on the Encore side. Too bad. Though the room is of course really nice, with its large bath and spacious office and soft sheets and long entrance hallway and automatic curtain and lighting… blah blah blah par for luxury hotel. I am a creature of habit, and as usual, I went to dine at Bouchon while there. That place is freakin amazing. I love the salmon crevettes, as well as the monkfish cheek and the mussels in white wine, mustard and parsley. Their cheese selection is wonderful, and the wine list is usually very good. I’m crap with labels but the Pinot Gris I got was amazing, as was the Fonseca 20-year Tawny I got after dinner. Mmm. I also got a bite in at Bartolotta, another old standby. With the discounts and Wynn credit and of course the baby clams and lightly charred sea scallops (always on), I got served. Yeah. Amazing dessert with figs, and the Italian-Polish server with the smile that looked like it was gonna break her face after having it on so wide for a whole hour…. hot potato man. She could suggest you jump off a bridge and you’d do it just to see her crack an even bigger smile.

I was in Vegas for Affiliate Summit West, and work definitely got done. Lots of meetings with old colleagues and business partners, and lots of introductions with new ones. The Meet Market and Exhibit Hall seemed smaller than usual (less vendors) but the amount of people attending was much higher than last year. Is that a good sign? It doesn’t prove that business is necessarily better. My hypothesis is that companies are being cheaper than usual which would explain lesser vendors, but companies also need to generate more sales and they can’t do that without exposure, thus necessitating sending more staff (or even attending if they haven’t before) to scour the crowd for new leads and opportunities. This theory is backed up further by the quality and number of parties. Overall, there were less parties, and aside from one exception, all the parties were at the cheaper venues and didn’t require hiring celebrity guests. The one exception was COPEAC blowing immense cash on a night out at Tryst at the Wynn and then XS for latenight at the Encore. Luckily for me, I was able to get to the hottest parties: Tryst was nice, as were the Neverblue and Epic Ads private parties at different suites at the Palms. The Epic Ads party was in the Hugh Hefner suite, a pretty nice two-level residence with its own elevator, a rotating bed (upon which several hot hired models lay around in boob-enhancing Playboy bunny costumes all night, and were the subject of long lusty stares from us guys and at least one vengeful stare from a wife that happened to come along (bad idea, dumbass). Lots of pictures. The brunette… damn. There were lots of actual affiliate marketing hotties, but there were these two that were hanging on each other for a whole hour, shakin their booty in the glass elevator and running up and down the stairs drunk off their ass. The blonde made a return appearance in some REALLY nice haute couture dress (kind of out of place for a club-type party) and then made a big exit with her brunette pal – with a big wink to me, as I was definitely watching them leave. The bouncer made an “ooooh” face. For realz. Though Erin from Epic got me on the guest list for that one, it took some slick moves to get past the downstairs bouncer. I got some drunk dude to vouch for me, and then at the actual suite, I got a wristband from Guppy so I could slide past the actual party bouncer since guest list dude was off getting some action. Getting in was even more gratifying after seeing the party, and then seeing all these people that I knew NOT get in (perhaps if they thinned out their huge crowd of guys…). Since we spread our action out among many, many different networks, we’re not the highest rollers that the parties are meant for (ie. exclusively bringing traffic to only one of these networks), so I really appreciate being able to get into all the private parties. Connections are key, and yes, that’s for business, but it makes all the diff when you’re in Vegas and need something to up your PR ante above the bullshit spouted by all those other guys (“yeah had an awesome time last night with some hookers that were like ballet dancers and then some hot action at the tables”… read, horseface motel hoes and down $8k at the Hard Rock poker tables against some podunk tourist with no actual bluffing skillz).

Getting into New York on Friday was hellish. The ride took 3 and a half hours, with 20 minutes spent going approximately 2 blocks by Penn Station. There were a couple Glee Clubbers on board who, after rushing down to Hunter College, were unable to make it on time and had to go on second act. Club sounded good on Friday, aside from a generally weak performance of the Soldiers’ Chorus from Faust. They had enough people for a grander sound, but what came out was weak and sounded more like a high school chorus doing it like they didn’t really wanna do it (which is not good, obviously). Also, accompanists need to be in shape! Practice, practice! Lachrymosa was nice and depressing, and the second act was generally impressive. After the show, we went up to Dan Pincus’ new apartment. Amazing place, huge square footage in the West Village, and neighbors who were all amazingly rich. Apparently the neighbors had the same apartment but over two or 3 floors, sometimes without the ceilings – meaning so much “wasted” vertical space. The huge bay windows must have been amazing with the view and all… one dude owned a triplex as his residence, and then the entire 2nd floor as a private art gallery. Yeesh. Pincus does something in biotech? It was a little uncouth to ask further since he seemed a little reticent to answer questions like “how much did the place cost” etc. But through Eduardo, I learned he bought the place off the previous tenant, a supposedly unlikable Syrian. I noticed the mezuzah book on how to bless the house and secure doors in the traditional way. Though the doors didn’t all quite have the equipment yet, I noted it down and then identified the blessing sticks on all the doors in Reuven’s apartment. Getting into Reuven’s place was a bit of an adventure. We had trouble finding the apartment number, so it took us an extra 20 minutes to get that. And then once we were upstairs, we had trouble getting in! Thankfully, I got skillz with keys. A bit of levering and listening, and we were in (after everybody had already tried the keys and another 20 minutes later).

Blake, Feldman, Hayward and I at the Glee Club Fall Show 2006.

In the Heights is an amazing show. Hadn’t listened to the music previously, and knew pretty much nothing about it other than its composer’s name, who I also knew nothing about. The lighting guys did a kickass job, and the pit was outstanding. I went with Glee Club and apparently Club used all its connections to wrangle us a onstage pass and time with the cast. House time with the cast was arranged through David Vaughn, a GC alum that manages all the Nederlander theaters, and Eduardo Placer apparently worked with Doreen Montalvo (Abuela, Daniela, Camila) in a show in DC a few years ago. In any case, we got 30 minutes with that day’s Benny, Piragua Guy, Abuela (Doreen) and many of the dancers. We got in a couple good questions. Having been around since the first reading, Doreen had most to say about the show development. Nina used to have a brother, Vanessa used to have a more present mother and there were about 60 songs that were in the show at some point which didn’t make it into the final version that debuted off-Broadway. These songs were used in a cabaret they did last year, entitled “Junk in the Trunk” and referring to these 60 songs that went in a trunk after being tossed from the show. The composer had started the show during his sophomore year at Wesleyan and of his initial version, only the musical phrase “In Washington Heights” remained. I was looking up a fact about the show and ran into a tidbit about Universal adapting it into a movie musical to be directed by the guy that directed all the HSM movies. I don’t know if that’s good… but the composer is starring in the movie, so how far from his vision could it be? Release is hopefully this year. I learned about tracks and the guys that help coordinate the tracks – this is the path that all cast and crew must follow on and off the stage, including all actions they must complete and routes they must take to inconvenience the least amount of people. I’m sure physical awareness is an absolute MUST.

I am music-directing Quadramics’ production of Sweeney Todd playing the weekend of Spring Fling. I’m pretty excited – it’s a tough musical that calls for an extremely talented and versatile cast and a top-notch orchestra to go along with it. Hopefully I get both… personally, I prefer a more operatic show (since it fits so well within that style) but a pure-Broadway take on it is fine as well. EJ Baker is directing and Steven Mendoza is producing. Casting starts next week, and first rehearsals begin in February.

Saw Nine with Jess yesterday. Interesting movie, but problematic in certain ways. 1) Some dud songs… Nicole Kidman’s song? And what’s with her not sounding like her but like an octave-lower her? 2) Plot. There is none. Plot isn’t necessary but emotional arc should be sustained, which it isn’t. Nicole Kidman scene has no point. 3) Hot steamy sexual provocativeness is great and all, but it doesn’t work if it distracts from the point trying to be made. Unless hot women is the point. Which then makes it really shallow, and I might as well be watching porn. 4) Stop using Guido Contini and Italian/Italiano as lyrics. Those words are used so often, you remember nothing else. 5) I’m sure EVERYBODY was in love with Guido Contini. I guess it could be argued that Marshall was trying to display how vain Contini was, and that he should get over it? But the point is not strongly made, so this conclusion is not well-supported. In general, the “real” scenes were just as fake-feeling as the “fake” scenes, so this interweaving of dimensions doesn’t have any particular poignancy. I particularly liked Marion Cotillard (modeled after Audrey Hepburn perhaps? She’s almost a body double!), as she was the only real woman in the movie. Judi Dench was great but her character is purely standing on the sidelines – Marion has two great songs, and her striptease song (unlike all the other ones in the show) actually has a really strong point. It hurts. Supposedly the Broadway show made more sense than the movie did… for example, people complain that Marion’s “My Husband Makes Movies” song has much less pathos than it could have, because the original lyrics make the song more about her life rather than just her husband. But I guess it’s an artistic decision, focus it all on Guido, that egoist.

Avatar was as awesome as I thought it was going to be. Beautiful movie, and I think it was a compelling story. Yes, it was a little Pocahontas-like, but that may have been purposeful. The other stuff made the movie what it was though: clear characters with strong motivations, a mystical story that has some basis in science, a compelling conflict (with a good dose of moral indignation), and DRAGONS and MECHWARRIORS. Oh my god, I wanna be one of those hunter dudes with their extreme athleticism and daredevil flying through the floating mountain-filled-skies. And hot Navi chicks… what a nerd thing, of course. Can’t help but lovin those sexy aliens. That coincidentally have breasts and navels, humanoid features and modest coverings. Of course they’re 3 times as big as a human being, so any one of us would look like a baby in their large but slender arms. I want to see it again, in IMAX 3D. Would have seen it this time, but stupid IMAX was sold out. A small sidebar: Hooters before the movie. Wings were great (Malibu Beach and TMI are a good combo), the beer was fizzy and the chicks had something to grab and get arrested for harassment for(a notch up from last time). Yeah for misogynists.

A busy weekend ahead: Glee Club tomorrow, In the Heights (and backstage tour!) on Saturday, then Vegas on Sunday – Monday. I’m already tired just thinking about it.

Frankfurt, near the Stadel Museum.

A full work week and I still haven’t caught up with everything yet! So much left to do.

I started watching Defying Gravity (nothing to do with Wicked) and Misfits today. The first was a CTV show that aired on ABC and was cancelled after 8 episodes, despite being a good show. It happens to too many of my shows, and this one was actually quality. Not a soap opera, not a nerd show, not filler, with some good writing and a 3-season arc to the storyline that (to me) had great potential. Too bad it won’t happen. It’s about 8 astronauts going on a mission to Venus, and its tone is more character drama than scifi. The major dramatic relationship is that between mission control and the astronauts: what is communicated is based on what one thinks the other needs, and how mission control takes care to remove all psychologically troubling factors from view of the astronauts. For example, one character has a husband who drives his car into a girl, putting her into a coma. Mission Control covers it up and puts him back on post, ordering him not to say anything to make sure these stressors don’t affect the astronaut on board the ship. It’s a practical consideration – if an astronaut becomes unreliable, it’s 10 trillion dollars plus 7 other people’s lives on the line. The other dramatic relationships are the fodder to most dramas – husband and wife, man and girlfriend with ex still hanging around, the rude sexist nerd who may have a gentler side, struggles in faith within the devout, guilt issues with war and loss and secrets… Of course, there is the more scifi end, which revolves around the premise that there is a secret reason for the voyage other than the usual “explore X planet” and “one giant step for mankind” and all that. It’s not discussed till much later in the show, but apparently an alien being of some sort was found on Earth and all subsequent attempts to explore space after that point were to discover more things about the alien being. The alien being, however, is not visible to everybody and so those who don’t see it somehow feel cheated of some spiritual experience and alone in this feeling. This loneliness is compounded by being 30 million kilometers away in space with people who can’t possibly sympathize.

Defying Gravity.

On a less positive note, I want to offer a general criticism to scifi nerds. Scifi nerds don’t like dramas: they like lots of aliens, lots of phasers, little subtlety, and lots of hot alien chicks (versus hot human chicks) to see gratuitous love scenes with (as long as it’s not accompanied by the, ugh, emotions that go around that sort of thing…). The show got called Grey’s Astronomy by some smug scifi asshole and that’s just insulting – the fact that it has actual drama in it doesn’t immediately discredit the show. I read up on the torrent site forums and there’s so much hating going on. For example, comparison to Virtuality. It is slightly similar in that it’s on a spaceship with few people, but that one had a crazy AI doing psychotic stuff in VR (to keep the astronauts occupied during long travel). Other than that, there’s hardly anything to parallel. Yes, it was Ron Moore but that’s not an immediate in: I am looking forward to Caprica as that preview movie they made was exciting, but the Virtuality pilot was really boring – and probably why it didn’t get picked up by any network at all. Also, for some reason, I’m bugged by Clea DuVall.

The other show is on BBC4 and as yet, I’ve only watched the pilot episode. It follows 4 juvenile delinquents in the UK who are doing community service unwillingly and then get hit by lightning in a freak storm. The superpowers they get after that are not necessarily useful, and there’s almost nothing redeeming about any of the kids – so them ever being heroes is something extremely unlikely. It’s British TV so they’re loose with the Puritan morals. They have sex, they swear and they talk in thick enough accents that network TV producers would never allow. The casting is actually brilliant too, as is the costuming. The drugged up wanksta (who dies and is stuffed in a locker) totally fits the bill, as does the ugly chav slut (not as derogatory as it seems, as the characters refer to her as ugly, a chav and a slut), the arrogant little pissant that thinks he’s the shit but whom everybody hates and always will, a hot piece of ass that doesn’t know she otherwise boring as shit, a withdrawn type that could be emo or nerdy but falls short even in those regards and finally the black dude that was about to go to the bigtime with the Olympics but has regressed to being a nobody in juvie after getting caught with some blow. These 4 (living) characters have a lot of potential as they’ve already been assessed and found wanting even before they’ve actually done anything. These are characters that have a lot to prove to everybody. I like that, since a lot of shows have characters that are too high up in the socialization scale to count as real people. Sure, those shows include stereotyped losers that are there as comic relief, but they hardly ever risk enough to have all the characters there. So far, the invisible guy gets invisibility (which is already sadly affecting before they demonstrate it), the black dude can rewind time (which can’t be proven to anyone else, but he knows), the chav slut can hear what everybody is thinking (which is usually about her being a chav or a slut… even her dog) and the arrogant pissant knows he should have something but doesn’t actually seem to have a power yet. Maybe he never will. Like Kids (great movie btw), it’s pretty blunt and in a realistic style. It’s not over-dramatic as a Nick or Disney channel show about teens is, and it’s definitely not soap-opera social hot button drama like Degrassi. I like that kind of thing.

Other new entertainment things? There’s a live-action film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast the musical. Chuck is returning, Heroes is probably gonna get dumped soon (even though it’s the most downloaded show based on torrent volume… what a conundrum for TV economists when their most popular show is also their least popular show… on the bright side, American Idol has no resale value), White Collar is back as is Southland (on TNT, as NBC just makes bad decision after decision in relation to shows… nice going with the Jay Leno thing!). I hope Raising the Bar comes back, because I REALLY enjoy that show. I like shows that make me get really strong opinions.

Zuke just sneezed.