Sunday reads

... A rainy Father's Day ...

... Kates and I visited her parents and took them out to IHOP for brunch ...

... and the rain canceled my baseball game, so I took advantage of my free time be falling asleep on the couch.

Here's a few of my favorite reads from the past week, or two ...

a Fiona Apple finds comfort on stage
a Dixie Chicks `Not Ready to Make Nice' ... Their new one is top-notch, and I couldn't be more happy with the fact their music is selling again, and the girls are getting the coverage they deserve, even for speaking their minds ...
a Sgt. Pepper Returns
a Superman: Gay Icon? Christ Figure?
a Bonds, Pujols Could Make for Quite a Show
a How things fell apart in Kansas City ... this article says otherwise, but I've always thought things started falling apart the day the Royals hired Allard Baird. ...Trading away Jermain Dye, Johnny Damon? Seriously.

Music’s big night

Less than 24 hours to go. Yes, folks, these are my Oscars, if you will. Forget movies, forget the Foreign Press, forget all the talk about who’s dress is hot and who’s not. In my mind, this is the only awards show worth watching and the night I wait for each February.

So without further ado, here’s the predictions from the AP music writers ...

And then mine …

Record of the year ...
Horns: Moody’s probably right but you can’t deny the crazy amount of time ‘Golddigger’ spent on the charts and it’s mongo catchiness. Plus, Kanye has been a critical darling since before last year’s Grammy’s and I can’t foresee voters rewarding the cartoony (not to mention the headachy) Gorillaz.

Album of the year …
Horns: I gotta lean with Bauder on this one. I don’t care how many octaves Mariah can sing, I’m surprised the album has sold as well as it has. About Stefani and Kanye … yeah. And McCartney’s album was good, but overrated. …and I haven’t the heard the U2 album, sooooooo …

Song of the year …
Horns: Nekesha, you couldn’t have said it better. … I can’t recall Springsteen’s song and, not being a big Springsteen fan, I’m not about to go download it on iTunes. All I ask, Grammy voters, pleeeease don’t give it to John Legend. ‘Ordinary People’ is the most overrated song of the year, and I can’t understand why people are still talking about it.

New artist …
Horns: How can you possibly predict John Legend will be around in 10 years? Keane is alright, but Fallout Boy has a lot more potential.

Female pop vocal performance ...
Horns: Hands down. Kelly Clarkson should walk away with this one for ‘Since U Been Gone.’ Once it’s in your head, it refuses to let go. Her performance of it is powerful. And yes, it should have been up for record of the year. … the whole album is pretty good too (see album of the year).

Male pop vocal performance ...
I’ve only heard ‘Fine Line’ and ‘Lonely No More.’ I’m a huge Rob Thomas fan and he’s one of the greatest musical minds of his era, but I think ‘Fine Line’ is a better song.

Album of the year ...
This is a tough one because I adore Fiona’s ‘Extraordinary Machine’ and Sheryl Crow’s ‘Wildflower’ (who you calling dull, Bauder!?) The other contestants are good, but ‘Machine’ is by far the more creative and imaginative album. And that’s why it’s been playing in my office stereo for the last two weeks.

Rock album ...
I'd love to see Coldplay in a landslide … but U2’s legend, unfortunately, may loom to large.

R&B album ...
Don’t know, don’t really care.

Rap album ...
Eminem and Kanye’s stuff has been good. I’ll go with Kanye.

Country album ...
Another don’t know, don’t care. But I will say Faith Hill’s ‘Fireflies’ is awful compared to her more memorable work.

Alternative music album ...
Blah, blah, blah. (I’d like to see it go to Death Cab For Cutie).

And while we’re on the subject …

…Another cool episode of ‘Love Monkey’ tonight. I gotta find some of that Wayne kid’s music (Although I know his real name’s not Wayne …) It’s got a sweet beat.

…Tonight’s 'Scrubs' episodes also had a catchy soundtrack … not to mention they were HA-larious and they featured the adorable and talented Mandy Moore -- aka Zach Braff's significant other.

… And finally, an interesting revelation. But does anyone think the music execs care really care what the consumers think? Shaaa right. ...At least, the return to singles is kind of refreshing.

Fiona's machine

I knew only one thing would pull me off my Imogen Heap kick. And today it happened. Fiona Apple’s ‘Extraordinary Machine’ arrived on my doorstep.

I fell in love with it on the first listen.

I never got caught up in the whole ‘Free Fiona' thing. And I wasn’t one of the fanatics that downloaded the shelved version of ’Machine’ from the Internet. …But I have missed Fiona nevertheless, and this album has me thrilled she came back from her six-year vacation ….

Back are Fiona’s classic, bouncy piano, the soaring strings and cutting voice. And the lyrics -- oh, the lyrics -- are as mature, clever, and yet humorous, as ever, starting with the opening title track (which sounds like it belongs in an animated Disney film -- and I mean that in a good way…) …

I certainly haven’t been shopping for any new shoes
-And-
I certainly haven’t been spreading myself around
I still only travel by foot and by foot, it’s a slow climb,
But I’m good at being uncomfortable, so
I can’t stop changing all the time

OK, so maybe you have to hear the music behind them to appreciate the lyrics. But believe when I say this: it’s good stuff.

iPod dreamin'

So close …

As Kates was coming to wake me up this morning I was in the middle of a vivid dream involving Joel agreeing to buy me an iPod if I washed his car. Kates woke me up just as I was sitting down in front of a computer -- I think it was an iMac -- and showing Joel exactly what type of an iPod I wanted …

And then I woke up. … and groaned in disgust that my dream was over …

The dream (and the obsession) continues …

* * *

I rediscovered Fiona Apple this summer … I’d acquired her Tidal CD several years ago and it fell to the bottom of my CD stack after only a few listens until I pulled it out this summer in one of those crazy-cool moods when you long to hear anything but the packaged pop crap that gets played over and over and over and over on the radio … The decision had me listening to ‘Tidal’ this summer about as much as I listened to ’Songs for Silverman.’ = A LOT. …And during one play I said to Kates, ’Whatever happened to Fiona Apple?’ … It was like a week later that I learned about the illustrious ’freefiona’ campaign and her soon-to-be released and long-awaited new album …

Today, one of my cohorts lays the latest edition of ‘Entertainment Weekly’ on my desk and, lo and behold, there’s Fiona on the cover with Sheryl Crow. Awww yeah. … I immediately read the cover story and enjoyed every word. She’s an amazing talent, in my opinion, who’s simply misunderstood -- and under a lot of pressure. I think it’s cool that she took so much time off and I hope she continues to record her songs her way …

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10.06.05 UPDATE: Fiona Apple's long, tortured trip to musical happiness

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Ok. ‘Lost’ last night -- the best part was like the last 20 seconds when we actually got to see ’the others.’ … Sure, it was cool to see all the stuff that wasn’t shown in last week’s episode (a la Kate being tied up and crawling through the heat duct while Locke negotiates with the crazy man and before Jack even enters the hatch’). But seriously, spending half the show with Michael and Sawyer arguing on the raft about whose fault it was that they shot off the flair, lost their boat and Walt was kidnapped was a little much …

… the 'Will & Grace' live premiere? Awesome … I was amazed and impressed with how well the cast kept their focus in front of the live audience -- although Debra Messing did break into a giggle fit a couple times including one bit with Sean Hayes that deserved a good laugh. Plus the show played up a couple gimmicks and political jokes for the live audience …

Grace: "I'm just going to close my eyes and do what I want. Ha! I'm George Bush!"

* * *

The White Sox clinched today …. Yay. They’re the hometown team, but geez, it would’ve been pretty sweet to see the Indians come back and put ‘em away ….

I guess Ozzie finally got his guys motivated: “Most of these guys have never been in this situation, but I have, and I have to lead them. You might want to go to your room, call your mom and cry, but when you come to the ballpark and put on the uniform, you have to be a man. I have 30 men to lead.”

I still hate the White Sox broadcaster's homerun call with a passion ...You can put it on the board -- blah!

Here's a couple good Sox stories...

a 3 nights in September

a The White Sox, baseball's other historically pathetic team

a Falling White Sox can't win for losing

* * *

Four people were found dead today in a suburban Chicago subdivision where Kates student taught …

CRA-zy!

* * *

By the way, no burnt popcorn tonight … woo hoo!