OPINION

Off Pitch is Off Target

Off Pitch: Wednesdays at 10pm Eastern on VH1

Glee (n.): 1. Exultant, High Spirited Joy. 2. A part-song for usually male voices. – Webster’s Dictionary.

In the last half decade or so, starting with the success of the Real Housewives series on Bravo, we have seen an increasing trend of cable networks taking the subject material of already successful shows and turning it into an inexpensive reality show to cash in on a trend (or sometimes if we’re lucky it will be an even cheaper reality knock off of an existing reality show). VH-1 continues this trend, trying to make real glee out of Off Pitch.

Off Pitch tells the tale of the Grand River Singers, an all-adult community choir that takes their inspiration not from the classics or A Capella street corner favorites, but rather from that cornerstone of modern music innovation, Glee. This year is a huge year for the Grand River Singers, as they intend on taking their show out of the tiny town of La Crosse, Wisconsin and on the road across the state. Off Pitch focuses most heavily on co-directors Tim and Rob who run the choir.

Our first episode goes delves into the group’s annual audition process. This process exists not only so that Tim and Rob can find new blood for the group, but also so that they can continually mold the group in their own image year after year. That image was best described by Rob not even three minutes in when he stated “we’re not looking for the best singers, we’re not looking for the best dancers, but we’re looking for the best personalities!”.

Much like American Idol’s audition process, we see our fair share of people whom either don’t sing well or ultimately sabotage their audition (one audition we heard most of the music, but only one line of actual singing, while another felt her voice was sabotaged because her chest got in the way). The current members end up at an equally brutal brush-up rehearsal before their last performance of the year in a county park. This leads to an incredibly nervous (and public) announcement of the current cast of the singers, which saw both more singers than the previous year and some incredibly misleading announcements (watching Rob toy with Josh, the only guy you end up wanting to thrive in the series was kinda heartbreaking).

Off Pitch is dangerously catty, however, verging on flat out mean spirited. While the Grand River singers are described as a family by some, it gets downright vicious at points, whether its’ Rob tearing apart his current singers in cutaways during each audition or even worse, calling out singer Greg on his weight (if the person in question is fat, than I’m morbidly obese). This cattiness is made worse however, when you consider that the stakes have been blown out of the water compared to similar shows. There’s no half-a-million dollar recording contract, there are no regionals or even sub-regionals. It’s doubtful that anyone in this group is getting paid to sing. In spite of that, the criticisms that the show provides of its’ singers solely exists to break them down when it seems like for many this should be a social and creative outlet that allows them to do what they enjoy.

The production crew doesn’t help matters, often focusing on sound snafus or bored patrons at a county park during their performances. One gets the vibe that the production staff is trying to get you to emotionally invest in it’s cast by emphasizing the weaknesses, which seems like a time-honored recipe for disaster. Finally, a major weakness of Off-Pitch is that it wants so bad to be Glee, but it’s only willing to show public domain musical standards (or really anything that doesn’t require a top-dollar royalty check) over the course of the episode that it takes away much of the advertised distinctiveness of the Grand River Singers.

The Final Verdict: While it’s interesting to see VH-1 put on a music related program, a rarity since the networks format switched to lists, I love the ____, and Celebreality a decade ago, Off Pitch still feels like it too has nothing to do with music. It’s downright mean-spirited, which is even worse considering the incredibly sensitive nature of the cast (I dare you to find me a cutaway where someone isn’t on the verge of tears). The worst indictment overall is that for something that wants to be Glee, it seems to miss the fun, joyful forest for the over-dramatic trees. Overall I recommend skipping this, and if someone can buy me a time machine so that I also can get my 22 minutes back, I wouldn’t complain.

Chatty Talk with Elise

by Elise Pentz

Hello & welcome back!! Let’s begin with the week(or weeks!) in review, shall we? !

Margaret Thatcher just recently passed away, at the age of 87. For those of you living under a rock, she was a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was a magnificent human being & may she rest in peace.

It’s a BOY for Milan Akerman & hubby Roberto Zincone & they named him Sebastian! 🙂 Congratulations to the new parents!!

Roberto Zincone and Malin Akerman — Credit: Starpulse.com

More great baby news as Backstreet Boys’ Kevin Richardson Expecting Second Child With Wife Kristin! Babies on the brain in hollywood!

Defiance Provides an Interesting Take on the Space Western

by Michael Tyminski

Defiance: Mondays, 9pm Eastern on SyFy

The televised sci-fi genre at it’s best is an exercise in world building. Large numbers of episodes combined with story lines that often require some degree of exploration require massive worlds, multiple races to inhabit those worlds, technology that those civilizations can wield, and traditions that seem foreign without entering the uncanny valley (unless of course, the writer deliberately wishes to emphasize that). It is from this tradition that Defiance emerges, it’s world having not only to be large enough to fit a TV show, but a full scale online third person shooter as well (the two are tied and marketed as equals, as opposed to one existing solely as a vehicle to profit off of the other).

Defiance is set in the slightly futuristic earth of the middle 21^st century, in Defiance, a town that was formerly St. Louis. Much has happened in the 30 years between our world, and theirs however: Aliens have landed on earth, bringing advanced technology. This led to eventual war between humans and the Votans that lasted well over a decade. 15 years after this war, Josh Nolan (Grant Bowler), returns to Defiance to see a lawless border town and becomes its’ chief lawman, trying to prevent all mayhem from breaking loose between humans, Votans, and military scavengers.

When reviewing any sort of sci-fi, my focus will immediately gravitate towards the visuals. Defiance definitely brings the sort of visual effects that one would expect from a show that mixes aliens and Mad Max. The show’s wide angle, ark, and space oriented shots are particularly breathtaking, often providing the sort of ethereal glow one would expect from alien technology. One minor quibble, and one anyone whose ever seen Star Wars will make though: doesn’t underground kingpin Datak Tarr’s (Tony Curran) heavy look a little too much like Chewbacca to be a coincidence? Similarly Irisa (Stephanie Leonidas) looks like a palate swapped Na’vi.

The pilot is incredibly entertaining, as it bounces around a number of areas and incredibly implausible scenarios, giving large amount of insight on a number of characters in a very short amount of time. While many of these characters seem to be cherry picked from your standard issue science fiction tropes (A roguish hero? I’ve never seen that before), Defiance also mixes in your fair share of political drama and story line between two rival families that seems straight out of Dallas. It is also incredibly well paced, taking advantage of its’ two hour time frame to create a story line more out of a movie than a TV show.

One thing I cannot knock is the acting. Most of the Votan seem slightly socially inept while being just human enough to survive in a world full of humans. Graham Greene and Tony Curran both click excellently as rival family heads looking to one up each other even though the Tarr’s control the metaphorical underworld and the Macauley’s control the literal underworld (mining). Similarly, Stephanie Leonidas does an incredible job portraying Irisa as an emotionally aloof and immature alien thrust into a situation much bigger than either she nor Nolan recognize it to be.

The Final Verdict: Defiance might be the closest thing I’ve seen to a live-action Cowboy Bebop that I’ve ever seen. While it seems to blatantly kidnap from aspects of the science fiction playbook (there’s a twist about ¾ of the way through that’s horrendously telegraphed because it happens to be an exact copy of a similar character’s arc in Star Wars), the novel aspects of the show (most notably the Hatfield-McCoy style rivalry of the Macauley’s and the Tarr’s, and Mayor Rosewater’s “little mayor that couldn’t” routine) are enough to distance those similarities into the back of your mind. It’s worth checking out if sci-fi is your sort of taste, though I have no idea what effect the tie-in with its’ video game will have in terms of the long term quality of the show.

On an unrelated note, I would like to take a minute to express my condolences for those whom were lost in Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing and wish a speedy recovery to those whom were injured. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards Red Carpet

by Ryan Shea

The 2013 MTV Movie Awards were last night at the fashion never fails to intrigue me. The MTV Movie Awards bring out all walks of the celebrity life. From movie stars to musicians to your favorite reality stars. There were a few great ensembles on the red carpet last night and, true to Movie Awards tradition, there were some outlandish fashion train wrecks!

Actress Crystal Reed looked classy and trendy in her coral and nude lace overlay dress. The bottom was pumped up with a tulle and looked like a beautiful tutu. And the nude pumps made her legs looking miles long!

Bridesmaids’ Melissa McCarthy rocked all black with gold accessories. I think the was a great pick for Melissa the funny girl looks slim and glowing!

Model Karlie Kloss’ all white skirt and crop top was sexy! The shoes were by far my favorite part of the outfit! I am obsessed with ankle straps right now! So chic.

My best dressed male goes to my secret crush … The legendary Taylor Hanson! He is so handsome and well dressed. This MMMbop boy surely grew into one handsome man.

And now for the worst of the worst … drum roll please !

Ke$ha…

What is this chick thinking? I think she is so talented and beautiful and yet she insists on looking like a hobo.

You would never believe this girl had hit songs almost every other month. Apparently hippies have gone goth, which is not a good look! I don’t know what the worst part of this look is … the hat … no the fringe vest … nope definitely the pants … This outfit is just all wrong!

This next one is really hard for me to do … I am absolutely head over heels with musician Macklemore. I think his style and look are perfection, most of the time. I love his swag and his ginger features! But his outfit last night was really disappointing. The royal blue did look cool but the cape was such a let down. I would have rathered a big fur jacket and a onesie.

Don’t worry though I still love you!

There’s always one who has to be a statement maker, and expecting it to be Lady Gaga again, I was surprised to see a burnt cigarette butt hat on Pitch Perfect’s Hana Mae Lee. Lee was one of my favorite characters in Pitch Perfect and her one liners were the most laughable moments in the movie. My favorite line “I ate my twin in the womb.” Befitting to her character’s, shall we say, uniqueness, Mae Lee rocks a interesting hat at the Movie Awards.

Last night’s MTV Movie Award fashion definitely had some note worthy looks. But the overall trend for the awards had to be the pointy toe pump. I have to say I was a little worried about this trend coming back but the new style of pointed toe pumps has a shorter point and is something I am actually excited to try out.

Kim Kardashian really was the first celebrity to rock this look when she stepped out in her neon green Loubitan’s. Last night she showed off her baby bump in a sleek black dress and black satin pointed toe stiletto’s.

Carrie actress Chloe Moretz kept it casual in a denim romper by Louis Vuitton and stunning t-strap pointed toe pumps. The shoes were the focal point in this outfit, beautiful!

Kim K in training younger sister Kylie Jenner looked fabulous in her nude pencil skirt and white crop top. The nude pointed toe heels were to die for! I am absolutely passionate about these pumps. I must go buy a pair now!!

I have to say, I am totally into trying out this re imagined trend. The only issue I have is after I take my shoes off at the end of the night they usually get thrown in a pile of my collection of shoes and then they get all smushed. After they are flattened enough you can never get your toe in right and if someone steps on it, forget it, a little heel dent can ruin a pair of pointed toe heels. Luckily in my never ending online shopping habit, I found the answer! http://www.tiptopshoesaver.com/ sells all different tools to keep your hoes in new condition. Their product, conveniently titled, The Tip Toe Shoe Saver, is a triangular piece that you insert into the toe area of a pointed toe shoe to keep the shape. I ordered a pair and can’t wait to use them in my new heels.

So all in all, I think the fashion at the MTV Movie Awards last night was interesting, but slightly disappointing. The one’s that got it right last night definitely brought in the Spring 2013 trends. White was big and nudes, as well. For accessories, I was happy to see the ankle stap and pointed toe heels were back and modern.

*Just on a side-note, I’d like to send my prayers out to the families involved in the tragic terrorist bombing at the 2013 Boston Marathon today. This is a sad and frightening event and if there is anyway I can help I will and hope my fellow Americans will do the same.

Album Review: James Blake – Overgrown

by Rio Toro

James Blake: Overgrown

Similar Artists: Joni Mitchell

Genre: Singer-Songwriter, R&B

Label: Polydor

Over the past two years, there is no album in my library that I have played as many times as James Blake’s eponymous debut album. For the record, I have listened to it upwards of 200 times, yet I have still been unable to release myself from its grasp. The sounds seem to always be in the back of my mind, haunting me to take one more listen. And how could I refuse such an offer? After all, each listen was sure to reveal yet another layer of Blake’s virtuosic keyboard playing and brilliantly designed chord patterns. Although upon its release, many referred to it as a singer-songwriter/dubstep hybrid, it actually exists outside both of those genres. After my long term examination, it is quite clear to me that James Blake was the best album of 2011. *Hands over award*

Unfortunately, many others do not share my opinion. As critically acclaimed as the album was, it also received a resounding amount of backlash. As a means of therapy I will release my anger at the tyrants who hated on James Blake now: Shame on you fools! How dare you say that the album is overly spacious and full of half-finished songs? Seriously…who do you people think you are? I should come over there and beat your whiny asses right now! And don’t even say that his EPs were better, because they don’t hold a candle to the beauty and originality of this full length! And so what if I’m an addict who needs psychological help? At least I can tell a good album when I hear it. Grrrrr……………..

Ahem, so anyway, you could understand my intense anticipation for his 2^nd full length. In hindsight, based on how rapidly this producer changes his artistic direction, I should have known that Overgrown wouldn’t consist of the same pleasures of his debut. Although this will be seen as a more subtle departure for him compared to his genre shifting string of 2010 EPs, this is without a doubt an entirely different beast than its predecessor.

Although we haven’t heard James Blake go full on dubstep since the very early days of his career, his music has always made it easy to identify him as one of the most talented bass producers in the world. This is not the case with Overgrown, as Mr. Blake is much more concerned with embracing his inner Joni Mitchell than repeating his previous successes. This relates to his newfound vocal prowess and song-writing ability. On the “Enough Thunder” EP, he released a wondrous cover of Joni’s “A Case of You”, and on this album it seems she has made her mark as one of his primary influences. In the relatively short time since James Blake, he has learned an astounding amount of vocal tricks; each one perfectly complementing his electronic palette. As nice as his voice was on James Blake, the real surprise there was that he knew how to sing at all. Here, he delivers a much more commanding and difficult performance that even overshadows his production.

Don’t get me wrong, the production is still stellar, but more often than not, the keyboards are used as leverage for the vocals rather than taking the lead. A large portion of the album represents shimmering minimalism evocative of cold desolate landscapes. As atmospheric as it is, Blake never truly shows off with his keyboard skills, instead, he has crafted a record that is much more moving and intimate than his previous work. Since many songs seem to relate to aspects of his own life, it will also most likely go down as his most personal.

Aside from the vocals, the album’s defining feature is the lyricism. Well over half the tracks have analysis worthy lyrics. I certainly don’t remember using the word provocative to describe a James Blake track before. Through “I am Sold”, Blake repeats the line /and we lay nocturnal, speculate what we feel/, later in the song, he brings up that we need a /constellation that shows us where we are/. The album’s main theme seems to be the inability to convey emotions. The album references this in regards to how we talk to other people as well as how we see ourselves. On the piano led “DLM”, Blake pleads /Don’t let me hurt you more, it’s at your stare and at your core/. On the album’s astronomical centerpiece “Retrograde”, Blake sings about finding ourselves by separating from the physical world /Suddenly I’m hit! It’s the Starkness of the Dawn, you’re friends are gone, and your friends won’t come, show me where you fit in/. It’s the album’s defining and most contemplative moment – it’s also the most profound thing Blake has written to date.

Oh yeah, and there’s also a RZA track that kinda, sorta ruins the mood, (although not as badly as you might expect) – but in the end, it’s not really worth dwelling over. James Blake has pulled off the impossible. Once again, he has made an album that exceeds our expectations – but not because we didn’t think he could do it, it’s because we didn’t know he could in the first place. Now we are left to ponder what other skills this mutant must have hidden up his sleeves. Here’s to finding out in 2015! *cheers*

Track Listing:

1.) Overgrown*

2.) I Am Sold*

3.) Life Round Here

4.) Take a Fall for Me (Feat. RZA.)

5.) Retrograde*

6.) DLM

7.) Digital Lion*

8.) Voyeur*

9.) To the Last

10.) Our Love Comes Back

* – Album Highlight

Is Macklemore the new Eminem?

by Ryan Shea

I don’t think that title is really premature in saying what a lot of people are thinking. Macklemore really can be the next Eminem if he plays his cards right. The Seattle native continues to take 2013 by storm again last night with his performance of his new single “Can’t Hold Us” featuring Ray Dalton at the 2013 MTV Movie Awards. Many said that was the highlight of the night and this is a freaking movie award show (then again it’s MTV, so we are lucky it wasn’t a Best Teen Mom Shore Buckwild Show).

Macklemore was known by many a hip-hop tastemakers for a while now but no one really understood who this guy was until late 2012 whe a song about a thrift shop came into play. Little do people know this guy, who turns 30 later this year, has been in the game for over a decade now, right around the time that Eminem broke through.

He released his first full fledged EP back in 2000 under the name “Professor Macklemore”. He quickly dropped the professor aspect of things but substance abuse plagued his chances of really becoming the star that he is today. These substances had him relapse on a number of occasions, most recently in 2011. Yet during this time he released some truly amazing music, such as “The Unplanned Mixtape” and “The VS Redux” in 2009 with his constant companion and DJ Ryan Lewis. That is some of his best work in my opinion, as you can tell what he was going through during that time.

Now with his album “The Heist” in full swing, “Thrift Shop” topping the charts for weeks and his subsequent song “Can’t Hold Us” climbing up the charts, we gotta wonder, is he the next big thing? The next Eminem? Let’s weigh this in and see.

Going beyond race, Eminem truly defines what an MC is and how, at least for my generation, he was our Kurt Cobain. He was our Elvis Presley, he was our Michael Jackson. He was a movement in itself for the simple fact that he went so far outside the boundary lines of what an artist is supposed to do and speak from his heart on what he was going on. “The Marshall Mathers LP” and “The Slim Shady LP” are in my opinion two of the best hip-hop albums ever with the former being the best one to be released in the new millennium. He has even impressed as a featured artist on other people’s tracks, most notably Drake’s “Forever”. He truly understands his gift of gab and uses it to its best extent.

What i just wrote is something that Macklemore is getting the hang of. “The Heist” is an amazing second album and is reminiscent of things that Eminem did. They both have that juxtaposition of being able to do funny songs (Thrift Shop) and then serious ones that really make you think (Wings). The stand out track here is “Same Love”, written in the support of same-sex marriage. It’s truly an amazingly written song and something really out of left field when it comes to a straight dude and hip-hop head writing about a very controversial topic. This can parlay to any of the controversial topics that Em wrote about, including anything from “Love The Way You Lie” about domestic violence and “Stan” about a deranged fan. Regardless, they make you think, something other rappers can’t seem to make you do.

So what is the verdict overall with this? Macklemore could no doubt be the next Eminem in my book. No doubt, even though he has been in the game for a minute, that he will be all over the Best New Artist categories at a ton of award shows and be on everyone’s forefront similarly to how Eminem is. Could they do a duet one day? Only one can hope. For me, he’s got it in him to go the long haul. Best of luck to him in the future.

Classic Titles: .hack

by Tim Morris

The PS2-era was saturated with RPGs of varying quality. We had Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, Kingdom Hearts (and its numerous remakes and spin-offs), Baldur’s Gate, Digimon, Grandia, Persona, Suikoden, and Xenosaga. Somewhat lost in all the big names of that generation was a little JRPG that could, and it was called .hack.

.hack//Infection, the first game entry in the series. Source: http://dothack.wikia.com — .hack//Infection, the first game entry in the series.
Source: http://dothack.wikia.com

Describing the .hack games is difficult to do with words; it’s really better to become acquainted with them through playing. In a nutshell, the .hack games simulate an MMORPG, or “massively multiplayer online role-playing game”. There are multiple MMO elements present here: mounts, trading with other players, the ability to ask your party members to perform certain actions, and a short mail system for forming parties. In this simulated MMO called The World, anomalies in the game cause unforeseen effects on its players, most notably that some players become comatose as a result of playing the game.

It’s worth noting that there are actually two separate series of .hack games for the PS2. There is Project .hack, which refers to the first four games: Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine. These games tell the story of Kite, who on his very first adventure in The World watched in horror as his friend Orca was killed by a bugged monster and rendered comatose in the real world. After his traumatizing experience, the game follows Kite’s investigation into Orca’s demise and his experiences with other player-characters. The second series, known as G.U., consists of three games: Rebirth, Reminisce, and Redemption. G.U. chronicles the adventures of Haseo, who seeks revenge on the mysterious Tri-Edge for killing his friend Shino in-game and causing her to become comatose. Both sets of games rely heavily on their stories to hook players, but the gameplay is not to be overlooked.

Gameplay from .hack//Infection Source: Gamespot — Gameplay from .hack//Infection
Source: Gamespot

When it comes to game mechanics and the like, if you enjoyed Kingdom Hearts, you’ll probably enjoy .hack‘s seven offerings. Fans of turn-based RPGs need not apply, as .hack is a real-time, action-based effort. However, the control afforded to players in .hack was unparalleled for its time. There are general commands that will tell your AI-controlled party members to use their skills, heal, only attack with magic or physically, or use an item to warp you out of a dungeon. That sort of control is nice enough, but then it goes far deeper. You can tell a particular teammate to attack a specific enemy and even dictate to them which skill or spell you want them to use. Ultimately, the system allows you to approach a battle in any number of ways and rarely are you shoehorned into using a single method to take out a monster.

The timeline of the .hack franchise actually begins with a novel, called Epitaph of Twilight. There are also a number of manga, anime, and OVA works in the series to seek out. As far as which of these you need to experience (in addition to the games) to get a better understanding of the universe, the two major anime series, .hack//SIGN and .hack//Roots, are required viewing. You really need to see both of them to get a better understanding of what’s going on in the games, but also because they’re quite entertaining, and this is coming from a guy who isn’t much for anime.

Without spoiling too much, each series of .hack games is full of twists and turns, new friends and enemies, and a noticeable rise in activity as the games progress. Even though each game takes only 15-20 hours to beat, there’s a lot to do; there are numerous side quests and optional adventures that will keep the series feeling fresh long enough to finish. The one problem this series has nowadays is the price point. Since the games have gotten hard to find in game stores, one must resort to the likes of Amazon and eBay, where prices have skyrocketed over the last few months. When I re-purchased .hack//Quarantine a few months back, it cost me $80, as it is the rarest of the seven existing titles. However, the other games all cost me less than their original price of $49.99 when they were released, so the price wound up being more than worth it.

I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that the Playstation 2 was the golden age of the RPG. With so many good ones out there, it’s tough to narrow your collection down to only a few; unless you’re rich, in which case more power to you. However, if you want a truly deep gameplay experience with an epic story, look no further than .hack to satisfy your needs.

The Moment is Heartwarming, But Short on Drama

by Michael Tyminski

The Moment: Thursdays at 10pm Eastern on USA

There are numerous archetypes we see in Reality Television: the “larger and/or crazier than life” show, the “dating” show, the “rich people behaving badly” show, and the “lots of people cramped in a small space” show, but one sort of show that often gets overlooked in the reality genre is “live your dreams” show that is best exemplified through MTV’s Made and CBS’s flop The Job. It is from that cloth that USA provides it’s newest show, The Moment.

The Moment follows Kurt Warner, Super Bowl winning quarterback of St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals fame, as he travels around the country giving ordinary Americans a second chance at the dream jobs they were forced to sacrifice to give themselves a better life. Warner himself is no stranger to second chances, as he bounced around Arena League Football and NFL Europe throughout the 90’s before filling in for an injured Trent Green and leading the Rams to a Super Bowl win at Super Bowl XXXIV in his rookie season.

Our sneak preview episode focuses on Bob Capita, a factory chief and charity head who wants to be a sailor and had his dream taken from him for a number of reasons, including the 1980 Olympic Boycott and a disapproving father. Warner surprises Capita with a second chance to enter the world of America’s Cup sailing with the opportunity to skipper a professional boat. During the process, he trains with Hall of Famer and NBC commentator Gary Jobson, who runs him through the wringer in order to bring Bob back to top tier shape. From there the action moves to the East Coast, where he meets his crew including his prospective boss’s consigliere (though he didn’t find that out until a later reveal). The show then concludes with a big fate-determining race and a job interview where Bob’s final fate is determined.

The show itself is serviceable, but tosses out an incredible amount of jargon over the course of the show. That factor, as well as a relative lack of Warner during the show (Bob’s kid gets more screen time than him, and that kid is selfless beyond a human level) give The Moment a vibe as if they are semi-connected documentaries with a common theme than an actual reality show along the lines of anything you would see on Bravo. As a result, it’s fairly safe to say that your interest in a given episode is going to be entirely dependent on your interest in the subject material of the “job hunter”.

One aspect I did particularly like, however, is that The Moment doesn’t really trump up conflict for conflict’s sake. While this makes for a particularly bland show at times, it allows for the show’s rare moments of conflict to have real stakes, whether it’s the effect that a three-thousand mile move will have on their entrenched lifestyle (as you would expect for someone with a business, a family, and their own charity) or a conflict between a skipper and his first mate as to how aggressively to cut the boat when a barge interferes in their race course.

What makes me cringe with this show is the editing. There is nothing more annoying than random blur outs before major cut points. Similarly, the show edits the build up to it’s two major decisions (will they offer the job, and if so will they take the job) by slicing up quotes out of the conversations in a way that comes off like the review snippets you see in a commercial for a Broadway musical (“The only that matters more than winning are the boats themselves….”, “…but we’ll have to say goodbye to our friends…”) while often darting the camera at contrasting reaction faces before letting anyone finish a sentence.

The Final Verdict: The Moment is an interesting show to assess. It’s unfailingly positive, relentlessly heartwarming, and incredibly lacking in conflict, but in spite its’ weaknesses it’s surprisingly watchable. While I have gripes with the editing, which takes the manipulative editing aspect of reality shows and stretches it to almost parody at points, The Moment eschews most of the standard issue reality cliches which I find personally refreshing. The show feels loose enough (especially with Warner backgrounded for much of the show) that it’s hard to recommend it as a series, and easier to recommend as the sort of show you would watch an episode of here or there when the subject matter piques your attention. Overall, I feel that this is the sort of show that requires a wait-and-see outlook to see if it becomes predictable over time.

Ready for Love Feels Unready for TV

by Michael Tyminski

Ready for Love: Tuesdays at 9pm Eastern, NBC

The dating show is an interesting specimen that’s evolved with TV over the past half a century. We started with the bubbly dating game show in the Dating Game evolved to the video-dating style of Love Connection and eventually to the reality model of The Bachelor. NBC is banking on the idea that the dating show can move into the American Idol competition age with it’s latest offering.

From executive producer Eva Longoria, Ready For Love is built around matchmakers searching for Mrs. Right for three very eligible bachelors: civil engineer Ernesto Arguello, financier Ben Patton, and Plain White T’s singer Tim Lopez. These men, with the help of their matchmakers, will then try to figure out which (if any) of the twelve lucky bachelorettes will be their perfect soul mate.

Tonight’s episode focuses solely on Tim Lopez (gee, I wonder whom NBC is marketing as the star on this show?) while next week introduces Ernesto and Ben. The show also takes time to introduce it’s matchmakers, including Amber Kelleher (who takes the fairy tale angle), Matt Hussey (focused on the male), and Tracy McMillan (the straight shooter).

Our show begins with Longoria opening with a brief explanation of how the show works, and it’s emphasis on finding the perfect match vs. a casting angle. This then led into a 6 minute-long expository preview video that didn’t give many details as to how this competition works. From there our bachelors must remove three contestants straight off of the bat before they ever lay eyes on their respective suitors. A spanner is immediately thrown in the works as one of the suitor’s in Matt’s pool has a past with Tim. From there we switch to more video packages, where our first set of suitors move into their house and the matchmakers give last second advice before their big first date.

Our second hour kicks off with the girls showing up for their big first group date with Tim, who immediately shows a sense of humor by fake-ratcheting up pressure before putting on a concert for all of the girls. He then has the suitors’ write lyrics to a new song he was working on, which they then sing in groups split up by matchmaker. We also get our first example of gamesmanship, as Leah, the girl from Tim’s past, isolates him for a short period of time, raising the suspicions of our other contestants. After the dating segment, our suitors’ rejoin the matchmakers in the studio, who critique them on their performance in a manner once again not far removed from your standard issue competition show. Each judge then sends one of their “team” up for elimination, with Tim ultimately choosing one to come home. After sparing one of the girls, Tim and the two remaining girls go down to the “garden room” to eliminate one of the girls.

Our hosts Bill and Giuliana Rancic seem passable in that role, but sometimes come off a touch maudlin, as if they were introducing the In memoriam segment of an awards show. It feels very counterproductive, however, that the hosts often work solo, with Giuliana single-handedly emceeing our first hour. Additionally, some of the platitudes felt odd and slightly redundant (at one point Giuliana said “Three of you will be in the bottom three”. In spite of that, Giuliana manages to show incredible efficiency at stoking the fire, making a large issue of the Leah power-play that occurred during the date. Bill, however, seems like complete window dressing, there solely to make the married couple host gimmick work.

Ready for Love seems to borrow liberally from The Voice with the first two episodes being a pretty blatant copy of The Voice’s blind auditions. Additionally, much like it’s lead-in, the show posits our bachelors’ search for love as a competition between the matchmakers (whom also double as our suitors’ coaches). Similarly, all in-studio criticism feels like they are analyzing these girls like its’ a performance art or worse yet some sort of sick experiment in how to get a guy to fall in love with you, which completely counteracts the whole “finding real love vs. the fake love of reality TV” nature of the show that Longoria promised.

This may be the first episode, but the show moves at a glacial pace with large numbers of long and ultimately irrelevant video montages (it’s bumps run a minute plus a clip, and Tim, all three matchmakers and the show itself all receive lengthy video packages). This seems particularly egregious when you consider that each episode runs a way too long two hours and the third set of blind picks were rushed to make room for more irrelevant video montages after devoting two segments a piece to each of the first two batches of contestants. This is made worse when you consider that every major twist is turned into a cliffhanger that leads into a commercial break mid-sentence and that every commercial break is preceded by constant previews of the same 30 seconds of next week.

The show works best once it moves back within the reality paradigm, as it allows the show to play with its’ cast’s personalities (Hailey’s the funny one, Leah is the girl from the past, Christina is the serious one with the Musical Talent). Unfortunately, it is also a slave to many of the genre’s cliches (the three girls who get the most screen time during the date are inevitably your bottom three). This is a shame, as less of the time is focused on building the relationships than the gimmicky and half baked in-studio segments.

The Final Verdict: It’s bloated, it’s exposition is in all of the wrong places, and it starts throwing in twists before it can even establish a format. In a lot of ways Ready for Love is a hot mess that wants to have its’ cake of being a Bachelor clone, while also eating from the ratings cake of its’ Voice lead-in. Any ethical concerns aside about love being a competition, the show suffers from terrible pacing that bogs down any action. Would it have really killed the producers to eschew that opening 10 minutes and half of the bumps for a full third blind audition segment and/or to introduce us to the rest of Tim’s suitors in the date segment? Skip this one, it doesn’t do romance any favors and there are better ways to spend two hours of your Tuesday night.

Album Review: The Knife – Shaking The Habitual

by Rio Toro

The Knife: Shaking The Habitual

Similar Artists: None

Genre: Experimental

Label: Brille

Leave it to The Knife to create the most divisive and puzzling album of the year. Last week, when the Swedish siblings’ long awaited 4^th album became available for streaming, message boards instantaneously became flooded with polarizing viewpoints regarding its quality. While many seemed unable to form an opinion at all, others attacked the group by stating the album was overloaded and pretentious. Indeed, at nearly 100 minutes, Karen and Olaf certainly are testing our patience. At times, such as the 20 minute drone piece “Old Dreams Waiting to be Realized”, it is even tempting to feel as though the two are playing a trick on us. Believe me though, “Shaking the Habitual” is no April fool’s joke – The Knife have never been more serious.

The Knife have been devoted to their own brand of weirdness for some time now, so it’s not entirely a surprise that this album is as frightening as it is. The surprise with Shaking the Habitual comes with the absence of anything that could be considered within the realm of pop. “Silent Shout” was already otherworldly, so in order for the group to continue to defy expectations they have stretched their trademark sound to incomprehensible means.

About 2/3 of the album is jarringly inaccessible experimentalism. It is easy to see why the group considered releasing the album under a pseudonym, because this acts as the antithesis of their previous work. The 13 tracks range from being confrontational (Full of Fire) to barely rising above a whisper (Cherry on Top). While I love experimental music as much as the next music critic, not all of these tracks truly work.

Regardless, I can without a doubt claim that this album has groundbreaking moments on it. That may be more than I can say about any album that has come out this year. With that said, there are other sections (specifically the droning ambient pieces) which have been done to a far more interesting degree by other artists. This can make for a frustrating listen, but I was never tempted to skip tracks like many other people seem to be doing. The album is meant to be listened to in its entirety. For instance, “Raging Lung” acts as a monumental payoff after the aforementioned 20 minute drone track. The album wouldn’t contain the same specific appeal if the quieter pieces were cut out. There is a sense of scope here only possessed by a handful of albums; most recently, Swans’, “The Seer”.

Perhaps the album’s most interesting aspect is its message. Shaking the Habitual is about realizing how you are an evil, selfish being. “Ready to Lose” is a song about how we must learn to rid ourselves of our dirty habits for the bettering of humanity. For instance, if you are white, you must realize that you are given certain advantages not afforded to others, and you are merely lucky for having this inherent advantage within society. Refusing to believe this fact means that you are racist and a supporter of our evil capitalist society.

The topics brought up throughout the album include gender issues, patriarchy, male hegemony and so forth. This is an incredible, AOTY worthy basis for an album, however, the abstractness of the music makes it very hard to grasp in its entirety. In fact, if it wasn’t for interviews where Karen and Olaf explained the origins of the album, it would be hard to decode at all. The Knife have a message that is meant to be heard by everyone, but it’s going to be heard by very few when they refuse to work within a digestible framework.

It is easy to see why Shaking the Habitual is made up of such cold, unsettling music. If the album landed The Knife another hit such as “Heartbeats”, their message towards the destruction of the wealthy would have proved hypocritical. Nearly every political album has fallen flat for this reason, so it is a testament towards The Knife’s vision that nothing on this album could top any chart. It is also startlingly brave to potentially isolate your fan base by putting out a record as daunting as this. It turns out The Knife are even more fearless than we thought, and they managed to make some spectacle worthy music while proving it. When looked at by these means, “Shaking the Habitual” is a complete success; unfortunately, it won’t change the world.

Track Listing:

1.) A Tooth for an Eye*

2.) Full of Fire*

3.) A Cherry on Top

4.) Without you my life would be Boring

5.) Wrap your arms Around me*

6.) Crake

7.) Old Dreams Waiting to be Realized

8.) Raging Lung*

9.) Networking

10.) Oryx

11.) Stay Out Here*

12.) Fracking Fluid Injection

13.) Ready To Lose*

* – Album highlight

OPINION

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