Sunday, July 31, 2011

Do You Hear What I Hear? (Probably Not)


Today marks an incredibly important day in the history of ever:

It's SHARK WEEK 2011!



I am super excited- one might perhaps even say I am... shark-cited?

For those of you who don't know about my unnatural obsession curious fascination with sharks (i.e. missed the post I wrote last year commanding you all to watch the Discovery Channel), let me defend myself by reminding you that Dude! It's SHARKS. They probably know they're awesome and jump around all, "yeah, I'm a shark. What's up motherfucker? Time to get eaten."

AHAHAHAHA!

Also in 2006 there was an episode that aired called 10 Deadliest Sharks where the mako shark was "teased and baited with chum."

That sounds sexy.

My birthday is in 6 months. Just putting that out there.
Anyway, I prepare for Shark Week! every year. I announce its arrival to everyone who I'm 95% sure won't have me committed, sometimes even weeks in advance, whether it be through phone calls, emails, or bouncing around excitedly like a retarded chihuahua on speed. I mark the impending date on all three of my calendars. I hit up the local supermarket for shark-related snacks. I even have a drinking game prepared, courtesy of tv.com, which is extra-frightening considering I'll be watching most of the shows by myself (thanks a lot, assholes). I also invented a new activity, where the word "shark" is incorporated into everyone's every day lexicon, a la the Smurfs, only less eye-gougingly irritating. For example:

"What the shark?"
"Shark, yeah!"
"That's shark-tastic!"
"Please pass the shark."

This year Shark Week! is hosted by SNL's Andy Samberg (of "Dick In A Box" and "I Just Had Sex" fame). He's usually pretty funny so I definitely approve of this pairing. The new line-up for 2011 promises to be just as shark-sational as last year, and I've provided a schedule for you guys so you know when exactly to call out sick to work. 

Some of the highlights include:

ROGUE SHARKS- premiering Monday, August 1st, 9pm
Basically this is Jaws, but on TV and with multiple attacks by multiple sharks. I can't wait to see a bunch of douchebags in swimming trunks get eaten. This is gonna be sweet.

KILLER SHARKS- premiering Tuesday, August 2nd, 9pm
Keeping with the theme of "sharks rule," this documentary focuses on unsuspecting travelers in the 50's that are all, "lala, we'll go on vacation and ignore the fact that there are SHARKS IN THE WATER." Dumbasses.



SHARK CITY- premiering Thursday, August 4th, 9pm
With what is decidedly the coolest name for a show ever, this portion of Shark Week! focuses on a handful of our subjects as individuals as they hunt, eat and size each other up. Look for the special interview where the head shark is like, "yeah, I've been a shark for about four years now. My hobbies include swimming around, chilling with my wife and baby sharks and chewing on peoples' legs. My favorite band is Radiohead."

Personally, I would also like to see a guest appearance by Sharktopus, but one can only dream.


Old episodes of Shark Week! are going on right now so the fact that your TV isn't on is inherently disturbing. I myself am parked in front of the Discovery Channel with my Shark Bites, pausing only to alert you all by writing this post. 

Breakfast of Champions

If you do decide to partake in the Most Wonderful Time of the Year, let me know how it goes, and what your favorite experience (or six) was. 

See you all in a week.


Friday, July 29, 2011

Oh, Canada: A Rebuttal (Emphasis On BUTT)


Last week I wrote a post about my failed hookup with a slab of Canadian Bacon. I honestly didn't think my story-telling skills were that terrible, but they were obviously bad enough to turn off three of my followers. I have no idea why they chose to quit reading That Ain't Kosher, and at first I figured that they were disgusted by my PG-13 re-telling of my non-existent sex life.  Seriously, though, that's pretty pathetic, seeing as how my details weren't even that graphic. A couple of my friends read it, including those of the hardcore Christian variety, and their response was to laugh their ass off and tell me I was "full of win," so whatever.

So I have determined that those few pansy-asses jumped ship due to my denouncing of the Canadian persuasion. Really, guys? Considering you're solely responsible for unleashing the Satanic horde that is Bieber Fever onto this Earth, I'd say I went pretty light on your asses. That's reason enough alone to to detach your entire country from this continent. I mean, before, Canada was one of those places everyone wondered about but never went to, like Narnia, with big closets and a secret language and a talking fucking magical lion. Now you're famous for Bieber, so, uh, congratulations.

Look at the devil eyes. I fucking knew it!

At any rate, the fact that I lost three followers is mildly unsettling- as much as I like to talk shit about the border, I will admit that it has its redeeming qualities as well. So here is my attempt to call off the maple leaf-wielding masses with my official list of Canadian Things That Don't Suck, Kind Of.

1) MY BEST BLOGGITY FRIENDS
Believe it or not (probably not), three of the most awesome people I've ever met are all located in Ontario. Two of my favorite bloggers, Tabs and Allison, both call the province home, and, in an honorable mention, Amber Lee of AmberPeace, has 51 COUSINS in the city of Windsor.

Not only do I have some amazing girlfriends I can crash with (uh, did I not mention my special invites? OH HAAAAI), but my oldest friend, who's put up with me since we were both in high school, coincidentally also lives in Windsor. This guy has been with me all through my adult life, and now that he's pushing thirty (AHAHAHAHA) I'm planning a Toronto vacation next year for the big birthday. We're like brother and sister- you guys can blame him for my football obsession, and I definitely wouldn't have passed high school chem if it weren't for his "tutoring" (or the fact that I emailed him all my assignments- I am still anonymous, right?). He's in med school now, which I can't even believe when I think that I met him when I wasn't even legal driving age. He knows who he is, so I'll just say thanks.

B) HOCKEY
I went to my first NHL game when I was probably around eight years old, and I've been hooked ever since. Hockey players are hands down the toughest athletes in pro sports- you try getting back up when your throat's been slashed by a skate blade and moving around the rink with masses of pounds of padding strapped onto your body. For those of you that haven't put it together yet, I'm an obsessive Rangers fan, which means that while I don't have any active extreme rivalry with any of the Canadian teams, Montreal is fucking awesome and they share our conference, so they're fun to root against.

When I first went to hockey games with my brothers, who are hardcore hockey fans, the players were rougher and the fights were way more frequent and totally Jerry Springer-esque. I remember seeing two players smash each other up against the glass right in front of me at a Kings game (I saw Wayne Gretzky play live, FYI). Now the violence is toned down somewhat but the action is just as intense. I seriously recommend going to at least one NHL game in your lifetime- even if your home team blows (what up, Isles?).



PYGMY MARMOSET) WILLIAM SHATNER
The Shat is one of the coolest celebrities EVER. Even if you don't think that Star Trek could actually happen (and um, I so don't), you have to admit that his Priceline ads are hilarious. William Shatner is not only awesome because he's synonymous with Captain Kirk, but he also isn't afraid to make fun of himself- he voiced a version of himself on Family Guy and was in the forgettable misfire $#*! My Dad Says. I actually saw about ten minutes of one episode, and WOW.

He's also a Jew, so all is forgiven. Shatner rules.

DD) RYAN REYNOLDS
Ryan Reynolds is shirtless in every single movie, probably because most of his movies suck. That's OK, though: just look at him.



You could bounce coins off of that shit. There's a reason the Canadian police have the word "mount" in their title.

AND FINALLY:

RYAN GOSLING.
I still refuse to see The Notebook, because it looks sappy and retarded, but Good Lord. I'm a Toys R Us kid.




And if that's not enough for you (although why wouldn't it be):



Steve Carrell better move his goddamn head.

Now I'm not saying that if I am ever alone with him in a room there definitely will be assault charges. I'm just saying that there definitely will be assault charges.

So I guess Canada can be pretty cool. I also hear Toronto is really nice, and hopefully I'll be there in February for my friend's thirtieth blowout. Just a heads up, Ryan Gosling, so you can escape while you have the chance.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Oh, Canada! *FACEPALM*


This weekend was my last chance to party in NYC before I head out to Hell-A for work. In order to give me a proper burial that included one final taste of Ray's Pizza, Hurricane came out for the funeral procession. We decided to leave my mark on as many Manhattan neighborhoods as we could manage, until we either passed out from lack of sleep/too much alcohol or collapsed due to the 118 degree (!) heat index. Unfortunately, that bitch Mother Nature had also altered her plans to revolve around me, and, with a combination of my immediate departure, the scorching temperature and my debilitating "physical problems" I wasn't exactly looking for my next Captain America, ifyougetwhatimsayin.


Such is my life.

Since guys never notice that I'm alive and I rarely get hit on, I figured this probably wasn't going to be an issue.

Hurricane and I chose our first destination mainly due to the fact that the wind chill had dipped to a frigid 98 degrees and we were basically looking for somewhere- anywhere- where the doors closed all the way. As soon as we stepped inside, we got accosted by some a-hole in a business shirt. That's almost as bad as Ed Hardy as far as bar outfits go, BTW. After I had entertained this jerkoff for no more than five minutes he "suggested" that I accompany him back to his apartment.

He actually said to me, "I'll be honest, I want to hook up with you." I told him that it was pretty obvious, as from ten feet away he probably wasn't attracted to my scintillating personality. He then advised that we skip the usual conversation and date part. What an incredible asshole.



I politely turned him down and he asked me to "explain my logic." Dbag. I said that I wasn't going to go home with a guy I just met five minutes ago and he immediately went into some philosophical rant about how that's not a good reason because

1) I can Google him and find out that he's not a serial killer and
2) he would be totally open to having some kind of friendship/relationship afterward.

I told him I didn't want to see him afterward, let alone right now, and also judging from this conversation he probably had body parts in his closet. He also said he detected some kind of "physical attraction," unless he was off. I replied that he was off. He added that I hadn't told him to fuck off yet, so I "obviously felt something." I told him I feel like I'm interested in this conversation because I find it hilarious and I want to see where else he's trying to go with this. I also wanted to know, BTW, who wrote his scripts.

PS- I should have told him that he was about to "feel" my knee in his crotch. I always think of the best shit when it's too late!

Then he told me that he would be the best hook-up I ever had. I laughed in his face. I told him that the fact that I said no 800 times and he's still harassing me is enough to get me to never go anywhere with him, ever, except the nearest precinct. Also I admit the that I kept the conversation going partially so I could be a total bitch.

Then, just when I thought I was safe, he countered with, "here's what we should do. Hook up." I proclaimed that here's what I should do- then I grabbed Hurricane, put our drinks on a table, and exited stage right. Out of the corner of my eye I watched him make a beeline for another, even younger girl who I almost thought about saving but I decided not to push it since I was already in the clear.

After that we decided to stick to places I had previously gotten loaded at and may have already made out with somebody already knew and loved. We chose one of the West Village music venues and this time it was Hurricane's turn to meet some guy who, while decidedly pretty cute, was not taking the RealFeel all that great, while I agreed to play wingwoman. I talked to this dude's friend for a while before I realized he was a total creeper. After a while he started yelling that he just HAD to see me again and he offered to give me a job at his company to get me to stay in NYC. I was terrified that he was going to offer to marry me. I was almost ready to smash my glass on the ground just so I could stab myself with one of the shards until I happened to look to my left for some assistance and realized that Hurricane's future alimony check had a much hotter friend OH HAAAAI.

As it turned out, dude turned out to be from Toronto, which I could tell immediately because he actually said "ABOOT" and "EH." HAHAHAHAHA! That is amazing! (PS, Tabs- I asked him if he knew you and he said no. If he wasn't a total Canada stereotype I would have assumed he was lying because everyone knows you.)

Despite the fact that he looked almost EXACTLY like Peyton Manning but way hotter and with a decidedly more perfect nose, Canadian Bacon of course was a hockey fan , so we traded barbs about the Rangers vs. the Leafs. As a Blue Jays fan, he also harbored a disdain for the Yankees (sorry, Tits), so I decided right there that I was going to bear his perfect 6'3 children.

Seriously, imagine our genetic mashup.

He asked for my number within five minutes and I felt kind of bad because this other dude was watching but hey, you snooze, you lose. It's not my fault that this guy implemented the MAC System.

Creeper Dude turned out to be a pussy that admitted defeat by just going home without saying goodbye or anything, so the rest of us- Hurricane, Sweatstack,  Bacon and myself- went for late night mac and cheese. After a couple of hours, Hurricane and the Stack were heavily making out on some bench while I silently cursed my own bodily functions. 

Hurricane had to get up super-early for work the next morning, so Bacon and I decided to hang out. Over the course of the night he had dropped hints that I was welcome to come back to his apartment, and I almost cried because STUPID STUPID PERIOD. When he finally asked me straight out to come home with him I made moving-related excuses because I was NOT telling some dude I just met about my womanly issues. It may have seemed kind of ballsy on his part to assume that I would just up and fuck him when I had known him for like, three hours; however, at this point we had already made out in the middle of the street and almost gotten hit by a car twice. So, uh, yeah. One can't exactly blame a guy for "going there."

Before you guys get all judge-y and shit keep in mind that again, I rarely get hit on and have not gotten any action in like three months AND there was vodka involved. I am usually not this big of a whore.



Anyway:

I did kind of like this guy and besides, his Canadian accent was hysterical and he let me make fun of him, and I didn't want to be that girl- you know, the girl that lets a guy grope her in the street and then is like, "Well, thanks for doing awesome shit with your hands there. See ya!" So I decided to come clean (Ha. Ha ha.) and tell him,  "look, I wasn't going to say anything but I'm having girl issues. Like, GIRL ISSUES." After some minimal blinking, he figured out what I meant and basically told me he was cool with it if I was, and we could do "other stuff." Works for me! Let's get a cab!

NYC Cab Driver and Elevator Personnel- if you are reading this, I apologize. That is all.

The last time I was in a guy's apartment, he acted like a total pussy and pretended that he hadn't invited me there for a session of deep railing (no, I don't want a snack, just take off your damn pants already) so I was seriously impressed by how Bacon did not waste ANY TIME. He didn't offer me a drink or anything, he just turned off the bedroom light, picked me up and like, practically threw me on the bed (that shit hurts, yo. I'm small and frail. Like a Smurf).

Come on, now. That shit ain't right.
Sidenote: his boxers said "Canada" on them. I couldn't make this shit up if I tried.

What I did not appreciate is how he kept telling me that there would be a "next time" and that he would pay me for me to fly back to New York whenever I wanted. I once hooked up with this guy I thought was my friend and I was expecting nothing else- just a fun night that could possibly (but probably not) lead to some interesting, sporadic hookups. The guy had the tendency (and by "tendency" I mean "constantly") to treat women like doggy chew toys, so I didn't even want it go any further. Then he totally ruined everything by declaring his "feelings" for me and spouting off a whole bunch of other shit that I knew wasn't true (he admitted it later), and basically treated me like all the little 20-year-olds that follow him around and actually believe that they're going to be his wife or something. It wasn't what he said that pissed me off, it was the fact that he said it. BTW, I did confront him about this and we no longer speak. Guys, seriously- not every girl needs you to fall in love with them. Some of us really just want to acquire a booty call or- try not to fall over- really do want what you refer to as a "hookup." Get over it.

Anyway, back to the Bacon. We had already come to the mutual agreement that we weren't going to do what he had previously referred to as EVERYTHING, although things were getting pretty hot (dude is a dirty talker, which I have to admit was making me curse my girly problems even more). What made it even worse for both of us is the fact that he had an immaculate bedroom and white sheets. We got as far as we possibly could without actually going as far as we possibly could. Bacon got a little stingy when it came to the give-and-take; like, we already knew I wasn't going to get any; but he expected me to do everything (and I mean everything) else? I think emphatically not. I wasn't that much of a hard-ass, but all his begging made it even worse and I almost walked out. Oh, also: what I got WAS pretty good, but the constant self-accolades were seriously annoying. I don't need a "preview," I get it. You're awesome. Let's move on.

Here's where the night got weird: My gross menstrual state left a lot to the imagination (hey, I was ABSOLUTELY willing; but I definitely understood his issues). I get that. Why, though, when he was totally willing to, ahem, make good use of his hands, was he so adamant about the no-sex clause? Wouldn't that be like, less disgusting? Was it a no-sheets thing? I don't know. That was totally bizarre. Has this ever happened to you guys?  I'd really appreciate some insight here because I am seriously confused.

Oh, Canada. Thanks for tarnishing my final memory of my home and native land.

At least I have a hilarious story to blog about. 

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Aural Sex: July 2011 Edition


As a music columnist (just go with it), I look for every opportunity to marry my two greatest loves- Ryan Gosling and chocolate.

Ha! No. Well, yes, but seriously- any chance I get to make a connection between the two worlds of comics and music, count me in. Considering the shitty films we've been subjected to this summer, that gives me all the more reason to look back on the most badass collaborations between superheroes, supernerds and supersavants- the Comic Book Movie Soundtrack.

Unfortunately for the Comic Book Movie, most of them have the distinction of being pretty fucking terrible. For every The Dark Knight, there's a Batman & Robin (I think I just got inspired for a new round of SMAC!). This was a particularly difficult list to compile because a lot of films in this genre are scored and don't use a lot of songs in general. However, the ones that do decide to go the soundtrack route usually make good use of their decision.

Qualifications include having both a major comic book or graphic novel arc and a killer soundtrack. This leaves out breathtakingly abysmal pieces of shit such as Green Lantern (sorry, Reynolds), The Green HornetFantastic Four 1 AND 2, both Men In Blacks, DaredevilElektra and The Spirit. Unfortunately, this also invalidates Sin City300Hellboy 1 and 2, Dick TracyA History of ViolenceRoad to PerditionGhost World, V for VendettaThe Rocketeer (Fuck you! I like that movie!), and, somewhat to my dismay, all of the X-Men films, which have instrumental scores. Observe the list, laugh, cry, break shit, whatever.

CAUTION: There are some spoilers in this post if you haven't read the books or seen the movies. So if you still scroll down, don't get pissed at me or anything.

The BATMAN Franchise



Batman first made his appearance in DC Comics #27 in 1939 and has had six films made about him, the first being Tim Burton's Batman in 1989. Batman also holds the honor of having both the best and worst biopics on this list- while The Dark Knight is not only my favorite comic book movie but also one of the most finely crafted and well-casted films I've ever seen in general, Batman & Robin is one of the most unintentionally hilarious movies I recommend you not watch unless under threat of slow, searing gas pain.

The character of Batman is seriously screwed up. If you think about it, he's some dude with serious parental issues, running around in a cape thinking that he's solving everyone's issues when actually, people just want him to shut the fuck up with that annoying voice. That's not an original concept or anything- if you take away the costume, you just described all my exes.

Three of the six Batman movies were scored (Batman ReturnsBatman Begins, and The Dark Knight), and three of them had soundtracks. We'll cover the soundtracked movies here, because even though they weren't that great, the albums are pretty kick-ass.

Batman, 1989



The soundtrack to 1989's Batman was written, produced and performed entirely by Prince, with some guest vocals. It sold three million copies domestically and was number one on the Billboard charts for six weeks. Even if the album sucked, which it totally didn't, it was still created by Prince, which is an automatic win.




Batman Forever is one of the best music compilations I've ever heard. I still listen to most of these bands- I'm a HUGE fan of The Offspring and probably have half their catalog on my iPod. As it turns out, a lot of people agreed with me- it sold almost as much as Prince's Batman soundtrack and also reached #1 on the charts.

Too bad the movie sucked balls. I always feel kind of sorry for any film that's awful and is riding on the success of another media collaboration.

Here's a list of the most download-worthy tracks on the CD:

Smash- The Offspring
Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me- U2
Tell Me Now- Mazzy Star
There Is A Light- Nick Cave
The Passenger- Michael Hutchence
The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game- Massive Attack with Tracy Thorn
Kiss From A Rose- Seal (I'm not a huge fan of this one, but it won like a zillion Grammys, so I thought I would include it)

Also, here are some more artists featured on the album. I don't necessarily like all of them, but seeing as how this was the mid-nineties, these are all excellent choices for a collaborative CD.

Sunny Day Real Estate
Method Man
PJ Harvey
Brandy
The Flaming Lips




If it's possible, this one was even worse than Batman Forever. I remember that I actually saw this movie in theaters with the kid I was babysitting and even he wanted his money back. It was laughably, supremely awful. Another crime this film has committed: it makes me NOT want to look at George Clooney's rubber nipples. Shame on you, Batman & Robin.

If you insist on watching this movie, you should probably just fast forward to Uma Thurman's scenes as Poison Ivy. They are hilarious.

Youtube wouldn't let me embed this, but here's a brief preview:


The soundtrack, however, is pretty decent. There's a few choice tracks on there, and some really popular artists- back in 1997. R.E.M. is one of my all-time favorites, and I've had a rebirth of ladywood for Smashing Pumpkins ever since I saw them live last summer.

Revolution- R.E.M.
Foolish Games- Jewel
The End Is The Beginning Is The End- Smashing Pumpkins
The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning- Smashing Pumpkins

Some artists that are featured on the soundtrack that I'm not totally into, but are worth mentioning as a lot of people were listening to them back then:

Goo Goo Dolls
R. Kelly (I would make a joke here, but everything's already been done, so I'll just let it go)
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony
Soul Coughing




I'm ignoring the sequels and intended remake because The Crow is such an amazing movie and graphic novel. I love Bradley Cooper, but he makes no sense for this franchise and I am so worried that this reboot is going to be really stupid. So I'll just console myself with Netflix.

At any rate, The Crow's musical compilation features a ton of bands that I love, some performing tracks written by even more bands that I love. The standout is definitely Nine Inch Nails' interpretation of Joy Division's "Dead Souls." It was the first time I ever experienced an eargasm, only I didn't know what it was because I was like, six or something.

Here are the most noteworthy tracks on the CD:

Dead Souls- Nine Inch Nails (originally performed by Joy Division)
Burn- The Cure
Darkness- Rage Against The Machine
Big Empty- Stone Temple Pilots
Ghostrider- Rollins Band

And as usual, a list of other artists featured on the album:

Pantera
Violent Femmes
Jesus and Mary Chain

The IRON MAN Franchise (Thanks to Shells for reminding me about this one)



I really dug the first Iron Man film. I could totally get into a comic book movie that was tailored to adults, yet still shamelessly exploited the wants and needs of little kids. Plus they could have turned the camera on Robert Downey, Jr. while he toured a box factory for two hours and I would have stood in line for three days and bought twelve tickets at retail price.


The music featured in the first film was all scored by Ramin Djawadi, but the guitar pieces were done by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, so I was still superexcited.

The second movie, unfortunately, wasn't as enjoyable. It focused too much on Gwyneth Paltrow's unnaturally shiny legs and nasally indigestion voice. The soundtrack, however, was basically a showcase of my #mostfavoritestartistsEVER playlist, so it definitely makes my list. Some of the bands on the soundtrack include AC/DC, who are featured prominently throughout the movie, The Clash, Beastie Boys, Queen and Daft Punk.

And of course, if you hadn't figured this out by now, Ozzy's classic "Iron Man" plays in both films. The way it cuts into the ending of the first Iron Man is epic.




I saw this movie opening day and immediately fell in love with it. I have no idea why it performed so poorly. I do have my theories, though.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is based on the second in a series of graphic novels released in 2004. The Scott Pilgrim movie is maybe the most exact description of the words "graphic novel film" that anyone has ever come up with.
The entire movie is like a giant video game. Enemies turn into coins, Scott Pilgrim has a scene where he fights the evil version of himself, and there's a pop culture reference every ten seconds. There was a character named Stephen Stills, and I was the ONLY ONE in the theater that laughed. I CAN'T be that nerdy. Or can I?

The music in the movie is not only great, it's fun. Scott Pilgrim is like the high schooler's Google Reader version of High Fidelity. Scott Pilgrim's band, The Sex Bob-ombs ( a Mario Bros. reference- and I was NOT the only one that caught that), performs music written by Beck, and the songs by their rivals, Crash and the Boys, are composed by Broken Social Scene. The band Clash at Demonhead, meanwhile, was inspired by Metric, who my friend E was listening to years ago, before anyone knew who they were. E, BTW, is chilling somewhere in the UK right now, that lucky bitch.

As if that weren't enough, some of the artists on the soundtrack are Frank Black, T-Rex, The Rolling Stones (with the classic track Under My Thumb), Dan The Automator, Kid Koala and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Also, tying into its Comic-Con theme, genuine music from The Legend of Zelda can be heard in a dream sequence.

Through Universal Studios, a teaser trailer was released as part of Scott Pilgrim's marketing campaign featuring music from The Prodigy, The Tings Tings, Be Your Own Pet, Cornelius, Blood Red Shoes and LCD Soundsystem, who I'm still depressed about.




The Spawn soundtrack is pretty damn ace. Comprised solely of collaborations, all its tracks are in the electronica, industrial or hard rock genre. It debuted at #7 on Billboard and sat on the charts for 25 weeks, selling over 500,000 copies domestically.

Some of the most bad-ass tracks on the CD include:

(Can't You) Trip Like I Do- Filter & The Crystal Method
One Man Army- The Prodigy & Tom Morello
Long Hard Road Out of Hell- Marilyn Manson & Sneaker Pimps
Tiny Rubberband- Butthole Surfers & Moby
Torn Apart- Stabbing Westward & Wink
Familiar- Incubus & DJ Greyboy
T-4 Strain- Henry Rollins & Goldie
Kick the P.A.- Korn & The Dust Brothers
Spawn- Silverchair & Vitro

Other artists featured that are worth mentioning include Kirk Hammett, Metallica, Silverchair, Slayer, Atari Teenage Riot and Soul Coughing. Seriously, I just gave you almost the whole CD. Pick this shit up.

The SPIDER-MAN Franchise



Since 1962, Spider-Man (and that's the correct spelling, not Spiderman or Spider-man) has been releasing sticky crap out of his hands. Again, a blazing reminder of every guy I've ever dated.

Anyway, the companion albums to the Spider-Man films are perhaps the most accurate portrayals of the superhero identity crisis in general, especially the teenage angst part- there's rock, pop, and a shit-ton of emo.

The best tracks are as follows:

Spider-Man, 2002:



Learn To Crawl- Black Lab
Shelter- Greenwheel
When It Started- The Strokes
Hate To Say I Told You So- The Hives

The artists featured on the CD aren't bad either. The basset hound from Nickelback recorded the song "Hero" for the soundtrack, along with Josey Scott from Saliva, Tyler Connolly from Theory of a Deadman, Matt Cameron from Soundgarden and Pearl Jam and Mike Kroeger from Nickelback. I personally can't stand this song, but it went 4x platinum in the US and hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 10o, as well as #1 on the Modern Rock charts, becoming a massive cross-promotional hit.

Other bands on the soundtrack include Alien Ant Farm, Sum 41, Macy Gray and Pete Yorn, with the Spider-Man main title getting its own reboot by Aerosmith.

Spider-Man 2, 2004:



In my opinion, this is album that most fits the Spider-Man themes of teen angst, redemption and loss, especially with the inclusion of Dashboard Confessional and the track by Jet. I have the entire album downloaded, but here are the songs you should really be listening to:

Vindicated- Dashboard Confessional
Hold On- Jet
Give It Up- Midtown

The artists chosen to contribute to the CD were a general VH1 hotlist of 2002. Here's a list of who else you can find in the track listing:

Train
Maroon 5 (I'll accept them on mute because Adam Levine is hot)

Too bad your music blows.
Taking Back Sunday
Yellowcard
The Ataris

There's also an awesome track from Queen guitarist Brian May. Can't go wrong with that!




This movie needed to redeem itself from its deplorable reception. Luckily, its soundtrack is just as exceptional as the first two. Hit up your iTunes for these:

Signal Fire- Snow Patrol
Move Away- The Killers
Pleased To Meet You- Wolfmother
Red River- The Walkmen
Falling Star- Jet

Spider-Man 3's companion CD also contains tracks by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Flaming Lips, The Oohlas, and Chubby Checker.

It's also worth mentioning that the Spider-Man Theme was re-recorded by the Ramones as a hidden track on their 1995 album !Adios Amigos!. Their version was also included in one of their live performances and in various other projects.

The SUPERMAN Franchise



I don't think it's necessary for me to go on about how obsessed I am with anything and everything Superman. But in case you don't know, and aren't nervous about finding out, go here.

Superman first appeared in DC Comics' Action Comics #1 in 1938 and ever since then has been floating around in comics, books, magazines, five movies, at least five television series, and um, my dreams. Wait! I mean no. Let's just move on and get to the music part.

The first film, Superman, was released in 1978, and has since become a classic. Hearing the the Superman theme that accompanies the opening credits is like Pavlov's bell to most little kids and um, myself.


All the films are scored, so they won't be covered here, unfortunately. However, I will tell you guys that I recently watched the movie on AMC three nights in a row even though I own it on Blu-Ray.

My advice to those of you who have not yet familiarized yourself with the Superman franchise is to move to America. After that, watch Superman, Superman II and Superman II:The Richard Donner Cut and skip everything else. 

Superman Returns should never have been made and was a desperate attempt to cash in on all the comic books that are being exploited by Hollywood. This new Man of Steel that's being slowly unraveled by Zack Snyder right now makes me very uneasy and I hope that having Jonathan Nolan on board means that I won't cry through all of 2012. I plan on writing a post airing all my grievances on this later on, so be on the lookout for that. Or, check out now. Your call.

SMALLVILLE:



I never got into Smallville, even though I really, really wanted to, because it was boring and stupid, but I did look up the music used on the show for the sake of this post, and, like most of the shows on the CW, that turned out to be its only redeeming quality. The Smallville theme was "Save Me" by Remy Zero, which I actually have in my iTunes, and some of the artists heard in the episodes included Stabbing Westward, The Juliana Theory, Sia AND Zero 7, Unwritten Law, Interpol, The Cult, and Juliette and the Licks (SERIOUSLY??? OHMIGOD!!! Maybe I should have watched.)

I did not, however, appreciate seeing a season 7 episode listing that appeared to be a showcase for that dude from OneRepublic who's like a whore for tweenyboppers. Also, when I was scrolling through the music section of the website I was just waiting to see that awful "Superman" song by Five For Fighting, because wouldn't that just be predictable and cheesy, and yup, there it was.

Apparently the show released two soundtracks as well, both of which didn't impress me, save for the inclusion of Depeche Mode's "Precious" on Volume Two: Metropolis Mix.

So basically, watch the first two movies, and call it a day. And try not to picture me geeking out and fanning myself when the Superman theme comes on.


Seriously, have you seen this guy's arms?

Most of the music used in Thor is a score composed by Patrick Doyle. However, I had to include this movie because in one scene, and the closing credits, Foo Fighters' "Walk," from their latest LP, Wasting Light, is used as the only non-instrumental piece deemed worthy enough to make it into the film. Dave Grohl's god-like awesomeness strikes again.




The Watchmen series was released in 1986, and is the only graphic novel before or since to make TIME's 100 All-TIME Greatest Novels list (in 2005). It was also featured at number 13 on Entertainment Weekly's list of 50 best novels in the last 25 years. Getting the feature film to finally hit theaters was a decades-long struggle that left fans salivating for a movie worthy of its caliber. Watchmen finally came out in 2009 from Warner Bros. Pictures.

While the movie wasn't a complete failure, fans of the book weren't exactly high on it as a whole. First of all, no matter how hot Billy Crudup is (and he is), no one wants to look at a big, blue schlong in our face for four hours- or, for that matter, for two minutes. Speaking of, what was up with that runtime? I've had relationships that were shorter than that. It's also a Zack Snyder movie all the way- he's not completely faithful to the novel, which again, makes me very, very apprehensive about Man of Steel.

However, the movie is memorable for the opening scene set to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'", which shows what our society has and will become. It does trick you into thinking that you just spent nine bucks on the Watchmen film you always wanted to see, but it's a mesmerizing scene nonetheless.

The soundtrack is a music buff's college term paper, with the aforementioned Dylan track plus classics by Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Also included is the closing credits title, an energizing effort from, surprisingly, My Chemical Romance, who usually annoy the shit out of me. They are covering a song originally performed by Bob Dylan, though, so maybe that explains it. Leonard Cohen's oft-interpreted "Hallelujah" also appears, both on the soundtrack and in the film (I remember that it played during a particularly disturbing sex scene between Silk Spectre II and Nite Owl II, which almost ruined it for me). Here's a complete listing of the best tracks from the movie:

Desolation Row- My Chemical Romance
Hallelujah- Leonard Cohen
All Along the Watchtower- Jimi Hendrix
The Times They Are A-Changin'- Bob Dylan
Me And Bobby McGee- Janis Joplin

The film also features two songs that are mentioned in the novel- "Hallelujah" and Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence."

As always, feel free to weigh in with your opinions below. I realize with every post that I write about comics I lose more and more street cred, but keep in mind that I weigh like fourteen pounds and look like I'm 12 anyway, so really, this is not hurting anything and you're all bound to find out anyway.