Pop 4: Accelerated Horizons

No reason not to strike while the iron is hot! I have already completed the fourth installment in my series of pop collections predominantly based on great songs I hear at work. This one is named Accelerated Horizons, for two reasons. First because it's by far the shortest gap between new issues, and second because I kind of pushed myself a little bit to get into some artists that I think I ought to.

Pop 4: Accelerated Horizons

1. Whip My Hair -- Willow
2. 21st Century Girl -- Willow
3. Tonight I'm Fucking You -- Enrique Eglasias
4. Fuck You -- Cee-Lo Green
5. Till The World Ends -- Britney Spears feat. Ke$ha & Nicki Minaj
6. Piece of Me -- Britney Spears
7. S&M -- Rihanna
8. What's My Name -- Rihanna & Drake
9. Thriller -- Michael Jackson
10. Billie Jean -- Michael Jackson
11. Beat It -- Michael Jackson
12. Who Says -- Selena Gomez
13. Never Say Never -- Justin Bieber
14. Grenade -- Bruno Mars
15. I'm Coming Home -- Diddy feat. Skyler Grey

Aside: That version of Till The World Ends with Britney, Ke$ha & Nicki Minaj is really something. All three of them are good artists, and it's the best remix I've heard since Ke$ha's Blow Cirkut Remix. For the record, my ideal pop team up would be a remix of We R Who We R with Ke$ha, Miranda Cosgrove, & Katy Perry!

Glee!

"Glee" has become the latest television phenomenon and I'm proud to have been converted into Gleekdom by my iCarly friends on twitter. I've finally reached levels of fandom where I'm getting really into the music from the series. But rather than going along with one of the plethora of pre-made CDs from the world of Glee (there are like 15 albums of Glee music out), I decided to accumulate some of my favorite tracks and put together my own. And so here it is!

1. Misery (The Warblers)
2. Raise Your Glass (The Warblers)
3. Candles (The Warblers)
4. Bills Bills Bills (The Warblers)
5. Hit Me Baby One More Time (Rachel)
6. Friday
7. Like a Prayer
8. I Want To Hold Your Hand (Kurt)
9. Don't Stop Believin' (Regionals Version)
10. Sway
11. Valerie (Santana)
12. Jar of Hearts (Rachel)
13. Rolling In the Deep
14. Livin' on a Prayer / Start Me Up (mashup)

I think it ended up being surprisingly well-balanced between group songs and solo performances from my favorite characters, considering I didn't give it any thought and just picked my favorite tracks. I put The Warblers tracks first so it would be like a little concert, with the Warblers opening for New Directions. :3

The Perfect TV Day (slightly altered)

Monday thru Friday
----


Early Morning Action Cartoons (5:30am - 10)


Todd McFarlane's Spawn
ThunderCats (2011)
Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z
Gundam Wing
Gundam Wing
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender
The Legend of Korra





Midday Sitcom Block (10am - 2)


iCarly
Victorious
The Secret World of Alex Mack
Pete & Pete
Everybody Hates Chris
Reba
George Lopez
Shake It Up




Afternoon Drama Block (2pm - 5)


Gilmore Girls
The West Wing
Dawson's Creek



Evening Sitcom Block (5pm - 8)


A.N.T. Farm
Friends
Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Victorious
iCarly




Nighttime Adult Cartoon Block (8pm - 1)


South Park
South Park
Futurama
Futurama
The Boondocks
The Boondocks
Daria
Archer
Beavis and Butt-head
Space Ghost: Coast to Coast
12 oz. Mouse




Deep Night Drama Block (1am - 4:30)

South of Nowhere
The Good Wife
Being Human
Breaking Bad




Deep Night Anime Combo (4:30am - 5:30)


His & Her Circumstances
Neon Genesis Evangelion

-

Epilogious note: Weekend lineups would feature similarly themed blocks of good shows that aren't quite good enough for the 5-days-a-week playlist. Certain shows (The Simpsons, Family Guy), are good enough for a weekday slot, but are simply so ubiquitous that showing them five days a week on my station would not be palatable or necessary.

Dream TV Programming

I have a deep abiding love for television. One of my ultimate dreams has long been to sequence my own television channel. Not anything broadcast level, just something closed-circuit, moderated by a computer system. Understandably, I've taken the liberty of putting together a handful of flawless programming blocks for the weekdays (and one for the weekend).

The show schedule is sequenced with slashes representing the weekly airings ala Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday. Shows that are shown 5 days a week are simply listed once, while shows listed in pairs are alternated between (therefore one program has 3 episodes in a week and one has 2, switching weekly).

"Toonami"

The perfect morning action block, pairing the great string of 90s marvel cartoons with the quintessential anime, and daily airings of the top 3 action shows of all-time.

- Berserk/Zero No Tsukaima/Kare Kano/Neon Genesis Evangelion/Toradora!
 - Gargoyles/X-Men TAS/Spider Man TAS/Thundercats (Reboot)/Iron Man (second season)
- Gundam Wing
- Avatar: The Last Airbender
- Dragon Ball Z (Ocean dub first 2 seasons, subtitled 3rd)


"Adult Swim"

The ultimate mix of late-night adult-oriented animated comedies, pairing the best of the original Adult Swim with the best of Fox, Comedy Central and MTV.

- The Simpsons/Futurama/South Park/Futurama/American Dad
- South Park/Family Guy/Futurama/The Simpsons/King of the Hill
- The Boondocks
- Daria
- 12 oz Mouse/Frisky Dingo/12 oz Mouse/Home Movies/Frisky Dingo
- Beavis & Butthead/Metalocalypse/Dr. Katz/Home Movies/Beavis & Butthead

* The final half hour consists of 15-minute runtime shows, except for Home Movies, which doesn't have TWO episodes in the lineup, but rather one 30 minute episode.


"The Break Room"

The ideal afternoon compilation of great situation comedies including the best teen sitcoms from past & present, Nick & Disney.

- iCarly
- Victorious
- Seinfeld
- Reba
- Roseanne/What I Like About You/Scrubs/Everybody Hates Chris/Life With Derek
- Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide/Clarissa Explains It All/Unfabulous/Phil of the Future/South of Nowhere
- iCarly


"Daily Dramas"

A simple evening showcase for my favorite dramas.

- Being Human/Breaking Bad
- Dawson's Creek/Glee
- The Sopranos/House


"Nightmare Special"

A Saturday "deep night" 5 hour block of the coolest and creepiest paranormal documentary-styled programs from a wide variety of sources, playing into the weeist hours of the early day.

- Sightings
- Real Scary Stories
- Beyond Bizarre
- Beyond Belief
- Lost Tapes
- In Search Of...
- Twilight Zone

--

It really wouldn't be all that difficult to accomplish. It would require a large database with all of the material to be shown, and beyond that, pretty simple computer programming could regulate the showing. I enjoy the tv-watching experience, so my channel would absolutely include the typical breaks from programs. But our setup would be loose, similar to The Disney Channel in that commercial breaks would be occupied not only by commercials but also by shorts and music videos. In addition to a large collection of all my favorite commercials (everything from funny ads like The Slowskys to the iconic Jurassic Park trailer that hypnotized my youth), plus commercials for all the programs shown on the station, breaks would be occupied by eclectic music videos and live clips from all of my favorite artists, as well as favorite youtube shorts such as George Washington and shipping classics like Dismantle Repair.

Gundam Wing Revisited

It's been somewhere in the vicinity of eleven years since Gundam Wing debuted in North America, commanding far greater popularity than in its native Japan, and single-handedly dragging the Gundam franchise into the western consciousness. I'm proud to count myself among the lucky many, who witnessed Gundam Wing's original North American run, one in a scarce handful of cultural moments in my life that resonated with me at the point of origin. Now, for the first time in ten or eleven years, I'm watching the entire series in full, and I'm surprised at just how solid this series is. I expected it to seem cheesy and predictable, but even having already seen the show, I still find myself intrigued by its content and confused as to the true motives hidden beneath the content at face value.

For one thing.... Granted, I was a child at the time. You can't judge me too harshly. But I distinctly remember feeling as though Oz were sort of the good guys all along, and that the Earth Sphere Alliance had been the real threat. It almost makes sense, by virtue of where the series turns after the Alliance is destroyed. First Oz impregnates Outer Space and dismantles the oppressive infrastructure constructed by the Alliance -- something I now realize that The Earth Sphere may have accomplished themselves, had the pacifist leaders not been assassinated, and they may have done it without the war-mongering ulterior motives. Secondly, in the series' final showdown, Treize takes control of the entire Earth and opposes the yet more maniacal Zechs, Treize therefore assuming the solid role of 'good guy' versus a war-hungry evil.

Zechs' motives for waging war on the Earth from Space have never been clear to me, while Treize claims peace is his true motive. Alas, after seeing Treize actions, and perhaps understanding his cryptic pseudo-philosophical politics for the first time, I see that his ultimate motive is to wage war for his own enjoyment. Once upon a time I idolized Treize. Today... I can say that Oz is pure evil. Treize, Zechs, Noin, I want to see them all killed. As it turns out, the Gundams really are the ONLY good guys. You can't even blame all of Oz's cold-hearted evil on Lady Une. It was none other than Treize who ordered Lady Une to attack A DEFENSELESS FUCKING SCHOOL, in order to kill Relena Peacecraft. Actions of that nature are simply inexcusable.

Another switch of perception would be how I see Quatre. He was always lauded as a pussy back in the day. Today I could easily say he's the character I most revere, if indeed I revere any of these characters. They all seem very flawed individuals, except for Quatre, who manages to maintain a flawless record until he breaks down, goes insane, and pilots the Wing Zeroe to slaughter thousands of innocent peace-loving colonial citizens.

But until then, Quatre is easily the most level-headed. His Gundam, the Gundam Sandrock, was always considered the suckiest of the Gundams because its arsenal is limited and lax compared to the others -- however I now see that it makes Quatre the greatest fighter of them all. While the others rely on heavier machinery, Quatre makes do by virtue of his superior skill, a valiant warrior indeed. And finally, his open love for humanity, his lust for life, and his unafraid appreciation of friendship is easy for me to relate to, and it is ceaselessly more mature than the melodrama the other pilots engorge themselves on.

The final big change between my perceptions then and now, would be my ability to fully comprehend the much-publicized homosexual undercurrents in the series. And as a proud shipper today, I do take a close look at the different relationships between the characters. The predominant dichotomy you see is a consequential individual (a Gundam pilot, Treize, or Zechs) caught between a terminally inconsequential subordinate female who spends her life doing naught but chasing in vain after a more powerful and preoccupied male... and then a male equal, someone who commands as much influence and power as they themselves do. Understandably (if not truly righteously), they treat the subordinate as a subordinate, and they treat their peer as a peer, making for a far deeper and more interesting relationship between the homosexual pairings.

As a man who has always favored, for relationships, what Griffith of Berserk said about friendship -- that a true friend is an equal who can challenge you, not a subordinate -- I tend to prefer the homosexual pairings over the hetero ones. Though I wouldn't mind if the women in the series commanded more strength and influence (a bit sexist, perhaps?).

And my one exception is the case of Heero and Relena. Heero seems wholly uninterested in Duo, while allowing Relena to break through his taught defenses. Plus Relena is the most powerful and consequential female in the series, ultimately becoming Queen of the Earth. Although she does spend her days hopelessly pinning and putting 100% of her efforts into fawning over her chosen male, she does a much more interesting job of it than the rest, putting herself into harms way and vowing to become as strong as Heero so that they may have precisely they type of relationship I favor.

It'll be a while before I see the ending again. One could argue Treize had positive motives all along, to embroil the Earth in a war so gruesome it would shock the people into truly believing in peace. But I simply can't believe that, his war mongering ways are immutably evident. But we'll see.

Pop 3: Electronic Psychosis

I'm proud to declare I have procured the third volume of my Pop series, which culls together amazing songs I hear at work.

Pop 3: Electronic Psychosis

1. SexyBack -- Justin Timberlake
2. We R Who We R -- Ke$ha
3. Teenage Dream -- Katy Perry
4. Good Girls Go Bad -- Cobra Starship
5. Only Love Can Break Your Heart -- Saint Etienne
6. California Gurls -- Katy Perry
7. Airplanes -- B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams
8. Adia -- Sara Mclachlan
9. The Meaning of Being Lonely -- Backstreet Boys
10. California Dreamin -- The Mamas & The Poppas

I luv luv luv it. Start to fin.

In case you are wondering, here are the first two volumes.

Immaculate Pop, Volume One

1. Steady As She Goes -- Corinne Bailey Rae
2. Hand In My Pocket -- Alanis Morissette
3. Build Me Up Buttercup -- The Foundations
4. Wicked Game -- Chris Isaak
5. What's Been Going On -- Amos Lee
6. Torn -- Natalie Imbruglia
7. This Kiss -- Faith Hill
8. Fifteen -- Taylor Swift
9. Just a Girl -- No Doubt
10. Love Story -- Taylor Swift
11. Kiss Me -- Sixpence None The Richer
12. What I Am -- Edie Brickel & New Bohemians
13. Iris -- Goo Goo Dolls
14. What's Up? -- 4 Non Blondes
15. Walking On The Sun -- Smashmouth
16. Billie Jean -- Chris Cornell

Adequate Pop, Summer Fun Edition

1. Under the Milky Way -- Sia
2. Because The Night -- Patti Smith Group
3. You Belong With Me -- Taylor Swift
4. Soak Up The Sun -- Sheryl Crow
5. Bring Me To Life -- Evanescence
6. Every Morning -- Sugar Ray
7. All I Wanna Do -- Sheryl Crow
8. Please Don't Leave Me -- Pink
9. If It Makes You Happy -- Sheryl Crow
10. Take a Chance On Me -- Abba
11. Everyday is a Winding Road -- Sheryl Crow
12. Cathedrals -- Joan Osborne
13. The First Cut is the Deepest (Country Version) -- Sheryl Crow
14. Crimson and Clover -- Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
15. Under the Milky Way -- Rotoscope

Classic iCarly Lineups

One of the many amazingly wonderful things about iCarly is that Nickelodeon shows at least a few episodes each day. So it becomes this exciting little game each day, what episodes are they going to play? It's a lot like listening to the radio, you root for your favorites get played, and for the eps I don't own or haven't watched a lot. It's pretty cool, sometimes themes arise, like a day of shipping episodes, or a day of season 1 episodes, or a day with an ep from each season.

I remember a couple perfect weekend lineups they had a month ago. But more recently, Nick has been playing some relatively weak lineups. It doesn't help that House of Anubis drained the weekday schedule and left it with less iCarlies per day. But now with Best Player coming up and House of Anubis over (I think), iCarly is back in full force and the first two schedules this week were so great I wanted to preserve them for posterity.

Monday, March 7th, 2011

4:30 -- iDon't Want to Fight
5:30 -- iWas a Pageant Girl
6:00 -- iGet Pranky
6:30 -- iTwins

Commentary: This is about as all-star of a lineup as possible. It's a hearty four eps, which is as much as you can get on a weekday. It perfectly represents one episode from each of the show's 4 seasons. iWas a Pageant Girl is among the top eps from Season 3 and iGet Pranky could well be Season 4's crowning achievement. And it contains two of the all-time most novel eps, the one with Sam's glorious twin sister, and iDon't Want To Fight -- what I consider to be the pinnacle Cam episode. Plus they're (intentionally) all Sam-heavy episodes, which is always most welcome (and perhaps quite preffered).

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

4:30 -- iPromote Tech-Foots
6:00 -- iBigfoot
7:00 -- iSam's Mom

Commentary: Few things could compete with the Monday schedule but this was still a fantastic lineup. Again it starts off with a Season 1 ep, this time another of my faves, the hilarious iPromote Tech-Foots. Then another of my all-time favorite season 3 episodes, iBigfoot, finished with Season 4's iSam's Mom which isn't really one of my favorites but is fantastic none the less.

My Turn

Picking favorite episodes is very diffuclt for me. I don't allow myself to overplay iCarly, so that it stays fucking amazing and keeps blowing me away every fucking day. As a result I don't have encylopedic familiarity with each ep, so ranking them is difficult. The quest is "burdened" further by the fact that most of the episodes are freaking fantastic, and the others are still pretty good. But I can extrapolate some themes. Here are, using the same weekday format from above, my picks as would-be Nickelodeon programming director.

"Ship Day"

4:30 -- iDon't Want to Fight
5:30 -- iKiss
6:00 -- iThink They Kissed
6:30 -- iSaved Your Life

"Season's Bests (more or less)"

4:30 -- iWanna Stay With Spencer
5:30 -- iMust Have Locker 239
6:00 -- iHave My Principals
6:30 -- iSell Penny Tees