Mr. Muddle's Befuddled Universe

WB slated to cancel Related?

Big Tick:

There's a rumor circulating that the WB will cancel Related,
which I think is one of the best new shows this season.

If Related is canceled, I'll have to put a curse on all their
descendants (i.e., the descendants of the WB executives)
from now until the end of time.

Technorati Tags: television

West Wing: The Big ``Real" Debate

Tick:

Did you watch the big debate last Sunday on NBC's The West Wing? I don't know about you, but I'm ready to repeal the 22nd amendment, and start a write-in campaign for Josiah Bartlet.

Technorati Tags: television

The Friday that was: The ``Clean Up Crew" came!

Put down your dust pan!

It's no secret that my house has been a mess. It's been both a private and public embarrassment for some time.

Yesterday the ``Clean Up Crew" came in the form of my daughter and unlicensed  ``son-in-law." Like the oldest daughter, Ginni Sorelli, in the marvelously hilarious  WB show Related, and her ``Clean Up Crew," my daughter totally took charge.

By the end of the day there was floor!

So if you're like me, and ``putting things back is the knack that you lack," check out Parachute Express and their ``Clean Up Crew" song. The song is available for download at the Apple Music Store and many other fine establishments.

Likewise, I have been doing some cleaning around the old website.

• The blog is now three columns wide, rather than two.
• I have added a sister blog, these befuddled photos, to post photos of concerts, recording sessions, musical events, etc. I will tell you more about this sister blog in a later posting that will follow, but please give my new blog a look/see: http://befuddled.typepad.com/photo/.



• At the top of the right column you will find a graphic ``these befuddled photos" button (see button above). If you click on the button, you'll jump right to the befuddled photos site.
• In the left-hand column, you'll see a photo of Ali Gray (more on her in a later posting) and her acoustic trio. The photo is under the heading: PUBLISH YOUR BEST CONCERT PHOTOS HERE. I am extending an invitation to all independent musical performers to publish your best photos on my site. Just send me an email. Tell me about yourself or your group and the event you have photographed (they can be of your own act, or your favorite act), and, if you qualify, I'll publish 3 to 5 quality photos on the these befuddled photos site per event.)
• Also in the left-hand column you'll find a picture of Ali Gray's Let You In CD under the GET YOUR NEW CD REVIEWED heading. This is an invitation to all you independent musicians out there: Send me a CD. I can write a review of your CD, do a story about your band, or talk about some of the best songs in your back catalog. Let's talk. Maybe I can help increase your exposure.

OK, I guess that's all the news for now. I'm going to listen some more to the  Parachute Express and their ``Clean Up Crew" song. But I don't care what they say, singing and dancing is a lot more fun than cleaning!

Technorati Tags: music, people, television

Serenity: The best ever?

Stop! I can't breathe!

Serenity earns my highest rating of  Stop! I can't breathe!

I saw Serenity opening night. I apologize for taking so long to post comments. My comments today will be very brief. I have decided to wait until the DVDs come out to post my extended review.

We're all sad to see Wash and the Preacher Shepard [10 OCT 2005: Oops, that was a bad mistake.] pass on, but this isn't Star Trek where only the new guy on the bridge dies. And this isn't Star Wars, where there's plenty of time to take a nap or two without missing anything important.

But enough about what I think.

Serenity fans should enjoy the posting I noticed over at My Yahoo! about Serenity and the difference between sci-fi fan behavior at the movies vs. your run-of-the-mill movie-goer behavior. Read the posting by Whitney Matheson  here (Matheson is a columnist for USAToday.com).

Technorati Tags: film

2 great music videos + 1 = 3 Free ``Downloads"

Tickle:

Do you have the blues because it will be weeks before you can watch another new episode of a Fox PrisonBreak, Bones, or House TV show? Take heart, Bunky (AKA Harold V.). I've got something that will help you get through this crisis: Three great music videos that you can either download or watch for free.

The best part is you can watch them until your heart is free of its burdens, and you feel like dancing nude amongst the daisies. And you'll never get a big, ugly letter from a lawyer to spoil your joyous mood.

Let the joy begin!

1. Blame Sally: ``If you tell a lie." (View video here. QuickTime plugin is required.) This song and video are about our favorite compulsive liar.
2. Tina Schlieske: ``Please wake me" video by Jennifer Lane 1998 (download page here). ``Please wake me" is a song off the Tina and the B-Sides's out of print It's All Just the Same CD. The video has a ``homebrew" quality, but it's delightful nonetheless (or maybe that's why it's so delightful).
3. Pink Floyd: ``Fletcher Memorial Home" (view on Google Video here). I missed this song the first go around, but the video, if not the song?, seems to be about Maggie's little war. Go retro! Enjoy.

Have a good week, folks!

PS - If you're still bored, check out Patrik Tanner. One of these eons I'll be doing a review of his Soft CD.

Technorati Tags: music, television

Melissa Etheridge Works on Sitcom for ABC about Life in Kansas

Tickle:

What would Melissa Etheridge's life be like if she hadn't become a rock `n' roll star? (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, file)

Apparently Etheridge has asked herself that very question, and she's developing a sitcom for ABC to come up with an answer.

Etheridge told Time magazine in their Oct. 10, 2005 issue:

``It's still in development. Basically, it's about what my life might have been like had I not left to find my fame and fortune, and stayed in Kansas and become a teacher and been gay and dealt with life there.''

I don't know about you, but this sounds like it could be a real hoot to me! I wish her success with this sitcom. I can't wait to see a family oriented show about Kansas life.

Most of my kin spent decades just trying to get to Kansas—they left Western Pennsylvania in the 1830's, then after stops in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, they dribbled into Kansas between 1865–1875 (or so I'm told).

So it took my kin roughly forty years to get to Kansas, but they left for Iowa and Oklahoma as soon as there was a railroad and money for a ticket.

You don't need an MBA!

You don't need to go to business school.
You can learn everything on television.

Lesson #1: Impress your boss during business meetings.

Ok, here's the situation. Your boss asks you a question during an important business meeting. You don't know the answer, and everyone is staring impatiently at you. 

No sweat. You can answer vitually any question with one of the following quotations.

1. ``That's a good thing.'' Martha Stewart.
2. ``Not so much.'' Jon Stewart (no relation).
3. ``That's all I'm saying.'' Paul Reiser/Paul Buchman.
4. ``Not to worry.''

Ok, boys and girls, you should now be able to handle any query.

FaV TV: Summer 2005

I'm late in getting this post up on my blog. I mean the Fall TV season has been in progress for about two weeks, and I'm just now listing my favorite summer 2005 shows. I can't imagine anyone noticed my tardiness. So what follows is the list of my five favorite TV shows for the summer of 2005.

1. The Closer TNT. Kyra Sedgwick.
2. Battlestar Galactica. Sci-Fi. Mary McDonnell & Edward James Olmos.
3. The 4400. USA Network. Joel Gretsch & Jacqueline McKenzie.
4. Stargate SG1. Sci-Fi. Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, & Michael Shanks.
5. Rescue Me. FX. Denis Leary.

Honorable mentions go to Into the West (TNT) and The Inside (canceled by Fox).

Best show on TV: The Closer

Stop, I can't breathe!

There's a new champ in town: The Closer (link requires Flash).

When The Closer premiered on 13 June 2005, it bumped Battlestar Galactica from the top spot on my fav tv list (see 18 Jan. 2005 and 3 Feb. 2005 entries).

I became a super-sized fan of Kyra Sedgwick, after I saw her in Heart and Souls in 1993.

It's my hope that The Closer will be televised for many years (Monday nights on TNT).

Note: ``Stop, I can't breathe!'' is my highest rating (see my 18 Feb. 2005 entry for an explanation of my rating system).

DLM: Life after death?

DLM fans wait to hear the word:

I received an e-mail today from a fellow who visited my blog looking for info about the status of Dead Like Me. He asked if perhaps I had any new information. Sadly, the answer was no.

I am encouraged that MGM keeps the Dead Like Me (DLM) website up and active. Networks usually ``kill'' a site, as soon as they cancel a show; however, MGM could be keeping the site up to encourage sales of DVDs.

If MGM is still trying to sell DLM, then I  would guess they are making some attempt to measure DLM-related internet traffic. I therefore encourage DLM fans to keep up the Google and Yahoo DLM-related searches. Also, cllick on the DLM site several times a week. And, sign-up for the MGM newsletter.

If you continue to keep up the traffic, you may yet save the show!