The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

While the first song I ever heard by Def Leppard was "Rocket" from Hysteria , the first new album I bought immediately after it was released was Adrenalize . The first single off said album was "Let's Get Rocked." At one point in the song, the following words are sung: "It was Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven. It makes me wanna scream. Bach, Tchaikovsky, violins - turn it off, that ain't my scene." Well, 31 years later, that is Def Leppard's scene - as they've teamed up with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to produce their 14th album, Drastic Symphonies .  The British rock trio Muse has taken over the top spot as my all-time favorite band. One reason for that is their brilliant mesh of rock and classical music. There's just something about the combination of rock 'n' roll and orchestras which create an almost indescribably epic experience. Having said that, while I was excited to hear my former favorite band, Def Leppard, attempt to m...

Not too terribly long ago I was approached by a friend about a new Bush album, which was released LAST year. This was news to me, as I hadn't heard anything about it, and being a long-time fan of the band, I've almost always been incredibly up-to-date on any new releases by Gavin Rossdale and the boys. So, while I trusted the aforementioned friend I've known since grade-school, there was admittedly a sliver in my noggin which told me, "Seriously?!? This can't be true!" Well, it was, and boy, was it ever something I wasn't expecting. The band's 9th studio album is called The Art of Survival , and for the fans of Rossdale's solo record or Bush 2.0's first three releases: The Sea of Memories , Man On the Run , and Black and White Rainbows , upon first listen to this latest effort, it may leave you more shocked than getting struck by lightning while stationed in an electric chair. Bush's first four albums were, to put it simply, grunge - with a...

I started noticing this a while ago, but am beginning to realize what I observed wasn't just an aberration; it was a trend. Black entertainment on IMDb.com tends to be rated much lower by members than by actual critics. I just binge-watched the docu-series Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story . On RottenTomatoes.com , the series received a perfect approval rating of 100% and averaged to score a 7.8/10 grade from critics. On IMDb.com, the show's average grade was 4.6/10. Here is a breakdown of how some critically acclaimed black shows and films have been scored on IMDb.com. Black-ish Rotten Tomatoes: 8.0/10 IMDb.com: 7.1/10 Difference: -11.3% The Black KkKlansman  Rotten Tomatoes: 8.3/10 IMDb.com: 7.5/10 Difference: -9.6% Dear White People (movie) Rotten Tomatoes: 7.5/10 IMDb.com: 6.1/10 Difference: -18.7% Dear White People (series) Rotten Tomatoes: 9.0/10 IMDb.com: 6.3/10 Difference: -30.0% Fruitvale Station Rotten Tomatoes: 8.1/10 IMDb.com: 7.5/10 ...

As long-time readers should know by now, I love the band Muse. Even though they're huge everywhere in the world except the country I reside, and due to them releasing a song for a Twilight movie soundtrack ("Neutron Star Collision") they've been branded as "uncool" amongst some in the U.S. (psst, they'd been around 14 years prior to that song's release, releasing 5 studio albums in that timeframe, but I digress), they're far and away my favorite all-time group. There are several reasons for this: 1) They're technically brilliant musicians; 2) No album sounds alike; 3) The band transcends genre; 4) They're unafraid of exposing their innermost nerd to the world; 5) Similarly, they're unafraid of tackling controversial subjects, including politics; 6) They always appear to be having fun, never taking themselves too seriously; and 7) You've never seen a concert until you've witnessed a Muse concert. Having said that, here's my...

Over the past couple of weeks, I've viewed two of the best movies I think I've ever seen and felt the need to share a bit about them. In addition to these two, I also saw the Daniel Day-Lewis-led film, There Will Be Blood , and highly recommend that as well. Lewis is electrifying and deserved his Oscar for Best Actor. Since that film was released over a decade ago, though, I'll focus the brunt of my attention on the two more recently released films which caught my attention upon first watching them and haven't let go two weeks later, The Square and The Shape of Water . What these two films have in common are they're both: Unique/unusual; powerful; well produced, directed, and acted; are not what they may appear to be; and will likely stay with you long after the closing credits. The Square is a Swedish film directed by star writer/director in-the-making Ruben Ostlund. It is essentially a satire on modern society, where a well respected art museum curator present...

Shifting away from the more serious tone of my typical posts, I thought I'd go a lighter route by providing brief reviews of some shows I've been watching over the past few weeks. The Big Bang Theory  (A-): The show may not be at its peak, but it's still one of the better sitcoms on television right now. The cast's chemistry is still strong and for at least one more season, fellow geeks can rejoice Leonard, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj "talking nerdy to me." See what I did there? Yes, the dad joke/nerd talk hybrid. Bucket list? Check. Black-ish (A): Funny, smart, and topical. When it comes to combining humor with power, Black-ish is the best sitcom on television right now. No episode was more powerful than the post-Trump election episode. If you haven't had the chance to see it, do yourself a favor, drop what you're doing now (yes, reading this), and go watch it! Black-ish is a show at its peak and I sincerely hope it stays there for seasons to come. ...

The third and (thankfully) final installment of the Fifty Shades of Grey  series, Fifty Shades Freed , is out. To this point, critics have felt about the same about the three films as they have about the books on which they're based. Fifty Shades Freed  currently has an 11% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com . Here are some of my favorite review headlines: - "There are unintentional laughs in the plodding, clunky story, but the biggest laugh is the one this series has had on the audience for three movies." - Adam Graham ( Detroit News ) - "If Christian Grey was ugly and worked at McDonald's he'd be either arrested or on an FBI watchlist." - Robert Kojder ( Flickering Myth ) - "I'm not certain if Fifty Shades Freed is marginally better than its predecessors, or if I've just grown accustomed to the awfulness of the franchise." - Christopher Lawrence ( Las Vegas Review-Journal ) - "Lazy, vapid, unsexy, mind-numbing and poor...

It makes me simultaneously shake my head and laugh when I hear anyone in the Trump administration complain about "fake news." This is because they appear to be the biggest propagators of it. To test my hypothesis, I researched the Politifact scorecards for everyone in President Trump's Cabinet, including the president himself. Here's how they ranked, from the most honest to the most dishonest (keep in mind the abbreviations stand for the following: T = True, MT = Mostly True, MF = Mostly False, F = False, and POF = Pants on Fire): 1) Department of Homeland Security John Kelly: 1 T (100.0% honest, 0.0% dishonest, net +100.0%) 2) Department of Health & Human Services Tom Price: 3 T, 5 MT, 2 MF, 3 F (61.5% honest, 38.5% dishonest, net +23.0%) 3) Department of State Rex Tillerson: 1 T, 1 MF (50.0% honest, 50.0% dishonest, net +/-0.0%) 3) Department of Transportation Elaine Chao: No grades (0.0% honest, 0.0% dishonest, net +/-0.0%) 3) Department of Defense James...

I thought I'd tone things down a bit today and provide brief reviews on what shows I've been watching. Here we go... Mondays Kevin Can Wait (8 pm on CBS): Here's the latest vehicle for comedian Kevin James, who previously starred on the show King of Queens . Well, if you liked King of Queens , chances are you're going to like Kevin Can Wait . The formats are nearly identical. The only difference, from my vantage point, is the removal of the anger element which often followed King of Queens around like a shadow, limiting its replay value. So overall, I'd say I like this show better than James' old series, but it's not Emmy-worthy material either. The characters are fairly likable and seem to have a natural chemistry with one another, but the writing is rather formulaic and leaves much to be desired. Grade: C+ Man With a Plan (8:30 on CBS): Mondays on CBS should be called, "Middle-Aged Stars Trying to Rekindle Their Pasts," as like with Kevin...

Let it be known for the record I've always been a fan of Green Day. From 1,039 Slappy Hours to Kerplunk to Dookie to Insomniac to Nimrod to Warning , I found Green Day to be a fun punk alternative rock band I could casually listen to at a party, in the car, or while working out. With their releases of American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown in 2004 and 2009, respectively, however, I went from a casual fan to a die-hard fan of the band. Their music evolved both sonically and lyrically, and the band which once named an album after poop was now creating classic concept rock operas which would soon find their way on Broadway (at least in the former's case). Green Day then went to their old bag of tricks with Uno , Dos , and Tré , before releasing their latest album, Revolution Radio.  After listening to the new album several times now, I thought I'd review it track-by-track, and follow that up with some closing thoughts. 1) "Somewhere Now" (8/10): This song opens ...

Being a lover of numbers and fascinated (yet disturbed) by the Republican primary, I thought I'd dig a bit deeper into the Republican candidates' level of honesty this campaign season. In alphabetical order, here are the 17 GOP candidates which have run for the party's nomination this coming election, along with a few grades handed to each of them by fact-checker Politifact : Jeb Bush : Of 79 graded statements, 38 have been ruled true or mostly true (48%), 24 have been ruled pants on fire, false, or mostly false (31%), for a net +17% Ben Carson : Of 27 graded statements, 1 has been ruled true or mostly true (4%), 23 have been ruled pants on fire, false, or mostly false (85%), for a net -81% Chris Christie : Of 100 graded statements, 39 have been ruled true or mostly true (39%), 35 have been ruled pants on fire, false, or mostly false, for a net +4% Ted Cruz : Of 102 graded statements, 22 have been ruled true or mostly true (22%), 67 have been ruled pants on fire, fa...

As I've had to go through some health ordeals to start the new year, I've had more free time on my hands to sit down, (try to) relax, and take a peek at several new shows. Here's a brief rundown of what I've been watching and what I think about the shows thus far: Angie Tribeca (A+): This is my favorite new sitcom. It's the best parody series I've seen since... :: ponders ::... I can't even remember when! If you love  The Naked Gun as much as I do, be sure to check out this TBS gem! Rashida Jones is this generation's Frank Drebin, with bangs, and a few other differences. Besides that, they're like twins or something... Baskets (C): Zach Galifianakis stars as a clown in this FX dramedy. Week to week, I have a difficult time deciding whether I like it and should continue watching or give up on the series. The show is often dark and somewhat interesting, perhaps simply due to its unusual premise, but the chuckles are typically few and far between, a...

As mentioned in recent posts, I've unfortunately had to battle some health issues in recent weeks, which landed me in a pair of hospitals on four separate occasions. For those who reside in the area, I thought I'd provide brief reviews of the two hospitals. Grady Memorial Hospital 561 W. Central Ave. Delaware, OH 43015 (740) 615-1000 https://www.ohiohealth.com/grady/ Experience Summary: This is the hospital closest to me, so from a convenience standpoint, this is my best option in case of a medical emergency. I was rushed there via an ambulance on December 26th and had to be driven there on January 10th and 12th. When I went here in 2011 for a gallbladder surgery, my experience was mostly positive. However, the three times I've needed help at this facility in the past few weeks has left a bad taste in my mouth. As I was rushed here on the 26th, I was enduring a serious panic attack - the first of my life. My pulse was between 150 and 155, my blood pressure was eleva...

It's honestly been a great year for me on the music front. As of a couple weeks ago, my three all-time favorite bands had released new albums this year, and not only that, but in my opinion, it was some of each artist's best work in a number of years. First, Marilyn Manson released The Pale Emperor on January 15th. While his previous few albums had all been solid, each with a number of clever and catchy tracks, they all felt as though the band was searching for direction - to either continue with the old or try something new, which left the albums somewhat inconsistent in theme and sound. With The Pale Emperor , however, that long sought consistency and direction were found, and in a big way, as I believe it to be the band's best album since Holy Wood in 2000. Next, Muse released their concept album Drones on June 5th. While critics didn't hail it as highly as the band's previous releases, I personally loved it, and felt it was far superior to their previous two...