CD Review: Make a Rising - Rip Through the Hawk Black Night

Listening to Make a Rising is a strange experience. It is unlike anything I have listened to before, but then I rarely venture out of my preferred genre of metal and its related ilk. This most definitely does not fall with the confines of that label. This more like an avant garde carnival, a festival of sounds playing and dancing around each other in a discordant rumba that takes on a life of its on with an ebb and flow that is unlike any musical standard.

Each song on their debut album, Rip Through the Hawk Black Night, takes on a life of its own. They move and sway and build and fall, a bizarre musical journey. The concoction blends violin, sax, electric and acoustic guitar, bass, keyboards, voice, and random noises into a musical tale. The music does not follow the standard song formatting of verse, chorus, verse. Elements are added while others were taken away, coming in at weird times, leaving suddenly, always keeping the listener diligent in their attention.

After my first time through the album, I was not sure I liked it. The style, which I wasn't sure applied at first, was so far removed from my typical, generally narrow, focus of interest that I didn't know where to wedge this in. A few more listens down the line, and the patterns started to emerge, the logic behind the construction was more noticeable. The orchestrations are complex, yet they all come together in this cacophony of the unlikely.

Bottomline. Make a Rising defies description from my experience, yet I found the music intriguing in its unique collection of sounds. This was difficult to write, as I was rather lacking in a frame of reference, yet the music sustained me through. I am happy to recommend this to anyone looking for a little adventure with their music.

Recommended.

New Movie Releases for 1/13/06: Featuring The Last Holiday

2006 rolls on, delivering its second batch of films on Friday the 13th. Will this unlucky day deliver a poor selection, or will it go against the superstitious odds and supply a few winners? Time will tell. Let us move on and see what our new choices are.

Glory Road. The first sports movie of the year has arrived. Josh Lucas is Coach Don Haskins of West Texas U. Based on the true story, Haskins leads his low ranked team to the NCAA championships, while also fielding the first all black starting lineup. This comes from Disney in the tradition of Remember the Titans, a want to be inspirational tale for the family. To be honest, the trailer has not hooked me, it looks like it may be good, but it also looks like so many other inspirational sports stories that I feel I've seen it before. I think I'd rather rent Coach Carter. It was directed by first timer James Gartner. TRAILER

Hoodwinked. The Weinstein Company offers up their first computer animated feature, slipping into theaters with, what seems to be, very little fanfare. After seeing the trailer I can understand why, as this does not really look all that good. It is a take on the story of "Little Red Riding Hood", picking up at the end of the attack and delving into the investigation of the crime. Perhaps it should have been called Law & Order: Fairytale Unit. It features a good voice cast including Glenn Close, Ann Hathaway, James Belushi, Patrick Warburton, and Xzibit. A big name cast doesn't mean good however, actually, I would like to see animated films go back to using actual voice actors as opposed to celebrities. In any case, I am not expecting much from this. TRAILER

Last Holiday. Queen Latifah stars in this remake of the 1950 film of the same name starring Alec Guinness (better known as Obi-Wan Kenobi to you younger folk). Georgia Byrd finds out she has a terminal illness and decides to live it up, in the process touching the lives of those around her. The trailer makes the movie seem a little fluffy and light on the substance, but Queen Latifah is an incredible screen presence. I don't have high expectations, but looks like it could provide some decent entertainment. TRAILER

Tristan and Isolde. Looking to bridge the gap between Shakespeare and Kingdom of Heaven comes this medieval romance. The movie chronicles the tale of a knight's affair with the married future Queen of England. The romance is between a British knight and Irish royalty during a time of war between the two nations. The visuals look good, but the dialogue comes across as rather clunky, especially the bit that ends the trailer. It stars James Franco (who also has Annapolis opening soon) and Sophia Myles, and it was directed by Kevin Reynolds, who also directed The Count of Monte Cristo. For a bit of trivia, this story was going to be Ridley Scott's sophomore film in the 1970's, but he chose to direct Alien instead, good choice. TRAILER

Also opening this week, but not near me:

• April's Shower
• Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Impassioned Eye
• R Point

That brings this week's new offerings to a close.

Paramount Unveils 2006 Releases

What follows is a look at a few of Paramount's coming releases for the coming year. What does the year hold? Will it be big bucks, or the dread whammy? Following the downturn in business in 2005, the studios all hope for an increase in viewership in the coming year. The explosion of DVDs and home theater, not to mention the short window between theaters and DVD, are all contributing to this. Well, let's take a look at what Paramount is offering, and see if what they have will be enough to drag us out to the cineplexes.

Kicking off the year is Last Holiday, a remake of a 1950 Alec Guinness film. This new version stars Queen Latifah as Georgia Bird, a shy woman who finds out she has a terminal illness. Upon this discovery, she embarks on a European vacation. This vacation is a liberation, knowing that she does not have long to live, she throws caution to the wind, and in that action affects the lives of all those who come in contact with her. She co-stars with LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Gerar Depardieu, and Alicia Witt. It was directed by Wayne Wang (Because of Winn-Dixie, Joy Luck Club).

I've seen the trailer for it, and it seems to be rather pedestrian. Some light entertainment that a family could partake in. Th one thing it has going for it is Queen Latifah, she just lights up the screen. In all her roles, she has such a charismatic presence that she could make a bad movie watchable. Time will tell how it will fare. It opens on January 13th.

Next up is Failure to Launch, a romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. This one actually hits close to home, so I may just have to see it. McConaughey plays a guy in his 30's who still lives with his parents. His parents, played by Terry Bradshaw and Kathy Bates, decide to draw a line in the sand. They hire a professional motivator in the guise of a woman who shows interest in their son to encourage him to leave the nest, that motivator is Parker. Of course, the plan does not work quite as it was planned, comedy ensues. It was directed by Tom Dey (Shanghai Noon).

This looks like it could be pretty funny. Like Last Holiday, this looks like it could be some insubstantial fluff, but it could just be the right thing to hit the spot. Whether or not it actually works remains to be seen, but the premise may be enough to draw me out. This launches on February 10th.

Skip ahead a few months and we get one of the potential blockbusters striking early in the season. Tom Cruise reprises his role as Ethan Hunt, action star extrordinaire, in Mission Impossible III. Not sure what the story is for this one yet, but it does reunite Cruise with Ving Rhames, who appeared in the first two versions. The trailer is full of running and shooting and explosions and everything you would expect from a movie like this. I liked both of the other entries, hopefully this will be no different. The promise of big stunts is a pretty good draw for me, not quite as much as the promise of gore, but it works. The movie co-stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, and Keri Russell. JJ Abrams makes his feature directorial debut, after spending most of his time on the small screen with Alias and Lost. This leaps onto the screens May 5th.

Nearly a month after the action drops, we will be treated to the latest Jack Black comedy, Nacho Libre. Black stars as a Mexican priest who works nights as a lucha libre wrestler to earn money for his orphanage. This sounds like one heckuva stretch. But who knows, perhaps those involved will be able to pull off such a ridiculous sounding story. The creative team is centered on Jared Hess who directs and co-writes, he made his debut in 2004 with cult sensation Napoleon Dynamite. Jack Black co-stars with Ana de la Reguera and Peter Stormare. the wrestling action starts on June 2nd.

Leaving the world of fiction, we move into what may be a touchy area for cinema at his time. The movie is World Trade Center. It is based on the true story of two Port Authority policemen – John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno, two of only twenty people to b e rescued from the World Trade Center on 9/11. This chronicles what they went through, as well as their families. It was directed by Oliver Stone, who is no stranger to controversy. I am cautiously optimistic as to how the movie will turn out. On one hand, it is sure to draw a lot of attention, and on the other, how many people are ready to see this on the big screen? It could be a tough sell, but I am confident that Stone will do the story justice. It stars Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. It is scheduled to open sometime in August.

October brings with it a computer animated film entitled Barnyard. The real story of what happens on the farm when the farmer isn't looking. I must be honest, the trailer I saw was not terribly impressive, it came across as slightly obnoxious. I do look forward to what the next trailer is like, as there is almost a year before it is due to come out. The mastermind behind the farm fun is Steve Oedekerk, the brilliant mind behind Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, and the writer of Bruce Almighty. The movie features the voice talents of Kevin James, Courteney Cox, Sam Elliott, Danny Glover, Andie MacDowell, and Wanda Sykes. Not a bad group of actors there, so we shall have to wait and see.

Coming sometime this Fall is Babel, the latest film from Alejandro González Iñárritu. Before seeing this listing, I was completely unaware of this film, and after reading the description, I cannot wait. It is reminiscent of his last film, 21 Grams, in that it connects a few disparate groups of people trough one singular event. The triggering event is when two Moroccan boys are looking after a herd of goats and decide to try out their rifle. That sets of a series of events that brings all sorts of people into the mix. It stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael Garcia Bernal, Koji Yakusho, and Elle Fanning. This looks like it could be completely fascinating,but it could also turn into a retread of 21 Grams. I can't wait to find out.

Also coming this Fall is Zodiac, the latest from director David Fincher. Fincher is a fantastic director, after almost ending his career before it got started with Alien3, has followed that with a string films that place him in the top tier of working directors, films including The Game, Seven, and Fight Club. This is also another "based on a true story" film, frankly I think there have been too many of these lately, but I am willing to give Fincher the benefit of the doubt. It is the story of a serial killer in San Francisco who is taunting the detectives on the case leaving behind signs of his work. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr., and Anthony Edwards. Now, we just have to wait until the Fall to see how it turns out.

Closing out the year, just in time for Christmas comes a family film that will definitely have me in the audience, Charlotte's Web. This was one of my favorite books as a little kid. I could not tell you how many times I read it, the adventures of the pig and the wizened spider, and all the other barnyard critters, especially the rat. This is a live action adaptation of the classic children's story. It is being directed by Gary Winick, who was behind 2004's Big redux 13 Going on 30. It stars Dakota Fanning, who is one of th best young actresses I have ever seen. The film is full of talking animals, and being such requires a good deal of voice talent, the lineup they have assembled includes Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, André Benjamin, Thomas Haden Church, Robert Redford, Reba McEntire, and Kathy Bates. I will be there for sure.

That brings us to a close for Paramount's current 2006 lineup. Looks like a mixed bag for me, a few definites, a couple maybes, and a few no's. New Fincher and Stone films are something to look forward to, and I also look forward to JJ Abrams debut on the big screen. So, do think you'll be seeing any of these?

CD Review: Korn - See You on the Other Side

The boys in Korn are back with their first album of new material since Brian "Head" Welch left the band. Welch left the band officially in February of 2005, in order to rededicate himself to Christianity and filling to role of father to his 6 year old daughter. After that I was not sure what the future would bring for Korn. As this album helps to prove, Korn is nothing if not resilient. Since their debut in 1995, they have released 7 albums, plus a greatest hits compilation, 2 DVDs, and have had a steady presence on the nu-metal scene, most often rising above the faceless hordes.

While their albums are not all classics, I have enjoyed them all, will the trend continue with See You on the Other Side? I am happy to report in the affirmative. It is no Korn or Issues, but there is enough here for the Korn fan to sink their teeth into. There is a little more experimentation here, some of the albums border on Nine Inch Nails industrial, but they never lose that signature Korn sound. A sound that has grown, matured, changed, whatever you want to call it, over the years.

See You on the Other Side starts with their first single, "Twisted Transistor." A catchy track that, at first,didn't really sink in as a good song until a few listenings in when it finally broke through that had barrier surrounding the old gray matter. Once it got in there, this track, and much of the album dug itself in and decided to rock out with with my neurons. Other songs of note are the heavy "Hypocrites," "Coming Undone," and "Seen it All." They incorporate more keyboards and samples, perhaps as a reaction to the lose of half of their guitars, whatever the reason, it adds a different dimension to the sound.

There is something about this disk that I find very catchy, if slightly overproduced. Over the years Korn has definitely picked up in their production values, this has had a positive and negative effect on them. Gone is most of the raw, roughshod sound of their early albums, replaced with a slicker, layered sound. It would seem to make sense, as a band becomes successful that they seek to take advantage of the technology that the money brings with it. The catch here is to keep your sound from becoming buried within the production. Korn has done a good job at allowing their sound the luxury of the production techniques while retaining their distinctive sound.

See You on the Other Side is an admirable entry into Korn canon, yet remains below their best work. This album also marks the next stage in the evolution of the Korn brand. I find it strange to type that, thinking of the band as a brand. They have formed their own label, Korn Partnership, and have struck deals in which it sells a stake in their profits with EMI as their distributor and more recently with Live Nation, who will be their exclusive concert promoter. The deals seem to be structured in a way that encourages the two companies to take an active role in the success of the band. It is an interesting state of evolving business, yet it also runs the risk of separating the band from the music. This could have negative consequences on the music as art, making it more of a commodity. Hopefully, Korn can reconcile these and keep their creative drive, which seems to be working, so far. I also find it ironic that one of the reasons I saw for Brian Welch's departure was not wanting to be a part of the business of Korn, which was taking up a lot of their time. You can read more on their deal with Live Nation at NYTimes.com.

Back to the album. Korn has been one of the more prolific bands over the past decade, and pretty quietly at that. It seems as if whenever I turn around, there is something new from Korn. Each release bringing with it the excitement of new music from the band that played a big part in the nu-metal movement, while never becoming buried by the label that has been placed upon them.

Musically they are as sharp as ever, focusing on their strengths, which lie in their heavy guitar riffs and Jonathan Davis' unique vocal styling. Drummer David Silveria and bassist Fieldy lay down the rhythm bed, keeping the beat going strong and steady. Coming over that rhythm section is the meat of Korn's sound, Munky on guitar, supplying that signature heaviness that causes the involuntary head rocking. Even with the loss of Head, Munky keeps the riffs going. Finally, there is our master of ceremonies, Jonathan Davis, one of the more unique and intriguing voices in rock today. Now working with a bit less growl than those early recordings, instead exercising a bit more finesse, fine tuning his inflections and aggression. All I can say is rock on!

Bottomline. Korn continues their dominance with this latest release. A mix of strong and filler tracks, the end result is an album well worth adding to your collection. Davis and company have done it again.

Recommended.

DVD Review: The Dukes of Hazzard - The Complete Seventh Season

Here it is, the one all you Dukes fans have been waiting for, the final season is here. Actually, I am surprised that it lasted seven years. I mean, I loved the show as a kid and in syndication, but it is kind of silly, and suffers from cookie cutter style plotting. Still, Warner Bros. has done a nice job at delivering the final 17 episodes on six disks. The set is a little slim on he extras, but the episodes are rendered relatively nicely.

The season starts with one of the best episodes of the run, "Happy Birthday, General Lee." This episode flashes back eight years and recounts just how the 1969 Dodge Charger came to be in the possession of Dukes. It is a fun story, tracing it from the beat up black car used in a bank robbery to the fixing up of said car and why they happened to paint it that orange color. Other standouts include "Welcome, Waylon Jennings," where the man behind the narrator steps from behind the curtain to play an active role in the proceedings, and "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Duke," which is fun because it has Luke undergoing a mood change.

Season seven may not have been full length, but they had a mix of clunkers in with the decent ones. A real standout among the clunkers is "Robot P. Coltrane," which has some high tech thieves selling a robot to Boss Hogg to function as their new sheriff. This was just a flat out bad idea, especially when you see the painted cardboard robot costume. Then there is the one where Hazzard is visited by extraterrestrials. The steam engine is clearly beginning to run dry.

The season came to an end with "Opening Night at the Boar's Nest," which featured John Schneider as director and co-writer. The episode has everyone in town getting ready some performances for opening night, including the Duke's family band and Roscoe P. Coltrane's magic act. While everyone is enjoying the show, a couple of recently released cons with a grudge against Hogg ride into town and kidnap the portly fellow. This leaves the Duke cousins and Roscoe to track him down. Things are complicated by the ransom demand for the fat man. However, Roscoe is convinced he really made him disappear, it was like a scene out of The Prestige. The episode ends with the safe return of Boss (surviving a gunshot) and the happy touching reunion of Roscoe and Boss Hogg. Actually felt bad for Coltrane who pretty much sums up the feelings of a cast that is about to disband.

I always enjoyed the show. It was corny and funny and had plenty of car chasing action, stuff that is always attractive to a young and impressionable mind. The Dukes fit in nicely with the 80's era of action television, alongside the likes of Knight Rider, Macgyver, and The A-Team. It was a show that you could pick up any episode and figure out what was going on, and if you watched enough, you could probably begin to predict what was going to happen. Overall, it was a fun series, and know it is all on DVD.

Audio/Video. Audio is Dolby Digital Mono, preserving the original mono broadcast. It sounds good, clear and crisp. The video is presented in 1.33:1 ratio and looks prety good, if slightly to the soft side. Still, nothing to really complain about.

Extras. They are rather minimal. They include a tribute to Waylon Jennings and his involvement with the show. Also included are a new music video for the "Good Ol' Boys" theme song, performed with John Schneider, Tom Wopat, and Catherine Bach.

Bottomline. Well that about does it, the series is fully available on DVD, including the brief ill advised stint with Coy and Vance. This season, just like the rest had its fair share of the good and the bad. It was fun for the nostalgia, but I do not really see myself visiting the series all that often. Still, this is a nice sendoff for the new age outlaws.

Recommended.

Box Office Update for 1/6-1/8: Hostel

Torture sells. The first full weekend of 2006 is ruled by the torturous gore-fest that is Hostel. It is director Eli Roth's follow up to 2004's Evil Dead homage, Cabin Fever. His first film benefited from positive quotes from Sam Raimi and Peter Jackson, his second outing features Quentin Tarantino as an executive producer. It is also rumored that Tarantino helped to clean up Roth's script.

Hostel is the tale of a couple of American's backpacking through Europe who become the victims of a rather gruesome place, where rich clients come and pay to live out their gory fantasies of torturing and killing people. A wonderful tale, to be sure, told as a mixture of buddy sex comedy and gross out blood-fest. Not so much a horror film as a thriller with a penchant for red, or Saw with a better concept. It did will its opening week, but these types of films generally lose their audience rather quick, so we shall see what it does next weekend.

The next 3 slots are, in order, the top 3 from last week. Narnia continues to show strong legs as it nears the $250 million barrier. On the other hand, King Kong is proving that it will steadily increase it's tally despite not being the huge blockbuster it was expected to be. It is closing in on the $200 million mark, and will most likely make it to the $250 million level.

Two films from 2005 made significant increases in their theater count this weekend, and their final numbers show the improvement. The first is the number 6 movie, Munich, which is another great movie from Steven Spielberg, telling the tale of a Mossad team tracking down those responsible for the assassination of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. The other is Brokeback Mountain, which had a good weekend despite being banned at one Utah cineplex.

There were two more new releases for the 2006 calendar year besides Hostel, neither of which cracked the top ten. One was Grandma's Boy from Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison, which landed at number 13. The other appears to be another trash heap from director Uwe Boll, following up House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark with another video game property, the 19th place finisher BloodRayne. It seems that Boll's investors were taking advantage of a tax loophole which allowed them to write off failed film ventures, which Bol seems more than willing to help, not unlike the plot of another current film, The Producers.

This Week	Last Week	Title	Wknd Gross	Overall	Week in release
1	N	Hostel	$19,556,099	$19,556,099	1
2	1	The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe	$15,643,135	$247,777,824	5
3	2	King Kong	$12,622,285	$192,678,805	4
4	3	Fun with Dick and Jane	$11,918,995	$81,077,547	3
5	4	Cheaper by the Dozen 2	$8,432,616	$66,553,553	3
6	10	Munich	$7,566,075	$25,350,740	3
7	7	Memoirs of a Geisha	$6,111,193	$39,861,859	5
8	14	Brokeback Mountain	$5,726,662	$22,436,190	5
9	5	Rumor Has It	$5,702,435	$35,202,061	3
10	6	The Family Stone	$4,607,787	$53,175,323	4

DVD Pick of the Week for 1/10: Eraserhead

This weeks pick is a film I have only seen once, about 10 years ago on VHS. I remember being stunned by the high rate of bizarre being flung around onscreen. The sad thing was that it was a generations old VHS copy and did not look all that good. The film is none other than Erasherhead.

It has been so long, and my memories of it have faded considerably, but I am very much looking forward to seeing it again. It has been available through David Lynch's website for sometime, but not at any other retail venue until now.

I sit here attempting to write this, and I realize that I really have nothing to say about the movie. It has been so long since I've seen it, and I hadn't even thought about it in years, until I saw it pop up on this week's release list. So, while it is easily a top pick for the week, I have no real comments to go into. I will say that it will fill your quota for the bizarre for awhile.

Also out this week:

• The Constant Gardener. This was one of the best films of 2005. It is a wonderful love story wrapped up with political intrigue.
• The Flash: The Complete Series. Short lived series based on the DC Comics character was good, now is our opportunity to relive it.
• Hustle& Flow. I missed this in the theaters. It had pretty good word of mouth going for it. Time for me to see it.
• Magnificent Seven: 2 Disk Special Edition. The classic western, remastered and loaded with bonus features.
• Red Eye. Wes Craven knocks one out of the park with this tight and focused thriller. It stars two charismatic up and comers in Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy, and successfully keeps the action going for its brief runtime.
• Short Films of David Lynch. Exactly what it says it is, and I can't wait.
• Transporter 2. I loved the first, and the second was just as fun. It is simply a blast of adrenaline.
• The Wild Bunch: The Original Director's Cut: Two Disk Special Edition. Sam Peckinpah's epic in all its remastered glory.

That is all for this week.

A Television Viewer's Diary: 1/1-1/7: Battlestar Galactica

Welcome to the first diary of 2006. I have vowed to attempt to reign in my television viewing. It's not for lack of shows worth watching, nor my desire to watch them. I have decided to be a bit more stringent in what I watch, I simply watch too much. I have also discovered my personal wealth of DVDs, and I would love to give them some more attention.

Hopefully the end result will be in a better quality diary. Separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. So please read on, my faithful fans, dive into the latest diary.

Best show I watched this week: Battlestar Galactica
Worst show I watched this week: Surface

Sunday 1/1.

• Nothing.

Monday 1/2.

• Arrested Development (Fox 8pm). It's back, at least for a week. The show starts off with a family meeting about raising money for the business, resorting to begging if necessary. That leads to the narrator imploring the viewer to tell their friends about the show. Beautiful way to start. Sadly, there are only about 4 episodes left to be spread over the next few months. ***.5
• Surface (NBC 8pm). Holy ET, Batman! There are some interesting aspects to the series, but the characters are all starting to grate on my nerves. I can't remember their names and my interest is fading fast. **
• Las Vegas (NBC 9pm). This series keeps the TV fun factor high. A flier for a male stripper circulates the casino because of Mike's uncanny resemblance to one of the subjects. Meanwhile, they try to trap a cheat with whom Ed has been previously acquainted. ***

Tuesday 1/3.

• Scrubs (NBC 9 & 9:30). After months of waiting and wondering, we finally get some new episodes, 2 in total. It is a start of the new year at the hospital and JD is now an attending. He gets to deal with his own interns, where he tries a different tact from Dr. Cox. Meanwhile, Elliot avoids bringing friends to her new job, and tries to convince Kelso she still works there in order to steal supplies. It is great having this bright spot of comedy back on. ***.5
• Law & Order: SVU (NBC 10pm). A young boy (David Patrick Kelly from Lost) witnesses the murder of his mother. The resulting investigation leads to an organization that is supposed to help the less fortunate, but the organization head was funneling money to a junkie in order to get underage girls. Then the boy decides he has to take matters into his own hands. This remains my favorite of the L&O series. ***

Wednesday 1/4.

• Stacked (Fox 8:30). This is not high art, but for some reason, I keep coming back. After Kat's birthday party, she and Stuart succumb to their baser instincts for a night of passion which makes the next day a little uncomfortable. While those two deal with their tryst, Harold works through a stiff neck with some help from Skyler. ***

Thursday 1/5.

• Four Kings (NBC 8:30). Here lies the debut of a new comedy from the creators of Will & Grace. Four life long friends move into the large apartment left to one of them. This was moderately funny, but it also felt a little generic. I'll give it another week or two. **.5
• My Name is Earl (NBC 9pm). Debuting on its new night is one of the bright spots of this season. This week Earl finds out that his brother was actually responsible for one of his misdeeds, so Randy must now assist in the list. The lesson this episode is forgiving the ones you love. Very funny show, deserving of its attention. ***.5
• The Office (NBC 9:30). Also debuting on its new night is another bright spot of the comedy world. Michael takes the entire office on a booze cruise, which does not turn out all that well. If you work in an office or a cube, this is the show for you. ***.5
• CSI (CBS 9pm). A murder is called in anonymously. The team heads out to investigate and discover a lot of hair. It turns out the victim is afflicted with a rare disorder which causes you to grow hair over your entire body. As the hunt goes on, secrets are discovered on behalf of the decedent and on the identity of the killer. This was OK, but not as good as other recent episodes. **.5
• ER (NBC 10pm). This episode focuses on Abbey and her pregnancy and potentially rejuvenated relationship with Kovac. A young girl is at the ER and is found out to be pregnant, leading to a crisis within her religiously devout family, and a confrontation between Kovac and Neela. Ray tries to get some time off to make an album, and winds up quitting. Another focus is Clemente, and his relationship with a cop's wife, especially when his cop buddies show up looking for her. Mediocre episode. **.5

Friday 1/6.

• Stargate: SG-1 (Sci-Fi 8pm). Mitchell is with the Jaffa and a Prior, the Jaffa are beginning to realize the danger contained therein and they plan on fighting back. Back on Earth, Sam and Oren work on an antidote to the Prior's virus. T'ealc is also dealing with a Prior and former ally. The three converge and are able to successfully repel the immediate threat, but a greater challenge still looms. This new enemy and cast changes are working well. It is not as good as past seasons, but definitely worth your time. ***
• Stargate: Atlantis (Sci-Fi 9pm). The team is trapped on a Wraith hive ship, while McKay uses the serum to overpower his own captors and escape back to Atlantis. On the ship, Sheppard and crew escape and then are recaptured, only to escape again as two hive ships battle each other. This was decent, it has become much better since its debut. ***
• Battlestar Galactica (Sci-Fi 10pm). The first 10 minutes of this episode was the best moment of television all week. Season 2 resumes with the impending battle between the Galactica and the Pegasus. Soon, the power struggle is set aside as they refocus on the Cylons. However, emotions are still high and backroom plans are made. This is simply the finest science fiction show on television, and probably the best since Farscape left the air. ****

Saturday 1/7.

• TNA: Wrestling Impact (Spike 11pm). This week featured a tribute to the newly signed Sting. It also had an excellent 6 man tag pitting the upstarts Rodrick Strong, Austin Aries, and Alex Shelly against Chris Sabin, "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels, and The Phenomenal AJ Styles. Lots of high flying action to be had. ***

To be dropped from the "To Watch" list:

• Surface
• Ghost Whisperer

Shows on the bubble:

That is all for this week.

CD Review: Switched - Ghosts in the Machine

Have you ever heard of Switched? I can say that I hadn't until this set arrived at my door. I even asked a few of my friends if they had heard of them, they all responded negatively. Somebody must have liked this blink and miss them band, or else we wouldn't have this two disk collection of unreleased material, including some demos and live tracks. I'm not trying to speak ill of the band, just that there are a lot of bands that come and go that no one had ever heard of, or been given a chance to become a fan of. To an extent I blame the industry, they constantly shove so much lowest common denominator pop stuff down our throats that a lot of acts just get swallowed up by the abyss. It is a testament to labels such as Corporate Punishment, who put this out, and others like Century Media who are dedicated to lesser known bands and styles that are not in the mainstream. Ghosts in the Machine compiles recordings from prior to their major label debut and 2004, when they hung it up and went their separate ways. Disk one are the songs from the aborted sophomore release and disk two are pre-debut demos and live tracks. This set is my first experience with the Cleveland rockers, and the result is a mixed bag.

The first disk is a mix of heavy riffing and raging vocals and the more melodic side of the current metal scene. There is some good stuff in here, although, in the end it did not leave that much of an impression.

It opens strong with "Save Myself." It starts a drum groove for a few measures before a chugging guitar riff enters the mix, and finally a raging voice coming in over it all. The song keeps the heaviness at the forefront for most of the song with a few forays into a slightly softer and more melodic edge. Most of the rest remains in a slightly less heavy vein, keeping the mix tilted towards the more melodic.

Despite the lack of anything really standout, they do come together well. The music is tight and well written, I can't quite put my finger on it, but they don't have that one defining song. You know, the kind of song that gets stuck in your head and refuses to leave. "Who Feels," with its Incubus-like feel comes close, but doesn't quite make it.

Taken as a whole, the songs here would probably rank slightly better than your average nu-metal type act. If they had more time to develop and grow as a band, I would have said that they could develop into something really good down the line. Sadly, they are all off on other projects now, so whatever Switched could have been was cut short. They had all of the tools needed, they had a good grasp on the balance between heaviness and melody, they had the musicianship, and their songwriting was not bad, with some polishing perhaps they would have found that breakthrough song.

The second disk turns back the Switched clock, delivering some pre-debut demo cuts of tracks from that first album. The disk also incorporates a few live tracks. The best cut here, demo or otherwise, is "Anymore." It has a good groove and plays the fine line between the crunchy heaviness and the needed melody. The tracks are a bit rough and under produced, which is what you would expect from a demo, yet does a good job at capturing the unfettered potential possessed by these guys. The live tracks captures the essence of intensity bottled within them. I get the impression that they put on a hell of a live show, but I will never get to see if that holds true.

Bottomline. These guys had the potential, yet lacked that one killer song, in my estimation. This is, however, a nice collection of music. A treat for the fans and an introduction to potential never realized.

Mildly Recommended.

December Poll Results: Winner - A Christmas Story

December Poll Results: What is Your Favorite Christmas Movie?

• A Christmas Story 35.3% 6
• It's A Wonderful Life 5.9% 1
• Elf 11.8% 2
• Miracle on 34th Street 5.9% 1
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas 11.8% 2
• Bad Santa 11.8% 2
• Polar Express 5.9% 1
• Christmas Vacation 5.9% 1
• Nightmare Before Christmas 0% 0
• other 5.9% 1
• total votes: 17