The Sub Standard

Highlights of 2008 from a Pop Music Snob

its just pop — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:57:32 +0000

Phew! Glad 2008 is over! We had some great musical moments, but I’m certainly ready for all the joyous popitude the New Year promises to hold. I love making this list, if for no other reason than to be able to look back over previous year’s lists and remember what I loved. So here’s my [...]

The Christian Right and the Republican Party

may the pop be with you — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:19:14 +0000

Back in June, I wrote about the idea that the church should be the moral compass of America, and it should not abdicate that position to the government. However, between then and Election Day, I became increasingly alarmed at the incivility and the rumor mongering of the rank and file of the conservative Christian movement. [...]

Barack Obama wins historic election!

may the pop be with you — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:18:58 +0000

Last night, in his concession speech, Sen. John McCain said that President-elect Barack Obama commands his respect because “he managed [to win] by inspring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American President.” That is [...]

Fall Music Spectacular!

its just pop — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:28:56 +0000

Hello Fellow Music Aficionados! It’s a great fall for music. First a recap. Rockin summer tunes that I always turned up when they came on: Rihanna - “Disturbia”, Chris Brown - “Forever”, Ne-Yo - “Closer”, and Metro Station - “Shake It”. Am I right? Thanks Pop-gods for the unadulterated, syrupy joy these songs dripped, er…delivered. Have you [...]

The Jonas Brothers Stole My Heart (Sure to be googled!)

its just pop — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:56:28 +0000

Welcome back to another issue of “What I Think Rocks!” I’m happy to say I’m continually blown away by great music, and I love the idea of being able to share a little with you. Even if one person’s CD collection is helped, my writing and listening will have been worth it. Guilty Pleasure: I am [...]

And The Award For “Snarkiest iPhone Application” Goes Too….

i got your pop right here — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:50:27 +0000

I couldn’t let this little “gem” (hehe) of a story go by without commenting on how warm and fuzzy it made me feel inside, what with my general distrust of Apple products and product purchasers. Apparently I’m not the only one who sees them for the status-symbolitians that they really are (ok, I’m having a little fun at their [...]

Saving Grace: Eli Stone on Crack

may the pop be with you — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:16:29 +0000

IGYPRH wrote that if Eli Stone wasn’t the best examination of faith on TV, he’d sell his TiVo. Well, he can keep his TiVo, but Eli Stone does have some fairly strong competition in Saving Grace, the cable, female version of Eli Stone. TNT’s drama (Mondays, 10/9pmC) is now in its second season, and it’s [...]

Sirius and XM Complete Merger: Home Stretch or Last Hurrah?

i got your pop right here — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:06:16 +0000

We’ve been hearing about the impending Sirius/XM merger for about a year now, and today it finally became official. It’ll be interesting to see what this means for what has been largely a niche market. Satellite radio is cool, for sure, mostly due to the availability of commercial free and narrowly-targeted content, and some cool [...]

Mad Men

may the pop be with you — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 21:32:16 +0000

Mad Men (Season 2 Premiere, Tonight, Sun. 7/27, 10pm), is the story of “ad men” of the early 1960s (before flower power). It’s the story of the beginning of our age when advertising is everywhere. It’s the beginning of focus groups and market testing. Mad Men is not for everyone. It definitely has an old-fashioned flavor. [...]

Burn Notice

may the pop be with you — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:58:23 +0000

In the early days of TV drama, two-dimensional characters were the norm, and viewers didn’t mind. It was all about the stand-alone story of the week. These days, though, we ask for a background story, recognizable quirks, idiosyncrasies or traits, and believable and interesting relationships for each character. This is where Burn Notice (Thursday 10/9C) fails. [...]

Katy Perry Kisses Her Way To Summer Domination

its just pop — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 23:26:39 +0000

Surely by now you’ve heard the number one song of the summer, the flirty ChapStick ad, “I Kissed A Girl” from Katy Perry. While the beat is completely ripped from “Rock N Roll Part 2″ by Gary Glitter (”Na na na na na, HEY!”), the hook is drill-licious. Christian music aficionados might (but probably not) [...]

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

poppi longstocking — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:06:54 +0000

I’m not sure if the name could get any more unique, but I’m quite certain the premise can’t. Joss Whedon, my own personal hero, has created a short series of “webisodes” that follows the day to day struggles of one Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) as he tries to join the Evil League of Evil, gain [...]

In Plain Sight

may the pop be with you — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:39:39 +0000

We’re about halfway through the summer, but the regular fall TV season probably won’t be starting for real for a couple of months (only CBS has announced its premiere schedule as far as I can tell). So, how should your TiVo busy until then? I’ll give you a few suggestions over the next week or so. At first I [...]

AT&T Finagles Out of a $199 iPhone

its just pop — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:47:32 +0000

I’m usually all about the asterisk. But either I never noticed it, or they just added it. Either way, my life is not going to change for the better on July 11th, as I had been planning. I’ve been patient. I’ve wanted the iPhone ever since the beginning. But I knew I needed to hold [...]

The Church as America’s Moral Compass

may the pop be with you — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:30:29 +0000

Last Sunday, I heard my pastor give one of his best sermons ever. He has recently awakened to the idea (later than most “conservative” pastors) that the church has a right and a duty to be involved in politics, with very few limitations. However, his position seems to differ slightly from many of his fellow preachers, and his [...]

Weeds Season 4 Premiere Tonight

may the pop be with you — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 17:16:30 +0000

If you haven’t seen Weeds on Showtime yet, you’re in for an interesting experience. I think it’s one of the most original and entertaining shows on TV right now. Mary-Louise Parker is delightfully quirky in the lead role, and the supporting cast of characters is equally eccentric. There is one thing, though. To enjoy this show, [...]

Brad, you almost had me fooled

It aint easy being pop — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:21:16 +0000

Oh, Brad Pitt, you had me swooning when you announced that you were going to help people rebuild their homes in New Orleans and then went a step further and said you were going to make them Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified green homes. How can anyone be so gorgeous and so [...]

Alanis Dishes Jagged Rock Gold With Flavors of Entanglement

its just pop — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:15:42 +0000

Alanis Morissette is back and ready to reclaim the Rock Goddess of the World crown she’s kept in the closet long enough. She’s probably the best-selling female rock artist in the world, having sold over 55 million albums, but it’s been expectations of following up the uber-success of her debut that have been her curse. [...]

Critics drive Obama from his church

may the pop be with you — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:23:44 +0000

“Obama’s church” is the Trinity United Church of Christ. Trinity United Church of Christ is “a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent, the cradle [...]

Hillary Decides to Quit

may the pop be with you — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:34:13 +0000

After she won the Puerto Rico Democratic primary on Sunday, Sen. Hillary Clinton had faint hope, but Tuesday that faint hope disappeared as she lost in Montana. Though she did actually beat Sen. Barack Obama in South Dakota, it wasn’t enough. She was bleeding superdelegates by that point, and Sen. Obama had gained enough delegates with [...]