RE: Your Brains

A fan vid that uses Shaun of the Dead clips

How about a little Halloween music? This song - Jonathan Coulton's "RE: Your Brains" - is about a year old, but I just discovered it over the weekend. And it cracks me up. It's sung from the perspective of a zombie who is negotiating with a former co-worker regarding the eating of his brain. It's catchy. It's funny. It's about zombies. It has it all.

"I'm not a monster, Tom
Well, technically I am"

You can download it for free here.

Halloreading

Looking for some stuff to kill some time today? Here are some good Halloween reads:

• Night of the Killer Lamp: 23 Ridiculous Horror Movie Adversaries


• Stylus Magazine's Top 10 Zombie Films of All Time


• Food for "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown"


• Ghosting Scotland


• Rotten Tomatoes' Top 50 Best-Reviewed Horror Movies


• Orange Alert: Radar Magazine's gallery of downloadable celebrity jack-o-lanterns


• Last-Minute Halloween Costume Ideas


• The 30 Most Unsettling German Halloween Costumes*


• Swingin' Skeletons: Top 5 Jazz Halloween Songs


• Musical Mayhem: Top 5 Creepy Holiday Classics


• "What Monster Could Have Done This?": Horror Movies for Left-Wingers and Right-Wingers

Happy haunted reading!

*Credit due: spydrz

Why I love Halloween Part III

Time for the obligatory post about the appreciation of women to dressing up like prostitutes.

For no mere mortal can resist the evil of the Thriller. Not even Bollywood.

Michael Jackson + curry - Vincent Price = Indian "Thriller"*

Or you can watch some inmates dance to the original.

*Credit due: Relevant magazine podcast

Crush of the Week: Marisha Pessl

This week's Crush is author Marisha Pessl. I haven't read any of her work, but she is definitely "Book Hot".


Books are cool!

I've been spending a lot of time catching up at The Onion's AV Club. In my browsing, I came across this feature where she talks about random songs off of her iPod. And I was smitten.

And the Oscar for best acting in a horror movie goes to...

In honor of Halloween, how about a spooktacular scene from Troll 2?

My weekend in 50 words or less

Evening pipe. Coffee. Spiders win. Buckeyes win. Highland games. "Scotland the Brave". Large men throwing things. Scotch egg. Meat pie. Supermac. Dogs. Pork shoulder. Plantains. World Series. Night of the Living Dead. Zombie song. More coffee. Facebook. Gym. Toasted cheese sandwich.

Repost: The Quintessential Autumn Album (at least to me)

Well, it is a (relatively) cold, dark, and wet day, which makes me very happy. Why? Because, over three weeks into October, it finally feels like fall. So I broke out this album and listened to it in its entirety today. I figured that I'd repost this for the newer MW readers who haven't meticulously combed the archives (and why haven't you, by the way?).

Feel free to post what you believe to be the Perfect Autumn Album and why that is.



As we enter autumn, there's one album that perfectly embodies the season (at least to me): Elvis Costello's 2003 jazzy classical (or classically jazz) North. From the laid back string and piano-laden music and lyrical imagery ("I trampled through the amber and the burnished gold") to the album artwork and leaf-strewn videos on the bonus DVD, it just feels like fall. It is a song cycle that chronicles the falling apart of his marriage and then his finding a new love (Diana Krall). The immediate pop hooks of Costello's previous work aren't here, but it is a rewarding listen nonetheless (other reviews and articles).

Included on the album is possibly my favorite Elvis Costello song - "Still":

These few lines I'll devote
To a marvelous girl covered up in my coat
Pull it up to your chin
I'll hold you until the day will begin

Still
Lying in the shadows this new flame will cast
Upon everything we carry from the past
You were made of every love and each regret
Up until the day we met
There are no words that I'm afraid to hear
Unless they are "Goodbye, my dear"
Still

I was moving very fast but in one place
Now you speak my name and set my pulse to race
Sometimes words may tumble out but can't eclipse
The feeling when you press your fingers to my lips

I want to kiss you in a rush
And whisper things to make you blush
And you say, "Darling, hush, hush
Still, still"

So buy it, download it, or get it from the library. Then put on some coffee, bundle up, and give it a listen.

(Hooray for me: I just found - through illegitmate means - the import-only bonus tracks "North," "Impatience," and "Too Blue")

Office chatter

Tonight's episode of "The Office": "Local Ad"

The Scranton branch is asked to participate in an ad campaign which jump starts Michael's creativity.

MW Bonus "30 Rock" Synopsis: "Rosemary's Baby"

Liz hires her idol as a guest writer only to face dire consequences.

Discuss.

Sunny day

Tonight's episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia": "Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender"

Dennis is mistaken for a recently released child molester, but is more upset that the guy is overweight than that he's a sex offender. Meanwhile, Mac tries to bond with his ex-con father, who can't take his eyes off a creeped-out Dee.

Discuss.

Crush of the Week: Rose McGowan

This week's Crush is actress Rose McGowan. I just watched the Grindhouse movies and, though I still think the machine gun leg is pretty dumb, she was smokin'...


...but not worth divorcing your wife of sixteen years who sired your five kids.

Plus, she's been tainted by Marilyn Manson. *shudder*

It's a...hoodie!

Target is having a great sale on hoodies this week ($8.66!), so I thought I'd buy yet another one. I shall name it...Black Dog*. I just hope my others - Graybeard, Blueball, Spiderboy, the Professor, and Greenhorn - don't get jealous.

Man, now I really can't wait until it gets colder. Too bad it's only late October. *sigh*

*I'm in a Zeppelin kind of mood.

Office chatter

Tonight's episode of "The Office": "Money"

As Jan renovates his condo, Michael confronts his growing debt by asking his employees for a loan.

MW Bonus "30 Rock" Synopsis: "The Collection"

Jack hires a private investigator to prevent GE from digging up any dirt on him. Steve Buscemi guest stars.

Discuss.

Crushes of the Week: The Pipettes

This week's Crushes are RiotBecki, Gwenno, and Rosay, collectively known as the neo-girl group The Pipettes. Surprisingly, the one with the glasses is not my favorite.



Their debut album has finally gotten a Stateside release, with a couple of bonus tracks and remixed sound. Do pick it up. Or steal it.

Sunny day

Tonight's episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia": "Mac Is a Serial Killer"

Mac has been acting strangely, leading Frank, Dennis and Dee to believe that he's the serial killer who has been terrorizing Philadelphia. So they set out to catch him, but for Dennis and Dee, that means they must first learn to think like serial killers themselves. Frank, meanwhile, is content to let a chainsaw do his thinking for him.

Discuss.

Meet me at the fair*: a photo essay

Here are some pics from this year's Virginia State Fair. The snarky comments pretty much write themselves. Feel free to contribute your own.















*The post title is from an obscure song and obscure album by an obscure band. Do check them out.

My new favorite song

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah
Spooky, scary
Boys becoming men
Men becoming wolves

Office chatter

Tonight's episode of "The Office": "Launch Party"

The Dunder Mifflin Infinity website is launching and Michael attends the New York launch party while the Scranton branch holds their own celebration.

Discuss

Sunny day

Tonight's episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia": "Dee Is Dating A Retarded Person"

Dee dates a famous local rapper and it could turn out to be true love, even though he might be mentally challenged. In any event, his success inspires Mac, Dennis, Charlie and Frank to start their own band.

Discuss.

Finest Worksongs, part fifteen

In which your favorite blogger, after listening to his daily podcasts and the occasional full album, spends the rest of his workday playing a random track from every artist in his iPod.

U2 - "Walk On"
Up, Bustle & Out - "Hip Hop Barrio - Who's Gonna Take the Weight"
Van Morrison - "I'll Tell Me Ma"
Velocity Girl - "Pop Loser"
The Velvet Underground - "All Tomorrow's Parties"
The Verve Pipe - "The Freshmen"
Vince Guaraldi Trio - "Greensleeves"
Violent Femmes - "Confessions"
Vivaldi - "Summer - Adagio"
Wammo - "Children of the Corn Nuts"
Warren Zevon - "Searching for a Heart"
Watsonville Patio - "In My Car"
Ween - "Push Th' Little Daisies"
Weezer - "No One Else"
"Weird Al" Yankovic - "Let Me Be Your Hog"
Wheatus - "Truffles"
The White Stripes - "Hotel Yorba"
The Who - "I Can't Explain"
William Shatner - "Ideal Woman"
The Wiseguys - "The Bounce"
The Wreckers - "Cigarettes"
Wu-Tang Clan - "Reunited"
Wyclef Jean - "Oh What a Night"
Wynton Marsalis - "Jingle Bells"
XTC - "Pink Thing"
Yaz - "Goodbye Seventies"
Yum-Yum - "Words Will Fail"
Z-Trip - "DJ Kool"
Zumpano - "Oh That Atkinson Girl"
10,000 Maniacs - "Candy Everybody Wants"
1990s - "Switch"
2 Many DJ's - "Queen of Japan:I Was Made for Loving You"
2 Skinnee J's - "Pluto"
311 - "All Mixed Up"

That's all, folks.

Finest Worksongs, part fourteen

In which your favorite blogger, after listening to his daily podcasts and the occasional full album, spends the rest of his workday playing a random track from every artist in his iPod.

Talib Kweli - "More or Less (w/ Dion)"
Tay Zonday - "Chocolate Rain"
Taylor Swift - "Tied Together With a Smile"
Tears for Fears - "Women in Chains"
Teenage Fanclub - "Star Sign"
Tenacious D - "The Metal"
Texas - "Sunday Afternoon"
Tha Alkaholiks - "Bottoms Up (w/ King Tee)"
Therapy? - "Knives"
They Might Be Giants - "Stand On Your Own Head"
Third Eye Blind - "How's It Going To Be"
Throwing Muses - "Counting Backwards"
Tilly and the Wall - "Rainbows in the Dark"
Tim Easton - "Hummingbird"
Tim Fite - "Hay Man"
Timbaland - "To My (w/ Nas & Mad Skillz)"
Tom Petty - "American Girl"
Tony Bennett - "The Best Is Yet To Come (w/ Diana Krall)"
The Tossers - "Litigation"
A Tribe Called Quest - "Scenario"
Tyler Bates - "Come and Get Them"

Office chatter

Tonight's episode of "The Office": "Dunder Mifflin Infinity"

Much to the dismay of Michael and many of the employees, Ryan returns to the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin to bring the company into the digital age.

Discuss.

Sunny day

Tonight's first episode of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia": "The Gang Sells Out"

The gang agrees to sell Paddy's when they get an offer that's too good to turn down. As non-partners in the bar, Dee and Charlie are left in the lurch and forced to find jobs...and do real work.

The second episode: "Frank Sets Dee on Fire"

The gang tries to become local celebrities by creating their own public access news show and making it big on the hip club scene.

Discuss.

Finest Worksongs, part thirteen

In which your favorite blogger, after listening to his daily podcasts and the occasional full album, spends the rest of his workday playing a random track from every artist in his iPod.

Salsa Celtica - "El Sol De La Noche (The Midnight Sun)"
Sarah Masen - "All Fall Down"
Sarah McLachlan - "Good Enough"
Save Ferris - "Spam"
Say Anything - "Chia-Like, I Shall Grow"
Scorpions - "Big City Nights"
Scratch - "Exhibit One"
Sean Paul - "Gimmie the Light (Remix)(w/ Busta Rhymes)"
Sebadoh - "Open Ended"
Seu Jorge - "Queen Bitch"\
Seven Nations - "Under the Milky Way"
Shane MacGowan & the Popes - "The Church of the Holy Spook"
Shania Twain - "C'est La Vie"
Sharlock Poems - "Four (w/ Light Headed)"
Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - "How Long Do I Have To Wait For You?"
She Wants Revenge - "Red Flags and Long Nights"
Shelby Starner - "Fall"
Shooter Jennings - "Little White Lines"
Shrug - "Going Sane"
Sigur Ros - "7"
Silversun Pickups - "Little Lover's So Polite"
Simon & Garfunkel - "Mrs. Robinson"
The Simpsons - "I Love to Walk"
Siouxsie & the Banshees - "Kiss Them For Me (7" Version)"
Sister Hazel - "Think About Me"
Sixpence None the Richer - "Love"
Skillz - "Doin' Time in the Cypha"
Slick Rick - "The Ruler's Back"
The Smiths - "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others"
Smoking Popes - "Can't Help the Teardrops (From Getting Cried)"
Smoosh - "This Is Not What We've Become"
Smut Peddlers - "My Rhyme Ain't Done"
Snow Patrol - "Make This Go On Forever"
Soft Cell - "Loving You Hating Me"
Soul Coughing - "Down To This"
The Soup Dragons - "Lovegod"
South Pacific - "Honey Bun"
South Park - "Mountain Town"
Special Ed - "I Got It Made"
Spice Girls - "Spice Up Your Life"
Spinal Tap - "Gimme Some Money"
Spoon - "Finer Feelings"
Squeeze - "Up the Junction"
Squirrel Nut Zippers - "Hot Christmas"
SR-71 - "Broken Handed"
St. Vincent - "Paris Is Burning"
Stabbing Westward - "What Do I Have To Do?"
Stan Getz - "The Girl From Ipanema"
Stars - "Life 2: The Unhappy Ending"
Steely Dan - "Reelin' in the Years"
Stephen Lynch - "Jim Henson's Dead"
Stereo-Types - "As the Wax Spins"
Steve Miller Band - "Take the Money and Run"
Steve Poltz - "Good Morning (Waking Up With You)"
Stevie Wonder - "Uptight (Everything's Alright)"
The Stone Roses - "Waterfall (Justin Robertson Remix)"
The Strokes - "Someday"
Styx - "The Grand Illusion"
Sublime - "Doin' Time"
Suddenly, Tammy! - "Beautiful Dream"
Sufjan Stevens - "A Conjunction of Drones Simulating the Way in Which Sufjan Stevens Has an Existential Crisis in the Great Godfrey Maze"
Sugar Ray - "When It's Over"
The Sundays - "You're Not the Only One I Know"
Supafriendz - "Thought It Was Safe (Jawz)"
Super Genius - "Painting in the Rain"
Supertramp - "Take the Long Way Home"
System of a Down - "Shimmy"

Bonus Crush of the Week: Schick Treadmill Girl

Since I was late posting a Crush this week, y'all get a bonus one: the girl in the Schick Quattro Titanium commercial.


Just like the talent at my gym.

She's cute. And it's fun to say Schick. See the commercial here.

Credit due: dubin

Crush of the Week: Hayden Panettiere

This week's Crush is actress Hayden Panettiere. Save the cheerleader, save the world! OMG! LOL!!!11!!1!


This picture was taken post-birthday, thank you very much.

Now that she's of legal voting age, our love doesn't have to be kept a secret.

Finest Worksongs, part twelve

In which your favorite blogger, after listening to his daily podcasts and the occasional full album, spends the rest of his workday playing a random track from every artist in his iPod.

R.E.M. - "Underneath the Bunker"
The Raconteurs - "Yellow Sun"
Raffi - "Banana Phone (Fast Version)"
Rahzel - "Southern Girl"
Rancid - "Olympia, WA"
The Rat Pack - "Monologue"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Yertle the Turtle"
Regina Spektor - "Fidelity"
Relient K - "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"
The Rentals - "Waiting"
The Replacements - "Can't Hardly Wait"
Rev Run - "Home Sweet Home"
Rihanna - "SOS"
Rilo Kiley - "Accidental Deth"
RJD2 - "June (w/ Copywrite)"
Robbie Fulks - "Pretty Little Poison"
Robbie Williams - "Somethin' Stupid (w/ Nicole Kidman)"
Robert Mitchum - "Matilda, Matilda"
Robyn Hitchcock - "Tropical Flesh Mandala"
The Rocky Horror Picture Show - "Time Warp"
The Rolling Stones - "Under My Thumb"
Rollins Band - "Tearing"
Rooney - "Stay Away"
The Roots - "Popcorn Revisited"
Ruben Gonzalez - "De Una Manera Espantosa"
Run-DMC - "Is It Live"

Finest Worksongs, part eleven

In which your favorite blogger, after listening to his daily podcasts and the occasional full album, spends the rest of his workday playing a random track from every artist in his iPod.

Paramore - "We Are Broken"
Patton Oswalt - "Here We Go"
Paul Anka - "Black Hole Sun"
Paul Oakenfold - "Hold Your Hand (w/ Emiliana Torrini)"
Paul Schwartz - "Sviraj (Lullabye)"
Paul Simon - "Crazy Love, Vol. II"
Paul Thorn - "I Bet He Knows"
Pee Shy - "Mr. Whisper"
Pet Shop Boys - "Where the Streets Have No Name (Can't Take My Eyes Off of You)"
Peter Bjorn and John - "Let's Call It Off"
Peter Gabriel - "My Head Sounds Like That"
Peter Salett - "Magdalene"
The Pharcyde - "Ya Mama"
Pharoahe Monch - "Rape"
Phil Collins - "Sussudio"
The Pierces - "Ruin"
Pigeon John - "Payroll Professionals"
Pink Floyd - "Brain Damage"
Pink Martini - "Amado Mio"
The Pipettes - "Why Did You Stay"
Pish Posh - "Get Ill"
Placebo - "This Picture"
PlayRadioPlay! - "At This Particular Moment in Time"
Plumb - "Crazy"
Poe - "Angry Johnny"
The Pogues - "The Broad Majestic Shannon"
The Police - "Spirits in the Material World"
The Polyphonic Spree - "Hanging Around the Day Part 2"
The Postal Service - "This Place Is a Prison"
The Presidents of the United States of America - "Kitty"
The Pretenders - "Back on the Chain Gang"
Primal Scream - "Movin' on Up"
Prince - "Te Amo Corazon"
The Prodigy - "Their Law"
Propellerheads - "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"
Public Enemy - "Get the Fuck Outta Dodge"
Puff Daddy - "It's All About the Benjamins"
Pulp - "Seductive Barry"
The Push Stars - "Lack of Motion"
Queen - "One Vision"

My weekend in 30 words or less

Pumpkin spice coffee with pumpkin spice creamer. Knocked Up. Target. BBQ dinner. College football. Block party. Cuban cigar. Russian pepper vodka. Venison sausage. Pipe show. Pumpkin ale. Pizza.