Top 5: Guilty Pleasures

As I mentioned yesterday, I am a snob, so this confessional will be a bit difficult. I find myself enjoying things any self respecting 29 year-old with a college degree should really avoid at all costs, but I can't help it...these are my guilty pleasures:

1. The Spice Girls - I am so fascinated with their reunion tour. Ginger Spice was always my favorite in the 90's (duh), but I love that Posh has become the real superstar (as she's probably the least talented of the bunch (See ladies. It's very important to choose your mate wisely)). Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are their #1 fans and even Governor Schwarzenegger caught their show in LA (and I love that Becks is on tour with them, too), so I guess I'm in good/crazy company, but I still feel too old to be singing Stop! everywhere I go. I even set my DVR to record the Victoria Secret Fashion Show tonight, only to watch their performance. It's like I'm 18 all over again!

2. Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie - I loathe Fergie. I firmly believe My Humps is the worst song ever written in the history of the world...and yet, I find myself scanning the radio for this song. I love it...especially the chorus and the video with the delicious Milo Ventimiglia. I'm so ashamed, but I still really want to sing it at karaoke someday.

3. America's Next Top Model - I've become rather obsessed with this show over the past few seasons and this current season has been pretty awesome. From Heather, who has Aspergers, trying to control her social awkwardness, to Sarah, a "normal sized" girl who was eliminated because she lost weight, to Tyra being completely insane for 13 weeks, ANTM is one of the few shows I watch live. I love it...and hope Jenna kicks Chantal's vapid ass this week in the finale.

4. People.com - In a genius bit of cross promotion, People.com and EW.com display the other's headlines on their respective sites. So, when I visit EW.com 50 times a day, I am inevitably drawn to People's "headlines" and I click over to read all the celeb gossip. The best stories recently were, of course, J. Love Hewitt telling the media "A size 2 is not fat!" and J. Simp's friends saying Tony Romo is a great match for her (uh...sure). I hate that they suck me into the the gossip, but I just can't resist.

5. Now I Can Die In Peace by Bill Simmons - Bill Simmons writes about sports (and Pop Culture) for ESPN.com and ESPN: The Magazine. He's probably the most popular sports writer in the country, but, like his beloved New England teams, he is suffering from a major backlash (because we hate things that are too popular. We really are a weird species). His book is really fun and entertaining (even if it is all about the Red Sox), but I feel I should basically turn in my San Diego Sports Fan card for reading it.

So there it is. Some pretty embarrassing...some maybe not so much. Hey, at least I don't watch The Hills, right?

A Snobby Way to Waste Time

I am a snob. I love knowing/doing/being a part of something very few people know/do/are a part of. Thus (see. I'm such a snob I use the word "thus" even though it's 2007), I am loving hulu which is basically YouTube meets your network websites (in other words, you can watch tons of current TV shows and movies...all good quality...all free) except you have to be "invited" to access the site (of course, everyone who requests an invite is invited, but still, very exclusive and thus (ha!) snobby).

I mean, it's really just another way to fill my life with television, but what else am I supposed to fill it with? Meaningful human relationships?

Counterpoint: The Grammys

Nickelback is from Canada? NOW it makes sense!

People watch the Grammys. I do, sometimes. There's nothing like a stirring live performance by Shania Twain to nourish the soul, and inspire you to move forward with your drab, meaningless existence. But in any case, we love the Grammys because, well, they're the Grammy's and they have the same shit every single year:

1) Bombastic, Over-the-Top hip hop artist/producer

This is a fucking Grammy staple, you CANNOT avoid this. Snoop, Pac, Diddy, Chuck D, ODB the list goes on and on. This year it's Kanye, and his album is good, so I won't hate. Rock Solid Prediction: K-Weezy does live performance with church choir and/or mismatched pop star. Vegas has John Mayer at 2-1.

"Cuz I'll do anything for a Klondike. And I would do anything for a blonde dyke."

That's deep, Kanye. Deep.

2) Mary Chapin Carpenter

This broad must be the greatest musician of all time, because she gets nominated for something every single year it seems like. Must be like, the female Harry Connick or something, I have no clue. This year, Mrs. Carpenter garners the nomination for Best Comtemporary Folk/Americana Album. Alright Mary, strap on the knee high leather boots and give us your unique brand of sultry blues/folk/Lillith Fair/whatever. Open wide America, here comes the airplane! Rock Solid Prediction: She wins, the Acadamy pours billions into stem-cell research in an attempt to create a Mary Chapin clone for the benefit of future generations.

3) Token Lifetime Acheivement Grammy for over-the-hill artist

Put on your best suit, Herbie Hancock. Get a facial. Go to a few Toastmasters meetings. Cause you're going to be making an acceptance speech. The Boss would be a shoe in, but he got his for that one album, with the trolly car video, something about Philedelphia. Anyways, the main reason Herbie is a shoe in: 57 albums. Dude's got Grammys for Rock It and some other stuff, but has yet to go home with any "Big Game/Elephant's Head" awards. His latest is a jazz/funk tribute to Joni Mitchell, with guest vocals from the likes of Norah Jones and Tina Turner. This is the Acadamy equivelent of getting an entire bag of red Skittles, it's just SOOOO much goodness. They set the standard after passing over Kid A for Steely Dan, and a Bob Dylan later, it's Herbie's turn. Rock Solid Prediction: Pretty sure I just gave it to you. The few songs I've heard off of this album are pretty good, actually.

4) Emotionally Powerful/Evocative Alternative Rock Performance

"Yeah, Dave Grohl? Yes, this is the Acadamy. Please don't shave the beard. Ummm, yes we do want you to perform live. Of course, play whatever you want, just make everyone cry." Rock Solid Prediction: Flea streaks on stage and does the first "Commando Crowd Surf" in Grammy history.

On a side note, Common's Finding Forever has in fact, been nominated for best hip hop /rap album of the year, good to see him be recognized. A real banner year for Chi-Town, here's The People, off of said album:

On a lame note...

Grammy nominations were announced today. No one cares.

Somewhere along the line, the Grammys became the Pro Bowl of award shows. It gets hyped but no one watches it. Why is that? As someone who’s obsessed with music, I should be stoked about the Grammys. But I’m not. At all. I watch other award shows (although Oscars, you've been on notice since that Crash win) but the Grammys have pretty much never interested me.

I was thinking that it’s because only top selling acts win and artistry gets no credit. This has some validity, but not entirely. I figured OK Computer is probably the best album of the last ten years and assumed it didn’t even get nominated for a Grammy. Wrong. It won Best Alternative Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. It lost to Bob Dylan. That’s pretty legit, right?

Other Album of the Year winners were surprisingly legit too. Not always my favorite albums, but inarguably good ones: The Joshua Tree in ’89, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in ’99, Speakerboxx/The Love Below in ’04. Yeah, there’s some George Michael and Celine Dion and stuff like that in there too, but usually some good albums were at least nominated those years. This year, Kanye West and Amy Winehouse got the most nominations. Two popular and critically acclaimed artists.

So what’s the deal? Why do we all yawn at the Grammys? My newest theory - which can’t be tested and is therefore binding – is that awards shows go against the very nature of pop music. Rock and pop stars are supposed to defy convention and test the limits, not sit politely in an auditorium and receive trophies. Actors are supposed to covet our praise like little lost puppies; musicians are supposed to have meltdowns on stage, expose each other’s nipple shields and say the president doesn’t care about black people.

Music is probably the most immediate of all art forms, which also means it’s the most fluid - you can create it and perform it very quickly, so it changes with the most frequency. Beethoven is music, and so are The Arctic Monkeys. So are Tony Bennett and Ghost Face Killah. That’s what makes music so awesome, but it also makes it nearly impossible to celebrate with one big, flashy, nationally broadcast awards show that pays reverence to people whose gift is their irreverence.

I don’t know who the members of The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences are, but their awards indicate that they really don’t get what music is all about. It’s about movement and change and discovery and biting the heads off bats.

Something tells me you won’t see any of that at the Staples Center next February.

Top 5: Holiday Movies

It's that time of year...when your TV set is bombarded with ads for diamonds and HDTVs (which are both great gift ideas if you were thinking of sending me something) and holiday movies like It's a Wonderful Life. And while I do love a good morality tale, you won't find me watching Jimmy Stewart this time of year. Instead, here are the 5 films that get me in the holiday mood:

1. Scrooged - My all time favorite Christmas movie and, in my opinion, the best telling of A Christmas Carol ever (Yes. Even better then the one with Mickey and Scrooge McDuck). Bill Murray is funny as ever and pretty much makes the entire movie. Sure the supporting cast is wonderful, but this is Bill Murray's movie. I still remember seeing it in the theater and people singing along at the end...makes the world seem a little brighter during the holidays.

2. A Christmas Story - I think most people regard this as a modern Christmas classic...and rightly so (they don't play it for 24 hours every Christmas Eve for nothin'). I think my favorite moment is when the family is at the Chinese restaurant for dinner (because the neighbor's dogs have ruined Christmas dinner) and Father is trying to get the Chinese waiters to sing "fa-la-la-la-la" rather than "Fa-rah-rah-rah-rah." Hilarious. And I learned some valuable lessons from this movie...don't stick your tongue to a frozen pole or it will get stuck; eating soap can make you blind; "fragile" is Italian; "fudge" is a perfectly acceptable alternative to "fuck"...valuable lessons, all.

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - I've never seen the Bass and Rainkin stop motion movies (like Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Year Without Santa Claus), which I'm sure is creating a serious hole in my life, but HTGSC has always been enough to fill the void. This wonderful (original) animated telling of the Dr. Seuss story is always a highlight of the holiday season (we'll just pretend the dreadful live action version never happened).

4. White Christmas - This is about as old-school classic as you can get. Bing Crosby is so charming and Danny Kaye is just phenomenal. I also really like Holiday Inn (which is basically the exact same movie and the first time Bing Crosby sang White Christmas). They both make me wish I lived somewhere with snow...if only during the holidays.

5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - It's kinda sad the National Lampoon movies have become such crap because the Griswolds were a truly great American family. I know this film is not what you would call "good" or "smart" or "original" or, I dunno, worth watching multiple times, but I love it and have probably seen it 20 times (though it has been awhile). Sure it has the exact same plot as all the other Vacation movies (Chevy Chase is an idiot, screws up as much as possible, gets really angry at someone and does something illegal and it all works out in the end), but this is holiday film making at it's finest! (That last bit is completely untrue)

So, what are your favorite holiday movies?

Happy Repeal Day!

On this day, in 1933, the 21st Amendment was passed which repealed the 18th Amendment (the one that made alcohol illegal in the US) and ended Prohibition. So, it's pretty much your patriotic duty to drink tonight. If you don't, the terrorists have won.

Happy Hanukkah!

When I was a kid, I totally wanted to be Jewish (mainly because I had the biggest crush on Grant Shaud (aka Miles Silverberg on Murphy Brown), but also because the Jews are God's chosen people and who doesn't want to be "chosen"?) and Hanukkah sounded pretty cool (except when a Jewish boy in my class told us he usually got socks as one of his eight gifts...which is pretty lame (and can I just tell you, the first time I wrote that sentence, I spelled it "sox." Damn you Liz!!!))

Anyhoo, all that to say, we here at Gingers is the Watchword want to wish all our Jewish readers a very Happy Hanukkah, which begins tonight at sundown. Hope you get something better then socks.

Top 5: Breakup Songs

(I'm really into the top 5 lists right now. Not sure what that's about.)


Exactly one year ago, almost to the day, my boyfriend broke up with me (not that I can't get over it or anything). I was pretty heartbroken...more then I'd ever been before...and there were some songs I couldn't listen to for awhile (pretty much anything off the Born to Run album...and Rilo Kiley was kinda tough, too), but there were a few songs that helped me out, if you will, and they kinda became my breakup anthems.

1. Irreplaceable - Beyonce: This song coincided with my breakup pretty perfectly. It kinda became my girl power/screw him/you can do better/feel good song (not that I had someone to replace him with, but, you know, I imagined I did). Ahhh, Beyonce. It's like you know me, girl!

2. I Don't Love You - My Chemical Romance: The 12-year-old Emo chick within loves this song. It's kinda harsh (I don't love you, like I did yesterday...ouch), but for some reason the tough truth helped.

3. Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac: This is probably my favorite breakup song of all time. It's great to drive fast on the freeway and sing at the top of your lungs. This song also, probably more then any of the others, is the most lyrically true to our relationship and break up. (I also love this song because Lindsay Buckingham wrote it about Stevie Nicks...who then had to sing backup on it. Such sweet revenge).

4. Gravity - Sara Bareilles: I don't even know what to say here because the lyrics say it all...

5. Breakin' Up - Rilo Kiley: A fun breakup song (which is what we all need, right?). This song was released probably six months after the breakup when I came back to reality and realized being single is so much more fun. Oooh, it feels good to be free indeed.

Tanked and Friendless/Point Counter Point: The Ould Sod

Ahh the karaoke birthday party: right of passage, bane of existences, bi-polar bacchanalia of joy and despair. Every year around a certain date, that one friend who has either a terrific singing voice or just irrepressible self-confidence invites you all to a bar in order to celebrate their birth and butcher some ABBA and Elvis tunes. The night starts slow, with everyone giggling at the first brave souls to go up and talking about how they wouldn’t be caught dead on that stage. Three hours and six beers later, you remember how good you sounded rapping the Beastie Boys “Paul Revere” in front of your mirror in the 6th grade, and its all downhill from there.

This can all be yours on Thursday and Saturday nights at The Ould Sod on San Diego’s underrated Adams Avenue strip in Normal Heights. A bitty little Irish bar tucked amidst coffee houses, stores and other bars, the Sod aims for authenticity. They have Irish beer specials, serve Bailey’s in the proper mini-snifters and the walls are covered in Daniel Day Lewis movie posters and Gaelic signs. Once a week there’s an Irish music session. But it’s the music of a tone-deaf variety that really sets the Sod apart.

The Sod’s biggest problem is its diminutive size. Its really narrow at the front and opens into a small alcove at the back, and working your way to and from the bar – never mind the karaoke stage – can prove troublesome. It may dissuade a few people from going up to the front to belt out “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” Actually, maybe its size is an asset in disguise.

Name: The Ould Sod
Location: 3373 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
(Normal Heights)
Fun Fact: You probably already knew this, but the name “ould sod” is an old Irish immigrant nickname for Ireland
State of Guinness: Fantastic! Served in proper pint glasses (bulbous at top, narrowing at the base) and one of the bartenders will draw a shamrock in the foam for you.

Top 5: Karaoke

This weekend, I celebrated my birthday (as I did the year before) singing karaoke at my local pub. I love karaoke...probably more then any normal person really should (but this site is pretty much all the evidence you need that I am not normal) and, despite the fact that Liz did not sing Gwen Stefani as promised, we all had a blast (well, I did anyway, and it was my birthday so my happiness is all that really mattered). I thought I'd pass along my top 5 karaoke songs because, you know, I care about you and want you to have more fun in your life.

Not actually a picture of me singing karaoke

Here goes:

1. You Outta Know: Alanis Morisette - This is a great song it get the crowd pumped. People love singing along (and it shows off some serious range). It's pretty hilarious when a guy sings it, but when I sing it, it kinda scares off the fellas. Eh, whatever. They just can't handle my truth.

2. Open Arms/Don't Stop Believin': Journey - Really, any Journey song works, but these are my two favorite. Everyone loves Journey. If you're a guy and you can really hit the Steve Perry high notes, you must be a pretty decent singer. Ladies love good singers. And because Steve Perry is basically a eunuch, these songs are in a good range for most women, too.

3. Dancing Queen: Abba - Again, anything by Abba is great (I've been working up the guts to try The Winner Takes it All for, like, a year now), but this is the classic. This is the first song I ever sang for karaoke so it has some sentimental value. A guy sang it Saturday night and was pretty awesome.

4. Hopelessly Devoted to You: Olivia Newton John - This one is just for the ladies. I should sing this song more. People love it, shows off the voice and, if you're lucky, some cute guy will ask you to follow up with a duet of Summer Nights (and presumably, you will fall in love, get married and have ten thousand babies).

5. Sweet Caroline and/or Livin' on a Prayer: Neil Diamond/Bon Jovi - Just for the fellas. Both are awesome. Both get the crowd singing along. Both rock my karaoke world.

Now, get out there and sing!