Dinosaur Jr. Destined for Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame?

Pitchfork TV has a fabulous little set from the legendary Dinosaur Jr. at the Pitchfork 2008 summer music festival in Chicago. The three-piece somehow connects the wimpy wave of The Cure with the guitar power of Jimi Hendrix and the punk crunch of Bad Brains.

The set list is:
1. Back to Your Heart
2. Little Fury Things
3. Out There
4. Feel the Pain
5. Pick Me Up
6. The Wagon
7. Forget the Swan
8. Freak Scene
9. Sludgefeast

Also worth watching are the slick moves these geezers are making on their dirt bikes and skateboards in the video for Over It, off their new album Farm

I've loved Dino Jr. since J Mascis and the boys started out in the late 80s. They're true originals (despite my loose comparisons above) and their now-long career probably makes them serious contenders to be inducted as one of the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame's coolest bands.

The Top 60 Funniest Movies Ever: Part Two

After seeing The Hangover Friday night, its amazing genius from Ed Helms and two other practically unheard-of leads inspired me to ponder the funniest Hollywood movies. The top 31 through 60 are here.

Drum roll please from numbers 30 through 1:

30. A Fish Called Wanda
29. Young Frankenstein
28. Old School
27. There's Something About Mary
26. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
25. Rushmore
24. Love and Death
23. Dr. Strangelove
22. Office Space
21. The Jerk
20. Happy Gilmore
19. This is Spinal Tap
18. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life
17. Animal House
16. School of Rock
15. Annie Hall
14. Vacation
13. The Wedding Singer
12. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
11. Monty Python and the Holy Grail
10. Borat
09. South Park
08. Wet Hot American Summer
07. Airplane!
06. Fletch
05. Blazing Saddles
04. Caddyshack
03. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
02. The Big Lebowski
01. The Hangover

I don't think I've forgotten any? I thought for a while about including Heathers because it's very funny (especially the pate scenes with Winona Ryder and her parents), but a little too dark. I'm sure older readers will feel slighted by the lack of a W.C. Fields movie (The Bank Dick almost made it). What do you think? What are your favorites?

Bowl of Cherries Is Another Success for McSweeney's

Just finished a hilarious book that I wrote about when I first started reading it several weeks ago. Published by the brilliant folks at McSweeney's, the now-deceased Millard Kaufman's take on what happens when a fairly aimless American kid goes to a rural area of Iraq (where the prime export is human excrement) turns into quite the adventure in colonialism.

McSweeney's own short description is well put:

Kicked out of Yale at age 14, Judd Breslau falls in with Phillips Chatterton, a bathrobe-wearing Egyptologist working out of a dilapidated home laboratory. There, young Valerie Chatterton quickly leads Breslau away from his research and into, in order: the attic, a Colorado equestrian ranch, a porn studio beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, and a jail cell in southern Iraq, where we find him awaiting his own execution while the war rages on in the north. Written by a 90-year-old debut novelist who's also an ex-Marine, a two-time Oscar nominee, and one of the co-creators of Mr. Magoo, Bowl of Cherries rivals the liveliest comic novels for sheer gleeful inventiveness. This is a book of astounding breadth and sharp consequence, containing all the joy, derangement, terror, and doubt of adolescence and everything after.

***1/2 out of ***** stars

Khamenei's Leadership Ensures Iran's Backwater Status

I used to wonder why all the world's ills and wars couldn't be fixed by international talks and friendly meals between leaders. And that's certainly a major part of it if the U.S., say, is ever to become friends with the Cubas, Venezuelas, and Palestines of the world.

But you also need to the will of the people to be expressed, as we're seeing in Iran following the possibly sham re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The lack of religious leader Ali Khamenei's ability to stand up for the protesting public is yet another example of how countries remain oppressive backwaters when politics and religion mix.

The least Khamenei should do is let a recount take place. He should also step aside and go back to his place of worship to help the people who seek his counsel. That would spare the rest of the world from having to bother listening to him.

Even Ahmadinejad ruling with his crazy hate is preferable because at least the people would know who was politically in charge. There is obviously a demand for more freedom in Iran. Luckily, Khamenei's cluelessness and brutal attacks on the citizenry may unintentionally speed up that process. Then maybe talks between leaders can take place to bring Iran into the arms of humanity.

The Top 60 Funniest Movies Ever: Part One

And for those of you who wonder what barely missed the cut: Dude, Where's My Car? and Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, both of which have great scenes in restaurant drive-thrus. Plus The Pink Panther, Clerks, Beverly Hills Cop (a less-great Fletch), Waiting for Guffman, Little Miss Sunshine, and Dazed and Confused.

60. Kingpin
59. Super Troopers
58. Raising Arizona
57. Stripes
56. Napoleon Dynamite
55. Superbad
54. American Pie
53. Take the Money and Run
52. Juno
51. Garden State
50. Duck Soup
49. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

48. The Gods Must Be Crazy
47. Best in Show
46. Election
45. The 40 Year Old Virgin
44. Wedding Crashers
43. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
42. Knocked Up

41. High Fidelity
40. Thank You for Smoking
39. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
38. Monty Python's Life of Brian
37. History of the World
36. Meatballs

35. Better Off Dead
34. Anchorman
33. Tommy Boy
32. The Naked Gun
31. Billy Madison

The top 30 coming soon ...

DC Movie Star Sighting Alert

One the way home from Fogo de Chao (Brazilian meats!) and a great movie (The Hangover) last night, Gordie, Zak, Brian and I were driving slowly up 15th Street NW, just south of I Street, and got a nice brief viewing of Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson laughing and chatting with each other.

They were standing in the spotlights and were either sharing a moment between takes or actually shooting. The movie's working title is How Do You Know? and co-stars Owen Wilson and Reese Witherspoon as participants in a love triangle with Rudd.

Apparently these celebrity sightings will become a more regular occurrence now that crusty old George W. Bush has left town and the saucy Obamas now rule the Beltway.

Come to think of it, I haven't really bumped into any major movie stars since way back in 2001, when Hannibal was filming in Union Station. Julianne Moore was sitting in a high director's chair by herself and Anthony Hopkins chatted me up (because, it seemed, I was the only person around not trying to hound him; he sort of hounded me). Much nicer guy in person than in character.

Top 14 Michael Jackson Songs

Still mourning the deaths of Ed McMahon and Farrah Fawcett, the news of the death of one of my musical heroes was pretty overwhelming late this afternoon.

I was 12 when Michael was at his peak with Thriller. That performance (embedded below) on the Motown 25 Live show in 1983 was one for the rock 'n roll ages. It was so alien and cool.

This would make up the ultimate (while excluding still lots of great songs) MJ collection:

14. The Girl Is Mine
13. Beat It
12. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
11. Ben (J5)
10. The Love You Save (J5)
09. Thriller
08. We Are the World (USA for Africa)
07. Got To Be There (J5)
06. Never Can Say Goodbye (J5)
05. Rock With You
04. ABC (J5)
03. I'll Be There (J5)
02. Billie Jean
01. I Want You Back (J5)

R.I.P. Michael.

Bob Barker: One of the First Reality-Show TV Hosts

Some summer mornings as a kid, I remember inevitably catching some of The Price is Right on TV. Stepping up to the podium to place their bets. Spinning the wheel. Pricing games like "Hole in One." Those are fond memories.

So I decided to give Price is Right long-time host Bob Barker's new book, Priceless Memories, a quick read. I'm not the only one who has these memories. As Bob points out: "If you are 50 years or younger, I have been on national television your entire life."

Barker always knew he wanted to be an "audience participation host." In 1956, while hosting The Bob Barker Show on a local Southern California CBS affiliate, he was discovered and ended up becoming the host of the country's top game show, Truth or Consequences.

TV (and its many forms of "audience participation") has come a long way since then, but reading this book isn't a bad use of time for a few hours.

Music Reviews in 3 Words or Less: Vol. 5

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart-S/T (2009)
Swedish jangle geniuses.
****1/2 out of ***** stars
Touchstone: Teenage Fanclub meets The Jesus and Mary Chain

Sonic Youth-The Eternal (2009)
Re-re-re-entering their prime.
****1/2 out of ***** stars
Touchstone: Thurston Moore meets Pavement

Telekinesis!-S/T (2009)
Best new band.
****1/2 out of ***** stars
Touchstone: Ben Kweller meets Elephant 6 bands

Rivers Cuomo-Alone II: The Home Recordings of ... (2008)
Uneven yet partying.
***1/2 out of ***** stars
Touchstone: Lo-fi Weezer meets Dead Milkmen

The Jam-The Gift (1982)
Worst Jam album.
***1/2 out of ***** stars
Touchstone: The Clash meets Austin Powers

Eminem-Relapse (2009)
Impressive psychological jams.
**** out of ***** stars
Touchstone: Dr. Dre meets 50 Cent

My Close Proximity to Tragic D.C. Metro Crash

I was packed like a sardine onto a Metro train underground in the Union Station stop for about 30 minutes during this evening's rush hour. The only word we received from Metro officials was that there was a problem between Fort Totten and Takoma, a few stops up the Red Line on my way home.

Eventually it occurred to me that I had left my bike at work last Friday, so I bailed out and called Jackson's babysitter to tell her I'd be really late. She told me about a terrible collision and was very glad I wasn't on the two trains that smashed into each other.

Indeed, I was lucky not to be on either of those trains. Had I actually been on time to pick up Jackson, I might have been. As it was, I was probably two or three trains back.

The inconvenient wait was another reason to ride my bike as often as possible. The six confirmed deaths, at this point, on those trains could really hurt public-transit ridership in D.C., which has promisingly been showing increased ridership since Obama took office. Still another reason to bike.

Thanks for all the calls, e-mails, and tweets to make sure I was alright.