Happy thanksgiving, everybody. Thanks for sticking around while I've been preoccupied of late. I have been preparing the sequel to last year's Mix '04, which may end up being a double disc this time around. It begins on 12/1.

MP3 Puffy AmiYumi - "Thank You"
As a token of my thanksgiving, here's a lovely & serene piece of J-Pop happiness from Cartoon Network stars Puffy AmiYumi, from 2003's Nice. LP.



MP3 Super Furry Animals - "Juxtapozed With U"
This song has been stuck in my head since I caught Monday's Super Furry Animals show at the Fine Line. I missed the opening set from Dan Snaith's Caribou (who I saw back in June) while I was at long last catching 's Jesus is Magic (ha ha ha), but decided to drop in for SFA afterwards. Gruff Rhys & company put on a fun nite of gooey psych-pop, of which this song (during the multi-song encore) was definitely a highlight. I took this track off last year's Songbook: The Singles, Volume One compilation. Check out SFA's well-received new album Love Kraft if you have the chance.



I know I'm WAY behind on this one, but I wanted to add myself to the many voices who are lamenting the imminent departure of comedian Marc Maron from Air America Radio's excellent morning drivetime show, Morning Sedition - which has seen multiple appearance from indie rock superhero Ted Leo & I have written about several times before. Not surprisingly, online efforts to keep Maron on the air, with notable discussions also going on over at Daily Kos & people such as Vanity Fair columnist James Wolcott leveling strong criticism at Air America CEO Danny Goldberg's decision to cut Maron loose at the end of the month. There's more info about the whole ordeal over at Morning Sedition's wikipedia entry, and podcasts of nearly very episode of the show are available at the Air America Place audio archive. While I didn't listen Marc & Mark (Riley) everyday, I did so somewhat often & have always been impressed with the program that they & their team was able to assemble. So today, I'd like to extend my thanks to Marc Maron & the rest of the Morning Sedition team for all their hard work. Bravo, fellas. If you're a fan, show 'em some love & pick up some of their merch.

ETA (11/28/05): Marc Maron relayed the bad news today that Morning Sedition will be no more as of 12/16. Apparently the AAR morning line-up will be Mark Riley 5-7am & Rachel Maddow 7-9am, though details regarding those shows haven't been detailed beyond the fact that they won't feature the scripted comedy bits that made Sedition so funny & unique. Supposedly Marc Maron is in negotiations with Air America to host a show based in Los Angeles (where his wife lives), most likely a live late nite broadcast for the west coast (& early morning podcasters). Maron explained that while he is heartbroken about the failed campaign to resuscitate the show, he did express his deep appreciation for the outpouring of support both he & Sedition have received as all this interoffice drama has publicly unfolded. While I will likewise miss the now retitled Mourning Sedition (by fans, anyway), I do hope the very talented Maron is able to find a place at AAR - who are lucky to have him at all IMO - in the (very near) future.



Lastly, who else watched HBO's fantastic Rome over the last few months? It may have started out a little slow, but it certainly delivered by season's end last week. However, the finale was overshadowed by season one's bloody penultimate episode, which climaxed with an incredible gladiator sequence with lead characters Titus Pullo & Lucius Vorenus putting on a brutal display that makes Ridley Scott's work seem awfully tame. I'm really looking forward to the second season (in 2007), where I expect we'll see young Octavian join up with Antony to go after Caesar's assassins. I can't wait.

And with that, I'm off to go stuff myself silly. Yummy yum yum yummy.

Yes, it's been another two week hiatus, but I'm too angry to apologize for it.

It seems as if the f**kers over at Fox have finally shoved their heads entirely up their asses, resulting in the immensely tragic episode cutback (from 22 to 13) & eventual cancellation of TV's best comedy (as I've said many times), Arrested Development (whose promising Monday nite partner Kitchen Confidential was also cutback to 13 eps). I'm just finding this out, as Stereogum tipped me off to the unfortunate news (via Elites TV) this afternoon. Defamer linked to a Hollywood Reporter piece announcing the Bluths' demise, after noting the 3rd season cutback yesterday reported by Variety. As the news quickly spreads, the internets have responded with understandible shock & horror, while folks over at The O.P. wonder if there could be some long-shot way to salvage my favorite comedy.

I still stick to my previous pledge that if Arrested Development is really dead, and cannot be revived on another network (I'm looking at you HBO, and I think another network is desperate for a quality sitcom), I am done with Fox. I don't care if I have to give up the continually riveting Prison Break or the upcoming 5th season of 24 or the (albeit declining) guilty pleasure of The O.C. - I refuse to have anything to do with any television network that would dare to cancel such an incredible & acclaimed show.

If you haven't already, go pick up season one & two on dvd immediately. You won't be sorry. I'll be watching them once I get back from the jobby-job tonite, as I begin the grieving process by softly crying myself to sleep...

ETA: The depressing reality of it has set in now. I feel sick. Ugh.

Quick rant: As has been noted elsewhere, AD gets moved to Monday nites, airs three episodes before taking an entire month off for the baseball playoffs, and gets canned just days after its first nite back (albeit with back-to-back episodes). Way to build an audience, Fox. Take your two most promising comedies (KC had some promising critical buzz), stick them in one of the week's weakest timeslots, give them no real time to develop an audience, can them both because Prison Break doesn't have a strong enough lead-in & promote the f**k out of some other piece of detritus that exemplifies the worst in sitcom hackery (which remains on the schedule).

Good f**king work there, Fox. Well f**king done. F**kity f**k f**k.

[pardon my rage]

MP3 Europe - "The Final Countdown"
Well, there are just eight new episodes left, which won't begin airing until December 5th - after November sweeps. And so the true final countdown begins, just as Europe predicted. From the 1986 album of the same name. I will never hear this song without thinking of Will Arnett flamboyantly peforming G.O.B.'s ridiculous magic act. Sniff, sniff...oh, the memories.