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That Rockin’ Lounge is…Back?
Yet another confirmation of the adage that things were better in the “good ol’ days”?
As of now, specific details on how the new Total Request Live are mostly scarce. It’s presumed that it will follow a similar format to the original series which combined an interactive user-determined music video countdown with celebrity interviews, live performances and more. One thing we know for sure is that Carson Daly will not be returning for the new TRL, and he’s been replaced by five relatively unknown hosts.
–Ethan Anderton, Slash Film, “MTV is Rebooting ‘Total Request Live,’ But How and Why?”
The primary problem with this reboot (before it even airs on MTV) of this popular after-school show dedicated to fun music and celebrity interviews and premiering hot music videos pre-YouTube and social media is that the show’s defining host, Carson Daly, either passed on this forthcoming project or wasn’t asked. The former reason seems more likely, but it’s ultimately irrelevant.
Why?
There were lots of guest hosts in the prime TRL (Total Request Live) days in that very cool lounge-like studio. And while some guest hosts were entertaining in small doses, TRL was Carson Daly as much as Carson Daly was TRL. Mr. Daly was the captain of the ship lead singer of this amazingly awesome band that sold out both arenas and tiny clubs in equal measure. Plus, he knew/knows everybody in music. The genre doesn’t even matter. If you’re talented (rising or established), Carson Daly knows and he’ll score an exclusive. It’s what the fans wanted and what the fans loved about Carson Daly’s TRL.
Add in the fact that this TRL reboot is on an MTV today that is far different than the golden era of the ’80s, ’90s and early-to-mid ’00s of this music-centric channel. For a cable channel, MTV was king for a long time. Oh, and by different, I mean way, way worse in 2017 and its recent years. As in completely unrecognizable and, yes, unwatchable.
Without Carson Daly (NBC Today Show) and the incredible bands and singers of the late ’90s and early-to-mid ’00s, the TRL reboot, as cool as it could be, looks like its heading down the same road as modern day MTV:
Unwatchable.
Pro tip: Nostalgia doesn’t work years later if it’s unrecognizable to its dedicated fans.
Just ask MTV (and all of the people who have stopped watching throughout the past decade).
Happy Monday
Mondays are like having lunch in a diner…
The weekend is over and the beginning of the workweek has arrived. The past couple days, filled with fun in the sun in beautiful summer weather, have been written into the history books. And re-acclimating back to our jobs can take a little time to process.
For some people, there’s serious reluctance to acknowledge this reality. If only there was a way to visually explain this struggle with a couple brilliant comedic minds.
In the scene below, consider Richard Lewis to represent Monday and Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David to represent most of us.
Maybe the reason why Mondays can be a little grumpier than most days is because of hunger.
Hunger for just a bit of the courtesy (and delicious food) we show and share with its close friends Sunday and Tuesday.
Have a Better Week Than Last Week.
The Ultimate Face-Off
Nicolas Cage needs to be a surprise guest star on The Big Bang Theory.
And by surprise, I mean a total surprise for the audience and Howard Wolowitz Simon Helberg. That way, Mr. Helberg’s castmates, who know his impression skills, would step aside and shine the brightest spotlight on these two actors taking center stage sitcom-style for a truly epic showdown of comedic talents starring Nicolas Cage and…Nicolas Cage.
This comedic duel would redefine the real Nicolas Cage’s famous 1997 film Face/Off.
Don’t believe that the world needs this specific pairing on primetime television?
Here’s a sample of Mr. Helberg’s work involving Nicolas Cage, as well as a couple other bonus impressions.
At some point during the upcoming season, Chuck Lorre should call Nicolas Cage, Billy Baldwin and Ben Stiller for an unforgettable “Sweeps Week” event.
And, if approached the right way, this golden TV moment could be as simple as A-B-C…
all the way to Z.
iPhone: Episode VIII
Which beloved entity has the more influential following in modern culture:
Apple or Star Wars?
Apparently, to those closest to both, it’s a virtual tie of sorts?
Apple’s earbuds were inspired by the dark side, or more specifically, the stormtroopers from Star Wars, according to an interview with Apple’s chief designer Jony Ive in The Wall Street Journal. Ive reportedly told Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams he had the “look of the original Stormtroopers in mind when he designed Apple’s earbuds.”
It’s also interesting to note that the costume designer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Michael Kaplan, told Vanity Fair in 2015 that Apple itself inspired the new stormtroopers of the First Order. “With the Stormtroopers it was more of a simplification, almost like, ‘What would Apple do?’” Kaplan said at the time.
–Thuy Ong, The Verge, “Apple’s earbuds were inspired by the dark side, says chief designer Jony Ive”
As a reference, here’s a stormtrooper in The Force Awakens.
With iPhone 8 on the horizon for release later this year, Apple will likely begin to slowly work its way back towards the top of our news feeds. And particularly since the iPhone 8 will be the 10th anniversary iPhone, the speculation (never-ending with Apple products) concerning this forthcoming version of the globally popular mobile device is focused on a wide variety of game-changing features for an Apple phone. This includes rumors of a borderless screen, wireless charging and the potential removal of the physical home button (not the home button feature, but just the actual button).
Interestingly enough, those rumors almost pale in comparison to what’s been revealed in the quotes above from brilliant designer Jony Ive and the costume designer for The Force Awakens.
As a newspaper editor would say, “That’s the lead.”
Even more is the fact that Apple is great at storytelling, specifically the customized story of each of its consumers by providing them the opportunity to define a phone, tablet or computer through countless apps and user photos, music, videos, etc. The surprisingly awesome news that key figures from both Apple and Star Wars influenced each other in profoundly cool ways makes an Apple-Star Wars crossover promotion seem like a pop-culture slam dunk.
So, The Last Jedi is the eighth Star Wars major motion picture set for release this Christmas and Apple is set to sell its eighth iPhone at the end of this year.
Hmmm…
(Please re-read the headline of this blog post).
Jimmy's Daily Planet 