Blog Bits - Saturday 18 Nov 2006

1. The Killers "Sam's Town" was released on October 3rd. I got in in the mail around October 23rd or 24th, after going into a store and giving it a headphone listen. This is a damn fine album: these guys are for real (even if their TV interviews seem a bit weak) their music does not. The track that sold me in the store was track 6 "Read My Mind" which is about 4 minutes and 10 seconds of pure joyous excellence. It's so good, it feels too short at its peak. The little sticker on my album shows this song as third single. This single could be MASSIVE. And I can just picture it lingering on with a long, magnificient bridge at a giant summer festival field somewhere. Quickly, let's also give some big props to track 12, exitlude, which is a beautiful little singalong ditty reminiscent, to me, of St. Peppers or something, track 4, Bling (Confessions of a King) which is a rocking driving song, track 7, Uncle Jonny, a rocking driving song about cocaine downfalls, and props to producers Flood and Alan Moulder. Then, of course, there is lead single "When You Were Young" which has not worn out on me yet despite saturation play out there in the world, and second single "Bones" which grew on me quickly.

2. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: continues to do well. The Nevada Day two parter series was excellent. The character development has been tremendous. I am slightly concerned that the whole 'Hollywood vs. Religious Right' angle may just become a bit tedious, but, of course, I am not a television executive insider, and of course, the theme is also central to the romantic character development of between the Matthew Perry character (that's Matt, isn't it? YES IT IS Matt...) and Harriet. Ah well. Thumbs up from a Sorkin appreciator in Calgary.

3. Congratulations to my young friend Steve 'The Beaver' Blais, elected to be a Catholic School Board trustee on Monday November 13th. He'd be my little sister's Catholic School Board trustee, but, my sister and fiance voted for the French public Board. Ah well. Good for you Steve. Readers: when you click to the page, scroll about two thirds through and look for 'OCCSB Zone 3'.

4. Liberal Leadership Politics: not much today. I told you so [30 Jan 2006] re: Ignatieff and his inexperience:

"...next up is Michael Ignatieff. An established intellectual with awesome credentials. An expatriate Canadian, who has resided in London UK and Boston, Mass. while lecturing at Harvard. These are good things. But how much does he know and remember about on the ground Canadians? How much does he appreciate the range and diversity in Canada beyond Toronto (I am writing today from Inuvik, NWT, by the way) What is his basic Parliamentary mettle? How will he handle Ottawa? These all remain to be determined. There is much hope in him, however, we know about nothing of his ability to relate to the Liberal Party of Canada beyond his big speech at the 2005 Biennial Convention, and what I saw during his local campaign. The way in which he was nominated in Etobicoke-Lakeshore did not impress me, or some local grassroots Liberals. It was a backroom fix conducted out of LPC(O) likely with the tacit approval of PMO as well. I’m glad Ignatieff now joins our public discourse, and I am certain his will be a valuable voice contributing to rebuilding the Liberal Party of Canada’s ability to innovate and lead with great policy. His intellectual contribution should be tremendous. What will his political contribution be? Harder to say. Hopefully, it will be a benefit to the Party to find out."

I am not so sure.

By the way, if anyone is wondering, I have a _lot_ of friends who are supporting Ignatieff, in Ottawa, and in Toronto. However, the faux pas of the past 6 weeks or so, and the high risk of the 'nation' discussion, worries me a bit.