Your Thursday Links and video... Extra Large Thanksgiving Edition

First a quick look at the NFL Rookies that I can think of off the top of my head…If I forgot an import Rookie contributing right now just know that it took me 20 minutes to put this together... I am not doing serious research today. 

Matt Ryan (Falcons) – Atlanta’s Mark Bradley wrote an article Monday calling Ryan the best rookie QB ever. Have we forgotten about Big Ben and his 13-0 start 98 QB rating and taking the Steelers to the AFC Championship game already? This has me extremely pissed right now. 

Darren McFadden (Raiders) – It looks like the Raiders are working McFadden back into the offense. He returned last week after sitting out three weeks with turf toe but only had three carries. This week he had 10 carries for just 38 yards but contributed with 2 touchdowns. He should become a bigger part of the Raiders offense down the stretch due to the fact that the Raiders have no other offensive weapons… the black hole is really becoming just that a black hole. It will suck you in and crush you. 

Leodis McKelvin (Bills) – As a top 15 pick McKelvin was expected to challenge for a starting spot and work his way into the lineup while contributing in the return game. It took McKelvin awhile to break the starting lineup but he showed his potential against the Chiefs (in Arrowhead no less). McKelvin had his first and second career interceptions and returned one of those 64 yards for the touchdown that gave the Bills the lead for good. I have a soft spot of the Bills… is my bias showing? 

Joe Flacco (Ravens) – The most important stat is Flacco is 7-4 as a starter. He completed just 12 of his 26 pass attempts for 182 yards. But he had 2 touchdowns and more importantly no interceptions. His QB rating was slightly higher than that of McNabb and Kolb who combined for an 11. (at least it was not single digits.) Frankly I think I could muster at least a QB rating of 15. Christ the Eagles are in a bad spot… more on that later. 

Chris Johnson (Titans) – Maybe Chris Johnson is hitting the rookie wall. His last three games have been three of his worst. He managed 61 total yards against what is starting to look like a tough Jets defense but he does seem to be slowing down. Luckily for him the Titans face Detroit, Cleveland, and Houston in their next three games. Meaning… he should be ok and he is going to be straight money in Fantasy Football.

Dustin Keller (Jets) – Keller has come on strong the past three weeks. After very little production in his first eight games he has become a reliable target for Favre recently. He’s had at least 6 receptions in each of his last three games including 6 catches for 42 yards Sunday. He now leads rookie tight ends in receiving yards.

Matt Forte (Bears) – The Bears playoff hopes lie with Forte. Forte is on pace to trail only Walter Payton for most yards from scrimmage in Bears franchise history. He has quietly become the best and most consistent rookie running back in a very deep class. Forte had 20 carries for 132 yards and scored two of the Bears three touchdowns against the Rams. Of course after further review… it was against the Rams.

DeSean Jackson (Eagles) – Jackson leads all rookies in receiving yards. It didn’t matter whether it was McNabb throwing him the ball or Kevin Kolb it was nearly intercepted every time. On a team officially going Chernobyl right now this is your bright spot Philly.

Kevin Smith (Lions) – Poor Kevin Smith. He and Calvin Johnson seem to be the only salvageable spots in the car wreck that is your 2008 Detroit Lions. Smith had 86 yards on 16 carries as the hapless Lions fell to a GM like 0-11. Lions management is currently scheduling a hearing with Barney Frank’s committee to seek a bail out. Here is a tip don’t take the Lions private jet.

Harry Douglas (Falcons) – Everyone seems to be contributing for the Falcons. Douglas led the Falcons with 92 receiving yards and had a touchdown (including a 60+ yard punt return). Who knew having your star QB get throw in jail for dog fighting and having your coach defect during the season could be so great for this team.

Steve Slaton (Texans) – Slaton carried the load for the Texans against the Browns. He had 21 carries for 73 yards. The Texans are a fraud… don’t trust them. They will be lousy again next season.

Tim Hightower (Cardinals) – Hightower is back to pleasing fantasy owners but displeasing Cardinals’ fans. Hightower had 21 yards on 10 carries but got into the end zone twice. He is tied with Matt Forte among rookie running backs with 9 touchdowns.

Peyton Hillis (Broncos) – So I guess I was wrong about this guy. I thought for sure after his 116 receiving yards against the Dolphins that would be it. A one time fluke. But then he scores two touchdowns last week. But that had to be it right? He’s supposed to be a fullback. But he produced yet again this Sunday. Hillis had 74 rushing yards and scored the Broncos lone touchdown. He should have a tough time next week against the Jets but then faces the Chiefs the week after that. So basically forget I ever mentioned him…

Davone Bess (Dolphins) – Yeah that is his real name…that's all I got. 

Thoughts I had over the past week that I thought I would share... 

Nobody ever told me 7 Years In Tibet was shot in real time. 

So it turns out that VD is one of those things that CAN"T stay in Vegas. 

Sometimes I cry during sex, but it's usually from the mace. And sometimes I cry during sex because of all the onions. 

Kudos to the porn industry for not parodying children's show titles; What with opportunities like Whore-uh the Sexplorer and Tellyhumpies. Going that route would have been cheap and easy... The porn industry is neither cheap nor easy.

"Honey," she said, and then there was a decidedly *pregnant* pause... She finally resumed speaking again, saying, "I'm drunk." (heart attack avoided)

C'mon, is anybody out there actually ROFL? You're all liars.

Bible spoiler alert: He comes back at the end.

If I was John Connor and I had Summer Glau as my personal Terminator… I would order her to “do” me… I would.

A new addition to the Thursday links…Bearcat’s Not Quite Top Ten

This weeks Not Quite Top Ten... bull shit conversations you will be forced to have at the Thanksgiving table.

10 Typtophan -- YES...we did know that the chemical in turkey that makes us tired is call typtophan. We have this same fucking conversation every year. Can't we talk about a chemical like THC that makes us tired and is actually awesome or something?

9. Christmas ads are earlier this year. The money grubbing fucks in marketing firms would run Christmas ads all year long if they thought it would make you buy more knife sets and George Forman Grills. Who are you Andy Rooney find something new to bitch about.

6. Fried Turkey Accidents. Yeah I saw the video of the red neck who burned his house down after putting a frozen turkey into a tub of molten hot lard. I know this is a slow news cycle but if the local new programs do another expose about some dip shit who rendered his family homeless for the holidays because he is too retarded to know that a grease fire is fucking dangerous I might have to chuck my TV into a deep fryer.

5. The Economy stinks... no shit... can we please not rehash how your 401K has crashed and burned.  Suck it up asshole, I don't care if you lost five large on AIG.

3. Should we invite “Steve” to dinner? You have some poor schmuck friend who can’t afford to head back to his/her hometown for the holidays. He’s going to suck the entire time, but you know you’ll feel like a dick for not inviting him. You have to devise a scheme to not be friends with “Steve” by this time next year. 

2. Lumpy gravy and oyster stuffing Somebody always has to give their two cents on some terrible variation of a holiday classic. “I prefer raisins in my stuffing.” “I like a more lumpy gravy.” “I hate marshmallows in my sweet potatoes.” Here’s our advice; stay at home and eat whatever the fuck you want. Eat your oyster raisin stuffing to your little heart’s content. There are obviously several variations on everything you’ll be eating. That doesn’t give you the right to speak. Please go back to the kid’s table and don’t complain that you are the only person sitting there. 

1. What is everyone thankful for this year? 

Now for some links...

Barry Bonds got some relief from a Federal Judge... by relief I mean he is still looking at 50+ years.Hey remember the Mitchell Report... no... that is exactly what Baseball wants. Well it has been a year so what have we forgotten about?
Amateur cock toucher/Professional Football toucher Brady Quinn is out for the season... not as exciting as when another Brady when out for the season but it does make me happy that I can post this picture.
The only Detroit Lion tradition longer than being a supremely crappy and losing football team…losing on ThanksgivingSeriously? Enough of this equal rights crap. You have a softball team. Enjoy. If the guys wanted to try out for the softball team would anybody fight to help them out? No. Now get back in the kitchen and shut your bitch mouth!
For Cap... Is Jennifer Walcott now offically a MILF?The top ten hottest triplets of all time...

This is for Max Power... I now present Hal McRae everybody!



Why do we play?



Who are the Bears?



Did someone say playoffs?



Practice... not the game... we talking about Practice.



So who do we got pitching tonight?



I'm not sure how I did not see this until today but apparently the Phillies like getting hammered in the ass.

CSI's latest case: the missing hot chick

It seems like at any point in the day you can find a rerun of CSI, CSI: Miami, or CSI: NY on Spike or A&E. After watching each of these incarnations, I have one simple question...where are all the hot chicks? Sure they bring in the occasional hottie for each individual episode, but have you noticed the series regulars look like your average housewife. I watch TV to escape my everyday life...not to look at women who look the ones I see at the supermarket.

Just like some professional ballplayer's contracts have clauses to always keep them the highest paid outfielder (for example), I'm convinced something must be written into the female leads' contracts to prevent anyone hotter from becoming a regular.

CSI (the original) - Don't get me wrong, Marg Helgenberger portraying an ex-stripper turned forensic expert should be on anyone's cougar list as she recently turned 50 and is still getting it done. But is Jorja Fox and Louise Lombard really the best we can do for a show set in Las Vegas?

Solutions:
Elisha Cuthbert - Just use her character in The Girl Next Door as a jumping off point as she could portray an ex-porn star turned crime scene investigator.
Vanessa Marcil - Since her Las Vegas show was cancelled, they could just use her same character and cross her over to the CSI lab.

CSI: Miami - - First and foremost, this show is virtually unwatchable thanks to David Caruso's ridiculous acting. That being said...Emily Proctor and Eva La Rue are both mighty attractive in a marrying kind of way, but it's South Beach for god's sake. I want skimpy outfits and breasts worthy of skimpy outfits. La Rue has tremendous upside potential but they need to stop dressing her in floral prints with a lot less actual clothing.

Solutions:
Lacey Chabet - Who doesn't want to see those ta-tas stuffed into a bikini?

Gabrielle Union - Rumored to be Dwyane Wade's latest squeeze, how could she not be perfect for the Miami setting?

CSI: New York - - Of the three shows, this one has the biggest "out". It's New York and not the hottie hotbeds of Vegas or Miami. But that being said, it has the worst cast...Melina Kanakaredes is trying to carry the torch but the real downfall is Anna Belknap. They added her after the show's first season and this was the best they could do? She may be a competent actress, but I want eye candy solving crimes.

Solutions:
Alyssa Milano - New York is the perfect setting for this Brooklyn-born actress.

Sofia Vergara - NY has a 17% hispanic population and I think it's about time we have some representation with this Colombian-born beauty.

Please take the time to comment and thanks for coming and suckling on Daddy's Sugar Ball.

My new Sunday ritual

After much anticipation, a new sports bar has planted its flag on the West Shore at the site of the former Dorado in Camp Hill. Arooga's15 opened on Wednesday to the delight of many who have been clamoring for a quality sports bar on the west side of the river, and the Arooga's team has thrown down the gauntlet. Let this be the GOLD STANDARD of midstate sports bars. At a business lunch today, the place was packed and I was very impressed by the layout and "feel" of the operation. Aroogas15 proudly boasts of more than 100 HDTVs placed throughout the bar and dining room areas. From my seat in the dining room, I could see no less than 31 flat screens WITHOUT MOVING MY HEAD. It's like Vizio vomited in the place, and it is awesome. I already reserved my table for March Madness.

The owner told me that you can see multiple TVs from any seat in the house and that they have 20 beers on tap, about half of which are imports and craft beers, as well as an Arooga's Amber Ale made by Sam Adams, and an Arooga's Lite made by Budweiser. I spotted Rogue Dead Guy Ale lined up in formation among the tap handles, which made me happy.

Known for their wings, Arooga's has an extensive menu. I, of course, opted for the 10-piece boneless wings ($7.49) over fries in Louisiana Garlic sauce. Patrons can choose their intensity levels of wing sauces, from mild/medium/hot/sudden death. I went with the hot, which was not bad, but I think I have to up the ante to sudden death next time ... which will be on Sunday ... for seven hours of NFL football.

Things that pissed me off this week

Field of Feces
Betcha didn't know that former Major League centerfielder Brett Butler (not to be confused with this Brett Butler) wrote a book. No, really! In 1997 Butler expelled the autobiographical Field of Hope, presumably from his bowels. Well, "wrote" is a strong word to use when the book in question is a collaboration with prolific author Jerry B. Jenkins, but I digress. The point is that I read Field of Hope this week and couldn't stand it. Butler smears his smug and condescending attitude across the pages from beginning to end. Here's the general synopsis for those of you who enjoy Cliff's Notes: nothing is ever Butler's fault. Ever. Accountability is not his bag. Oh, and God loves Brett Butler because Brett Butler has grit. That point is hammered home repeatedly. In Field of Hope, Butler blames his short stature for not being taken seriously as a ballplayer and therefore attacks anyone who doesn't think he's greater than sliced bread (he's not). Butler wastes no time throwing his Napoleonic weight around whenever he doesn't get his way. He blames his baseball coach for not getting enough playing time high school ... he whines when Hall-of-Famer Rickey Henderson gets a bigger contract than he does ... he throws a hissy fit when he's hitting .214 as a 38-year old outfielder and his coach benches him for a couple of games. Butler tries to rationalize that he needs 500 at-bats to produce, but what he doesn't realize is that the law of averages will allow most ballplayers to produce over 500 at-bats. What an asshole.

If you've ever thought about picking up a copy at your local library's $1 book sale, save your buck unless you're a holy-roller and you're into that shit.

Barbaro finished in fifth-place
One of the functions of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) is to determine Major League Baseball's postseason awards. Founded in 1908, the stuffy association takes great pains to protect its deserved image as utterly inept and dishearteningly confounding. For instance, the BBWAA handed out the NL Rookie of the Year hardware earlier this week to catcher Geovany Soto of the Chicago Cubs, who received a deserving 31-out-of-32 first-place votes. Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez finished a measly fourth in the balloting, receiving just three second-place votes for a year in which he went 17-6 with a 3.21 ERA and 206 Ks in 196 innings. So why, do you ask, no respect for Volquez' great year? Good question and surprisingly (to the BBWAA) the answer is that Volquez is not a rookie. Volquez has been pitching in the big leagues since 2005 and cracked the 50-inning threshold for rookie consideration back in 2007 while with the Texas Rangers. Morons. And in case you're wondering who should have their voting rights revoked, the voters are Jeremy Cothran of the Newark Star-Ledger, the Los Angeles Daily News' John Kilma and the North County Times' Jay Paris.

Your Thursday links ... endorsed by six of the seven deadly sins

Before we get to the links a quick note about tonight’s Steelers vs. Bengals game ... Cincy is currently 1-8-1 after nine games. 1-8-1 should be a sexual position ... kind of like finger-cuffs. Couple that with the fact that 11 Bungles are inactive for tonight’s game (Ocho-Stinko being one of them for violating an undisclosed team rule), and I think the Steelers are going to go 1-8-1 on the Bengals tonight. Unpronounceable Bengal Chinedum Ndukwe, who vowed revenge on Hines Ward for his jaw-breaking hit on Keith Rivers, is also going to miss Thursday's game with a foot injury. That is too bad I was hoping to see Ward break something of his too. It will be interesting to see how many Bengals Marvin Lewis can actually get to show up for tonight’s game.

Dick LeBeau will have his defense blitz Ryan "Harvard Graduate"Fitzpatrick (legal name) until Fitz actually bleeds Crimson. This will be a blow out … can you really blame Carson Palmer for not wanting to play tonight?
As far as a guess as to what team rule Ocho-Stinko violated, I am going with: he was seen “making it rain” in Vegas with Javon Walker, Chris Henry and a dozen high school-aged girls … just a thought.

And now the links ...
With word that a Tyler at UNC has broken his wrist and is out for the season, you can hear thousands of hearts skip a beat

For you Central PA wrestling fans (both of whom could careless about this site): a Deadspin.com story about York College wrestlers and herpes.

Pacman Jones is Back-Man Jones ... I can't help myself. I have to believe that Jerry Jones went to the NFL Commish's office and laid the wood on this one. "Mr. Goodell, I did not pay this guy millions of dollars just so you could suspend him. By the way in case you forgot, you work for me and I have a hot tub in my bedroom shaped like Dallas Stadium. That's right."

This is not going to help soccer's image in America ... it hasn’t really helped Mike Singletary.

The headline is all you need. Man cuts off own head with chainsaw.

Five lamest forwards and why your mom loves them.

Inmate gets $300,000 for lost genitals.

Is ESPN just too big? Now with them getting a hold of the BCS bowl games, what don't they have other than hockey (and we can see what that has done for hockey)? This is not good for sports; getting your news, even sports news, from one source is not good.

If you have ever gambled on sports for any length of time, there is one thought that every gambler has at some point or another - "this stuff is fixed." There is no doubt that if you gamble on sports you think it has to be fixed. After last weeks Steelers game there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that football is the same as blackjack. Simply put, "the house always wins."

From WhodeyRevolution.com some quick Bengals facts... enjoy the game tonight.

• 17 - Years since the Bengals have won a playoff game
• 0 - Total number of playoff wins in Mike Brown's tenure as owner
• .348 - Bengals regular season winning percentage since Mike Brown took over as owner (97-181 in 17 seasons)
• 15-23 - Record since 2005 playoff game vs Steelers
  6 - Seasons the Bengals have lost their first six games since 1991. No other team has more than two.
• 0 - Teams North of Cincinnati without an indoor practice facility
• 10 - Players arrested in a 14 month span from 2005-2006
• 32 - Mike Brown's ranking, out of 32, of the "Best Owners in the NFL" by Michael Silver of Sports Illustrated in 2007
• 458,000,000 - Amount, in dollars, that Hamilton County Taxpayers paid to build PBS
• 2032 - Year that Hamilton County will have finally paid off its debt on the stadium deal
• 3 - Total number of non-clerical employees employed in the Bengals scouting department, lowest in the league
• 747,000,000 - Amount, in dollars, paid in free agency by the Bengals from 1994 - 2005, second worst of all 28 teams in existence for the duration, behind only Arizona
• 118 – Ranking, out of 118 professional teams, of the “Worst Franchises” in professional sports, as ranked by ESPN the Magazine in 2003.
• 97 – Ranking, out of 98 general managers in all four major sports with three or more years of experience, of Mike Brown’s performance as a GM, as ranked by Forbes in 2007.

Please take the time to comment and thanks for coming and suckling on Daddy's Sugar Ball.
Bearcat

I want answers ...

Earlier this week I heaped tons of praise on Anne Hathaway. It was her birthday and frankly I am a little more than smitten with her. She is great. While I was wrestling with the idea of adding pictures from either of her best scenes (i.e. Havoc or Brokeback Mountain; they are great scenes). I was wondering once again why don't we have any decent pictures of Alessandra Ambrosio? You know Alessandra - the smoking hot Victoria's Secret supermodel. Yeah. She's pretty much perfect. But for a woman who makes a living taking off her clothes in front of the camera, the internet is severely lacking any decent pictures. This is the best I could find.
Now that is great stuff [Ed. note: I concur.]. But come on - this is the 21st century, the age of TMZ.com and every Hollywood tramp (i.e. Britney, Paris and Lindsay) having flashed their respective uterus outside of nightclubs and broadcast across the net. How can there be no decent spankbank pictures of this woman? Why has she remained so elusive? There is not some jilted ex-boyfriend with pictures or video of her? Come on! This is my unicorn ... my white whale. In Full Metal Jacket Matthew Modine's Pvt. Joker is instructed by his Army newspaper editor to photograph a movie star coming to entertain the troops at a USO show: "I want lots of low angles. I want to see morning dew, you understand?" And now I say to you slimy paparazzi:"I want lots of low angles. I want to see morning dew." Break into the Victoria's Secret backstage dressing room. Follow this woman to the ends of the Earth. I don't ask for much.

Now for a quick movie review... I went to see the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solac, yesterday. Before you read my thoughts a I have to be honest and tell you I am a HUGE [Ed. note: spiritually and physically] James Bond fan. When I was young, I read many of Ian Fleming's books and while most kids were wanting to grow up to be a doctor or lawyer, I was wondering how I could join MI6 as an American. This depressed me greatly. Now I am a civil servant and I need a martini.

Moving on ... so I did something I rarely do. I saw a movie on opening weekend. I rarely do that and I can count on one hand the number of times I have done this over the pastfive 5 years. Casino Royale, Transformers, The Departed and now, Quantum of Solace. The reviews of this latest Bond film have been less than great. Mostly in the two to two-and-one-half star range from what I have read. They are seriously missing the point. This Bond is not an action hero. The pace of these movies is more deliberate. Bond is actually mortal. The villains are not superhuman but simply dictators and finance geeks. This is a 21st century spy movie. It has twists and turns, the action is quick and detailed but not bent on rockets fired from a BMW or Aston Martin. Someone once said that "There is nothing new about car chases, just new ways to shoot them." That is true and the opening scene is fantastic for just that. Keep in mind while watching it they wrecked 14 Aston Martin DBSs and one stunt driver died filming it.
Daniel Craig is awesome. I spent most the movie wondering how this film was made without killing him. The stunts are impressive and he obviously did many of them. Judy Dench is awesome as M and we get a peek at why her code name might be 'M,' which had me nearly jumping out of my seat. Jeffery Wright returns as 'Felix', Bonds' CIA counterpart. Throughout the movie, the whole theme is confliction. The characters are conflicted about who to trust, who is right, what is the right thing to do. Everyone but Bond, and yes, he is pissed about it and everything else. But he is right and that is why he is the hero. He is not conflicted. While his moral compass might not aways point to true north, he understands what his duty is. Some critics have called for Bond to take anger management classes (I am looking in your direction, Entertainment Weekly) but they must not have stayed for the last ten minutes of the movie. This is a character study in a sense. With Craig signed on to do at least two more Bond movies in the coming years (something a $70 million dollar opening weekend, a franchise record, can ensure) I think we will see an evolving Bond and it would be nice to see Bond as more than Tuxedos and Martinis.

This movie is well-written, the Bond babes are hot, the pace of the movie is great and the scenes are fantastically-shot. The characters are deeper than they have ever been in any Bond movie since From Russian with Love and gives the movie-goer his/her monies' worth. Bearcat gives this movie four-and-a-half out of five sugar balls. So go see it.

Now for video and links.

This one come from ClayTravis.net and shows what girls are doing when they got to the bathroom together at the football game.



Her screaming as she runs down the bathroom and the sound of the door getting crushed kills me. And thanks to this being the 21st-century and thanks to Deadspin.com, we know her name (Leah Logue) and have her facebook page (update the page appears to have been erased). We have this but we don't have decent pictures of a Victoria Secret Model!!!

The Dodgers have raised the price of their most expensive spring training game tickets to $90. Last year they were $20. Couple this with the fact that they now only let the kids in the expensive seats clamor for autographs during batting practice and it makes me want to hate this franchise. Guess they need to get that money for Manny from somewhere but damn, $90 for spring training. 90 bucks for split-squad ball. Please Cap, tell your team to go fix itself.

This is what being a coach in college athletics is about.

The Rooneys are going to keep control of the NFL's greatest francise ...

For the first time in nearly 25 years, we may have a significant change in how we interact with computers ... it looks like the computer from Minority Report and I totally want one.




That's it for now ... thanks for coming and suckling Daddy's Sugar Ball.

Bearcat

Music you should be listening to

Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

Palmer (the female half of the Dresden Dolls) has accomplished something striking on her first solo disc. She has married the punk cabaret sound of the Dolls to the more mainstream sound of producer Ben Folds. The results are remarkable.

At a time when female singer-songwriters who play piano are getting airplay (think Sara Bareilles, Ingrid Michaelson), this disc will go unjustifiably ignored by the radio and music television powers that be.

If you have a sister/niece/daughter between the ages of 14 and 20, this should be a necessary item on your holiday buying list.

Songs to download: Ampersand, Astronaut, Runs in the Family

Check out Amanda Palmer if you like: 1990s Liz Phair, Tori Amos


Vampire Weekend - "Ottoman"

Vampire Weekend burst onto the scene in the last year and became everyone's darling. And while I like a lot of the songs off their self-titled debut, I was never ready to suck their collective lollipops like everyone else seemed to be and anoint them the “next great thing”.

This song, however, is from the Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist soundtrack and displays a new direction. I find this song to be much more accessible than anything previous. Gone are the Paul Simon-like African rhythms or Talking Heads-like reggae beats and instead this song is full of strings driving the tempo and lead singer Ezra Koenig dipping into falsetto. The one thing that remains though is a borrowed line from their own “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” namedropping Peter Gabriel.


Hotel Lights - Firecracker People

I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the Ben Folds Five reunion concert this past September down in Chapel Hill, NC. Former BF5 drummer Darren Jessee opened the show as his latest incarnation, the group Hotel Lights. Their set intrigued me enough to purchase their latest album, Firecracker People, off of iTunes when I got home and it was one of my better impulse purchases of the year.

Jessee’s melodic, mellow pop-country songs are better suited to recordings (as opposed to a live setting in a large theatre). It was after repeated listenings though that I discovered the real magic in this disc - - Jessee’s aching vocals add to the emotional depth even beyond the heartbreaking lyrics of most of these songs.

Songs to download: Run Away Happy, Blue Always Find Me, Firecracker People

Check out Hotel Lights if you like: Elliott Smith, Ryan Adams, Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst)


The Eels - "Things the Grandchildren Should Know"

I recently caught the PBS documentary Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives which features Mark Everett (or as his friends call him, E) of the Eels in an exploration about his late physicist father Hugh.

First of all, I wholeheartedly recommend the documentary…it is enthralling and most of that is due to E’s charismatic personality on his journey. Even if the science involved is above 99.9% of the viewers, it is E grasping for understanding of his father and his family that make this compelling viewing.

One of the Eels’ songs that they used in the show was “Things the Grandchildren Should Know” and it struck a chord with me. It’s a simple little song - - it’s just a basic strum with Dylanesque talking/singing. But written with surprising candor, E puts his whole life out there in 5 ½ minutes. So much so, that he used the title again in a recent autobiography.

I will be checking out most of the Eels’ catalog in the next couple of months, so don’t be surprised to see them in this feature again.

As always, please feel free to comment below and thanks for coming and suckling on Daddy’s Sugar Ball