Dean's Thoughts on Entertainment

Supporting Actor of the Week

Jeanne Tripplehorn



Jason’s mom finally gets honored on my blog. Jason, I would have done it sooner but I can’t show favoritism. You all know her as the woman who gets the business end of an oar in Waterworld. But I know her as the woman who brought Jason into this world and still had time to make Basic Instinct with Sharon Stone. That’s pretty impressive. I liked her in The Firm, and apparently she is in Mickey Blue Eyes, but I never made the time for that one. She is featured in a bunch of Romance movies that my girlfriend hasn’t asked me to see yet, so I have little else to say about her, but if you watch the first season of Mr. Show she shows up in the Jeepers Creepers skit to hit Jack Black with a rock. And birthing a friend and hitting someone with a rock is good enough to make it on this list, not to mention the whole oar thing. So watch Waterworld and honor Jeanne Tripplehorn.
(Note: Jeanne Tripplehorn did not actually spawn Jason, she just looks frighteningly like the woman who did.)



A few thoughts on Music

Have you heard the new Nickelback song? It is awful. Nickelback up to this point was a decent band, they weren't particularly unique or talented but they released some good rock hits. But now all of that has been erased by their new song that is actually disgusting. You see, many songs are written about sex every year. But somehow most artists find a way to be creative in their song about it, or at least subtle in their depiction of its events. Nickelback decided to scrap all that and lay out the step by step process of having sex. I have lost all respect for the band, I am hoping they fall off the map to be replaced by another generic rock band.

Something is wrong with me because I like the new Britney Spears song. The video is god-awful, in that it is visually abusive, but the song is catchy. But the song apparently is difficult for DJ's to play with because the two DJ's I heard go at it made something that tore at my soul, as they looped insignificant pieces of the verses and generally screwed it all up. But on top of this Britney thing, I haven't heard a Hillary Duff song I didn't like, scratch that...love. Her songs are really good, and for some reason I feel dirty liking the 16-17 year olds songs. This same thing didn't apply when I enjoyed Mandy Moore's songs, maybe because I see more dirty old men talking about Hillary Duff than I did when Moore was chart topping. Hopefully I will work it out.

Rap

Justin Timberlake in a somewhat recent Source article said that he felt that Rap was becoming Pop. The magazine was flooded with angry letters, stating that this was not at all the truth, and blah blah blah. But, in all honesty it is absolutely true. I understand the frustration though, Rap began as such a powerful thing and we aren't too far removed from those days. And to see your heralded "voice of the urban world" to become subject to the world of Pop is somewhat insulting. I feel that pain, but reality indicates just as Justin said. When was the last time a rap song was more than Booty Blasting and partying? There are artists who have a voice, but they aren't on the radio. Mos Def and Talib Kweli both are heavily political in their songs (and although I don't always agree) I respect them for doing something more. The only thing that you get anymore is "The police are after us" message which has been done since the beginning of Rap. And although I will admit ignorance to this problem, the instance in the Black Eyed Peas "Where's the Love" video was bull. If you do something shady and then run from the police car I would say they are justified in paying you mind. But back to subject. Radio Rap isn't the beacon of free-speech (Eminem aside), or the voice of the urban community it once was. It is the funkiest way to glorify the shaking of the rear, and the spelling of Pimp. Rap is so good.