Magnetic Miss Perry

Mr. Merritt is a sucker for pretty pop songs and deadpan humor. Claudia Gonson, also of The Magnetic Fields, teases out a pretty rendition of Katy Perry's "Waking Up in Vegas," a thoroughly unremarkable piece of songwriting, while Merritt casts off his lines like someone who really is waking up from a rough night in Vegas, crank and not in the mood for this song.

Lonely Kids

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Milkey Wave Goodbye- Memory Cassette

I Just Wasn't Made for These Times- The Beach Boys

In My Lonely Room- The Larks

Every nail, claw-scale and spur, every spike
and welt on the hand of that heathen brute
was like barbed steel. Everybody said
there was no honed iron hard enough
to pierce him through, no time proofed blade
that could cut his brutal blood caked claw

Petroleum- The Boo Radleys
Walkabout- Atlas Sound feat. Panda Bear

Michael and Michael Have Issues

I was too young to see MTV's sketch comedy show The State, but since it just came out on DVD, maybe I'll rectify that. However, I was old enough to watch and appreciate the work of Stella and Reno 911, two shows made up of State alumni as well as their movie, Wet Hot American Summer. Stella members Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter, minus third Stella member (and my personal favorite, David Wain) have a new show on Comedy Central called Michael and Michael Have Issues.

Michael & Michael Have Issues	Premieres Wed, July 15, 10:30pm / 9:30c
The Farting Butterfly Sketch
www.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

MMHI is a sketch comedy show with a narrative framework. That narrative framework is the behind the scenes adventures of a sketch comedy show called Michael and Michael Have Issues. The actual sketches on the show are shown from the show within the show and at times during episodes Michael and Michael address the live audience of the show within the show.

Last night, the second episode premiered and it was pretty good. So was the first episode. The show is pretty heavy on the behind the scenes stuff but it's just as funny as any of the real sketches. The comedy style is a little different from Stella, as Black and Showalter do not attempt to get laughs from poor acting and use less conceptual jokes.
This is the begining of episode two.

Michael & Michael Have Issues	Premieres Wed, July 15, 10:30pm / 9:30c
Preview - Biederman's Birthday Present
www.comedycentral.com
Joke of the Day Stand-Up Comedy Free Online Games

I think Michael and Michael has a lot of promise. However, not every piece is excellent. One of the big sketches this week, Gift Giving through History, was kind of meh while the other, Bill the Quiet Weatherman, was really good. The narrative plots are also amusing, though none of the jokes from those sections of the show have made me laugh very hard. MMHI still has five more episodes left in its first season and I have high hopes for it.
Michael and Michael airs on Comedy Central Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. Black twitters here and Showalter twitters here.

Downtown Disco Breakdown

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Fullness of Wind- Brian Eno

Rufus Wainwright Documentary

The BBC produced a documentary about Rufus Wainwright and his new opera Prima Donna. Wainwright's music is full of clear, soaring melodies that seem just as suited for opera as they are for pop music.