Top 5 Songs By The Killers

As I sit here patiently awaiting The Killers' sophomore album, I think I've listened to every piece of music they've released. That being said, these are my five favorite songs...

5) "Andy, You're A Star" [from "Hot Fuss"]
4) "The Ballad of Michael Valentine" [from "Somebody Told Me", single]
3) "When You Were Young" [from "Sam's Town"]
2) "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" [from "Hot Fuss" (UK Version)]
1) "Smile Like You Mean It" [from "Hot Fuss"]

Top 5 Sports Venues in South Carolina

5) Darlington International Speedway, Darlington, SC
NASCAR isn't a sport, but damn if the track isn't beautiful.
4) Blackbaud Stadium, Daniel's Island, SC
If you're an employee of the Blackbaud software company, how cool is it to have a minor league staidum in your parking lot?
3) Bi-Lo Center, Greenville, SC
Wrestling, Arena Football, Hockey, it doesn't matter. The arena is set up for any and everything and there's not a bad view in the house.
2) Colonial Center, Columbia, SC
You've got to hand it to the University of South Carolina. Their basketball arena is a state of the art facility.
1) Clemson Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
The largest stadium in the state just got better with the "completion" of the WestZone project.

Sunday Night Selections

Most of ya'll know the drill. 5 genres. 5 tracks you need to listen to. And for this week, I'm going to emphasize NEED to listen to...

Remake
Nelly Furatado - "Maneater"
I'll be honest. I was about to rip Nelly Furtado a new one. I mean who covers Hall & Oates? But then I listened to the song...hot damn, Timberland's done it again. Nelly Furtado's version of "Maneater" bares a striking resembalance to Hall & Oates' 1982 "classic" (I use that term very loosely), without ever sampling or stepping on the toes of the original. Currently an International smash hit, its on track to be her next US Single. Excellent choice.
Watch the Video

Rock
The Killers - "When You Were Young"
What did I say all summer? "Summer is for rap, rock will be back in full swing come Fall." Thankfully I was right more than I could ever know -- new stuff from The Killers!! The first single off their upcoming album, "Sam's Town" (in stores October 3, 2006 - everyone should buy three copies), "When You Were Young" is classic Killers - synth pop and remixed 80s New Wave. Not only that, but the video is grade A stuff. Sorry for rambling and not putting together any coherent thoughts, but The Killers are my favorite band ("Hot Fuss" is the ONLY CD I've purchased in the last 3 years), so to say I'm a little excited for their sophomore effort is an understatement...
...unfortunately, "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" was not included as a bonus for us Americans who were deprived of it from the US Release of "Hot Fuss."
Watch the Video

Retro
The Clash - "London Calling"
Since this entire post has an early-80s vibe so far, why not continue the tradition? (Who's gonna be the first to tell me "London Calling" was released in 1979?) Named the #15 Best Song of All Time by Rolling Stone and landing a spot on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll," there's not much that I can say about this song that hasn't been said already.
Watch the Video

Random - A Tribute to "Where is my Mind?" by The Pixies
James Blunt - "Where is My Mind?" (Watch)
Placebo ft. Black Francis (of the Pixies) - "Where Is My Mind?" (Watch)
Easily the most popular song by indie band The Pixies, "Where Is My Mind" did not gain any attention until it was used as the closing song in the movie Fight Club. A tale of scuba diving and deep reflection on one's self, this track is what's known as the "gateway" track to the rest of the catalog by the Pixies. If you like this, be sure to check out "Velouria" and Monkey Gone To Heaven."
Watch a Fight Club Montage

Rap
Jibbs ft. Jibbs - "Chain Hang Low"
This dude is on a track featuring himself. Hotdamn I love rappers. Last but not least in this weeks Sunday Night Selections we have rap newcomer Jibbs. Hailing from St. Louis, Jibbs debut track channels the spirit of rappers gone-by (listen to the track and tell me you aren't reminded of Jay-Z, Nelly (another St. Louis native), and mid-90s Cash Money Records) and to be honest the kid does a pretty good job. While it might have been better to release this track during what can only be described as a red-hot summer for rap/r&b tracks, as a rap rookie it might have been for the best. The kid has potential (well, based of this one track he does) and it'd be a shame for him to get lost in the shuffle (which I hope an pray Yung Joc does).
Watch the Video

Damn. All 5 of those tracks were winners. A RARE occurance in SnS.

Top 5 Sequel Ideas to "Snakes on a Plane"

5) Snakes on a Hot Air Balloon
4) Snakes in the Ghetto: Snakes on Welfare (This is direct to video)
3) Snakes on a Bus (starring Keanu Reeves)
2) Snakes in a Theater (apparently someone beat me to this idea)
1) Snakes on a Boat

"I'M TIRED OF THESE MUTHAFUCKIN' SNAKES ON THIS MUTHAFUCKIN' BOAT!"

That line alone would probably convince me to see the that.
No. No it wouldn't. The first one was horrible. Hopefully no sequel ever gets made.

Top 5 Movies I've Seen This Summer

5) Curly Sue (on cable--a cherished classic!)
4) The Notebook (on a movie channel--this one never gets old)
3) You, Me, and Dupree
2) The Benchwarmers (on DVD)
1) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

**I've not seen Talladega Nights yet...I'm sure it'll be in the Top 2 once I do, though...

Top 5 Shows Whose Reruns I've Become Re-Addicted to This Summer

5) Walker, Texas Ranger
4) Nash Bridges
3) Saved by the Bell: The College Years
2) The Nanny
1) Gilmore Girls

Sunday Night Selections

Rock
STEFY - "Chelsea"
This is probably one of those songs you hear everywhere but have no clue who sings it. You've either heard it on EA Sports' FIFA 2006 or during Kelly Kelly's "Expose" on ECW. Either way, its a cool track. This is probably what would be produced if No Doubt and Garbage had a kid.
Watch the Video

Rap/R&B
Clarence Carter - "Patches"
Clarence Carter's other hit -- the one that doesn't involve him talking about anal sex. A nice heartwarming tale about a young Clarence growing up in rural Mississippi. Or Alabama. Or somewhere. Its hard to type with your mom trying to sing over the mp3...
Watch A Performance

Random
Savage Garden - "Truly, Madly, Deeply"
Rationale: I woke up at 3:30am Sunday morning wanting to hear this song. Why? You tell me.
In other news, the lead singer from this group married his long-time boyfriend. Congratulations.
Watch the Video

Remake
Weird Al Yankovic - "You're Pitiful"
Weird Al strikes again. He nails a perfect 10 in remaking James Blunt's "You're Beautiful." Unfortunately, James Blunt's record company didn't find the humor in it. Even though Mr. Blunt has given Weird Al his blessing, the recording industry fat cats haven't. Oh well. Thankfully Weird Al released the track as a free mp3 on his website. Unfortunately, the world will never know what video goodness would have come from this.
Watch a Video

Remix
The Cure - "Pictures of You" (Live from Lyon)
Notsomuch a remix, but a great live performance. Does it really qualify to fit here? No. But I've had a couple conversations over the past week that made me realize no matter how deep you bury something, it'll eventually rise back to the surface.
Watch the Video

Top 5 Black Sitcoms

For fairness, Sanford and Son and The Cosby Show are removed from contention

5) The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
4) Martin
3) A Different World
2) The Jeffersons
1) Good Times

This list was harder to make than I thought. Even with the heavy hitters out.

Honorable Mention
Family Matters
Just for blessing the world with this...

Bless you YouTube. For you are glorious.

Top 5 TV Cars

5) The Mystery Machine - Scooby Doo
4) The Batmobile - Batman
3) The A-Team Van - The A-Team
2) The General Lee - The Dukes of Hazzard
1) KITT - Knight Rider

Honorable Mention
The Mach 5 - Speed Racer