LCD Soundsystem + Robots =

The music video for “Home.” From This Is Happening, one of my favorite albums of the year.

Halloween, meet Harlem Heat.

For you old school wrestling fans out there, you might remember WCW’s Harlem Heat – consisting of Booker T and Stevie Ray.

Well, it looks like a friend and I will be parading around as Harlem Heat come Halloween. Dead serious. And we intend to recreate this famous promo. (In addition to some we make up on the spot.)

Tobacco: Live in Knoxville

Yesterday, a couple friends and I drove 5-6 hours to Knoxville to catch a performance from Tobacco. Last June, I saw him perform with Black Moth Super Rainbow at Birmingham City Stages and had a great time. The experience was no different seeing Tobacco at a much smaller venue.

It was a simple show, so there’s not much to report. Except that the videos featured in his set were quite entertaining. I loved them. The above video is probably the best of the bunch. Didn’t occur to me that they were featured on his Fucked Up Friends DVDs. I might have to consider those.

The following video is one of my favorite songs from Tobacco and was featured in the show. Being a wrestling fan, I was surprised to see Dusty Rhodes featured in it – throwin’ ‘bows on his opponents. Neither Nick or I would ever expect to see wrestling footage at a Tobacco show.

FYI, this vid’s NSFW. Censored porn antics from 0:42-1:12.

Drive to this.

Television: Where It’s At

For the past week or so, I’ve been catching up on television shows. Namely Breaking Bad, which I was told for a while was a crazy show. I can finally testify that it is legit. Then it occurred to me that this fall has a lot of shows coming up that I’m looking forward to watching. I didn’t realize that there were so many choices for quality television, these days.

Conan (TBS) – After the debacle at NBC and his successful comedy tour, Conan returns with a new late-night gig at TBS. Since he’s on cable, as opposed to network TV, he’ll be able to get away with more risqué content, more akin to his Late Night years. If you’re familiar with Conan’s absurd and quirky sense of humor, you’ll be in for a treat. The show starts on November 8^th. Mark your calendars.

Eastbound and Down (HBO) – Kenny Powers in Mexico. What more can I say? Season 1 was pretty crazy. I expect Season 2 to be just as ridiculous. If you’re not familiar with Eastbound and Down, I recommend you buy Season 1. It’s less than $20, folks. Season 2 starts Sept. 26^th.

Mad Men (AMC) – I’m playing catch up right now in the first season. Right now, the show is past the halfway point of its fourth season, which I hear is quite good. This is probably some of the best character drama you’ll see on television, these days.

Dexter (Showtime) – Jesus, cable has the best shows running right now. Like Mad Men, I’m catching up on this show, as well, in the 3^rd season. The 5^th season starts Sept. 26^th. If you like mystery, drama, graphic violence, great stories and characters, then this is the show for you.

Modern Family (ABC) – It’s still the new kid in town, but season 1 was very funny. I’m hoping that season 2 keeps going with the high quality. It’s definitely a show to watch. Starts Sept. 22^nd.

30 Rock (NBC) – Season 4 had some very good episodes, but it was a step down compared to how amazing seasons 2 and 3 were. The show was shut out at this past Emmy Awards and the writers reportedly aren’t happy about it. Hopefully, it lit fire under them to bring their A-game again. Still a terrific show, though. Starts Sept. 23^rd.

Community (NBC) – This show’s first season was incredible. Great cast, great writing, etc. It’s a damn shame this show received zero Emmy nominations. Regardless, it sounds like show’s going to continue to impress. Betty White guest stars in the season 2 premiere. Starts Sept. 23^rd.

Boardwalk Empire (HBO) – A period crime-drama, set in the Prohibition-era. Produced by Martin Scorsese and Terrence Winter (The Sopranos), the show stars Steve Buscemi as a bootlegger. Pilot episode is directed by Scorsese, as well. This looks very promising. Starts Sept. 19^th.

Saturday Night Live (NBC) – The show has it’s critics, but episodes from this past season that featured Betty White, Tina Fey, Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm and Charles Barkley (of all people) proved that the show can still be quite funny when it wants to be. Starts Sept. 25^th.

Hollywood vs. The Niche Film

If there’s one thing that Hollywood is learning this year, it’s that appealing to a very specific audience (i.e. the geek, comic book crowd) can be very costly in the end. Hollywood has left no stone unturned in its search for what could turn the industry around. In recent years, comic book and graphic novel adaptations have been bought by every production company in bulk. The success of Iron Man, a property that the general public wasn’t familiar with, and The Dark Knight in 2008 only fueled this approach.

The films that seem to be the whipping boy for this issue: Kick-Ass, The Losers and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. These films were adapted from graphic novels with small, but dedicated fanbases. I had never heard of these properties until I read news about their film adaptations. I didn’t realize The Losers was a comic until a month before its release. I had never heard of Kick-Ass until late 2009. I didn’t run across Scott Pilgrim until the summer of 2009. So what?

All three films were considered underperformers at the box office.

The Losers – Budget: $25 million. Gross: $23 million in the US.

Kick-Ass – Budget: $28 million. Gross: $48 million in the US.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – Budget: $60 million. Gross: $30 million in the US.

These figures don’t account for marketing expenses, either. With the strange nature of accounting in Hollywood, The Losers and Scott Pilgrim would have to gross around $20 million more than their budget in DVD/Blu-ray sales to make a profit. Kick-Ass turned a profit, and now we can expect a sequel. Unlike The Losers and Scott Pilgrim, Kick-Ass was independently produced, though.

I enjoyed The Losers for what it was: a mindless pre-summer action film that didn’t take itself seriously. The opening night crowd was non-existant. I had forgotten about the film a couple days after seeing it. I wasn’t eaten up that it didn’t do much business at the box office.

I really enjoyed Kick-Ass. It was one of my favorites from this year that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. Outrageous stuff.  I was surprised to see it turn a profit in theaters, considering its R-rating, graphic violence and controversy surrounding the Hit Girl character. In addition, some people were weary to buy a ticket since they didn’t know what the film was about. To their credit, the film was advertised to resemble a kid’s film from the green band trailers and TV spots.

Kick-Ass was a moderate success. Unfortunately, Hollywood was hoping for a smash hit. I’m just happy that it made a profit and we’re getting a sequel. I’d be remiss if I didn’t admit to wanting more people to see it in theaters. It seems to have found a nice life on DVD, though.

Then came Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. This was a film that many thought would be a success at the box office. The final graphic novel sold quickly a month before the film’s release, the reception at Comic-Con was nearly universal, the film was marketed very well with numerous TV spots and trailers, and the Internet was abuzz in anticipation for the film’s release. The opening weekend grosses came in with a measly $10 million. The film was dead on arrival. A surprise to many in the industry.

I loved Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. At this point, I probably consider it to be my favorite film of the year (with Inception right on its heels). Our theater was packed on opening night. I saw it again the next day at a matinee showing – another packed house. The response was positive at both showings. I couldn’t understand it.

The film’s audience was considered a niche compared to its competitors. The general populous saw The Expendables, the baby-boomers flocked to Eat, Pray, Love and the geeks went to Scott Pilgrim by the dozens, apparently. Then, you had the crowds for The Other Guys and Inception. The comic book/video game/geek audience wasn’t enough to keep the film afloat. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World left my city in 3 weeks.

So, what’s Hollywood learned from this? It’s learned that audiences aren’t as willing to buy a ticket for a niche film. If the property is pretty obscure, then the likelihood of it being a smash is pretty slim. If a studio’s going to produce a film for a niche, the budgets should be pretty light if they hope to make a profit. Studios can’t rely on DVDs to make a profit forever.

It’s a very sucky realization, considering that none of these three films were bad in the slightest. Oh well.