9.21.09 My Top Ten RIGHT NOW

1. TV Glee

I was so pleased by the pilot last spring, but was completely unsure if the concept could hold over multiple episodes.  I suppose it’s a little too early to tell, but the first few shows have held my interest, put a huge grin across my face, and sparked a little hope inside of me that others might enjoy this musical delight as much as I do.  It is hard to believe that full on musical scenes occur multiple times in a single episode, and yet people aren’t running for the door (all upholding my belief that the musical never dies, if just gets massively reinterpreted).  All of this wouldn’t be possible without the amazing talent of Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele and the always pitch perfect and gift to any show, Jane Lynch.  Her competitive spirit makes for an enchanting villain.

2. ALBUM The Boy Who Knew Too Much Mika

Mika’s first album was chock full of happy hits, reinterpreting Queen for the modern era with his Mercury-esque vocals, large scale production values and even creating a direct nod in “Big Girl.”  He’s back and just as good as before, opening with the sunshiny “We Are Golden,” filled with that quintessential falsetto and backed by a screaming chorus of people harking back to the child chorus of “Lollipop.”  For me, it’s all about “By The Time,” a collaboration with Imogen Heap that creates an ethereal quality to contrast sharply but nicely with Mika’s loose sing-songy vibe.  “Blue Eyes” is an interesting send up to the sounds and beats of hi-life music straight from West Coast Africa, which oddly works well.  It’s a fun album, and much like the last one, I’m sure I’ll wear it out over the course of the next several months, never listen to it again, and then rediscover it a couple months later and think it’s genius.

3. FOOD Trestle on Tenth

A delicious delightful meal to start off the Jewish New Year, ironic given my choices of proteins.  I couldn’t stop myself from going with the chilled oysters on a half shell, a perfect light start to an early fall meal, all lemon juice and tartar sauce.  I followed it up with a massive pork chop on a bed of broccoli rabe accompanied by a salad of greens and blueberries.  Take a bacon infused bite along with a fork-full of the salad and it’s a flavor burst you’ll never forget.  Also worth having is the more delicate and robust flavored duck breast with corn griddle cakes and a braised cherry sauce.  Finish off the meal with the amazing ice cream sundae filled with caramel and crunchy bits or the vanilla pot de crème and you’ll go home beyond content.

4. SHOW Groovaloo

A bit of a heavy-handed dance show, demonstrating how all forms of hip hop have bettered the lives of those on stage, it was the talent of these performers that held me captivated.  Through 85 minutes of thrilling mixed music matched with spectacular (potentially distracting) lights and narration, the journey of these dances is visualized with unbelievable exhibition of human ability.  A fight with a father is brought to life through the music of Michael Jackson and a mirror image dance that baffles the eye.  One woman’s depression is horrifyingly real through modern fused dance always followed by three specters dressed all in black.  And most stunning, one girl’s fantasy about a robot is brought to life through an amazing display of body isolation and manipulation, sound effects and sheer performance.

5. VIDEO “While You Wait for the Others” Grizzly Bear

For anyone who remembers my childhood, they will absolutely understand my love of this music video, which is all stop motion animation using antiques and odd curios to create a fantasticly off mood piece… the fluidity of the movement, the artful repetition of frames a la the Muybridge experiments that served as the origin of the film, fusing together into quite a vision.  That might be too lofty a reference, but I’m going with it.  My only criticism is the use of the original Grizzly Bear track as opposed to my preferred version, and last week’s 9 spot, featuring the more hearty vocals of Michael McDonald.

6. ALBUM 11:11 Rodrigo Y Gabriella

Lord knows they’re not breaking new ground on this album, but that doesn’t stop me from loving the high octane guitar strumming that this duo creates.  The album plays more lithely than the previous, transitions being less forced and the overall sound now infused with Indian flavor that helps create some flourishes and embellishments that make the whole thing truly sing.  The slower beats of “Chac Mool” are quite sumptuous, creating a different calm that morphs into the steady beat that they’ve become familiar for.  “Savitri” is mining similar territory but displays such incredible guitar play that you can’t help but sit back and be impressed and then feel overwhelmed by the sudden change to the minor chords that come together with some inventive sound design to create an Indian dreamscape.

7. TV 10 Things I Hate About You

I’m shocked that I enjoy this ABC Family half hour comedy.  Sure, the movie was fun and was an early glimmer of the fantastic future work of Heath Ledger, but even with Shakespeare as inspiration, the plot seemed too thin to support a feature let alone a serialized comedy.  And yet, I laugh my way through these episodes, with their wonderful balance of gee-shucks high school drama and spot on overly educated jokes reminiscent of Gilmore Girls. Praise must be lavished on Lindsey Shaw, so great in the short lived Aliens in America, for her portrayal of Kat as an intelligent if faulty character doomed to fall in love while hating the man she’s falling for.

DVD Chess in Concert

After railing against the shrill performance of Idina Menzel on the recording of this musical, I happily offer up my apologies (as if she’s reading along) having now seen her in action on this DVD.  She plays the part of Florence quite beautifully, with excellent passion and poise, contrasted sharply with the gorgeous voiced and sweet nature of Kerry Ellis as Svetlana.  The production as a whole is a little misguided, but I was happy to finally be given some of the story and context in which the action of this play takes place.  I still want to see a Broadway production mounted desperately, but I’m beginning to see that this might just be the best music in a convoluted book that may or may not be at all interesting to a generation that doesn’t have much interest in either chess or the Cold War.

FOOD Half-Steak (again)

It seems horrendous to repeat a food choice, but I can’t get over how much I enjoy eating at this restaurant.  Again, $14.50 for a decent sized steak that is so juicy and well cooked.  Small plates between $6 and $9, including my new favorite, the watermelon and tequila oyster shooter.  And dessert for $4.50, the best being the ever rotating matching of cookies and ice cream into odd but fashionable ice cream sandwiches.  It really is hard to believe this excellent food can come at that price, although this might mean that I’ve been living in NYC too long and inflated prices have no meaning anymore.  Add to this last experience the incomparable Anna Wintour walking past my table in full-length snakeskin and you’ve got an unforgettable evening in the city (the company at the table wasn’t too bad either… hehe)

WEB Twitteleh

For anyone with a Jewish mother, or a mother who acts like a Jewish mother, this is essential viewing.  I’m not a huge fan of twitter, but I do enjoy making fun of it.  It’s really all about the ending here that makes me howl.  I wont say more, watch, enjoy, laugh and be happy that your Jewish mother cares as much as she does, even if the general concept of modern technology proves way too difficult, necessitating a bevy of old-fashioned phone calls to set her straight (of course, I’m not referring to my own mother…)