PopBliss Favorites of 2008: Dexter

Now, in its third season, Dexter has become one of the most compelling, creative, well-acted, and twisted shows on the tube. In case you didn't know, Dexter, played by the insanely talented Michael C. Hall from Six Feet Under (another classic show), is a serial killer by night and a Blood Expert for the Miami PD by day. This is the basic premise, but the show works on numerous levels. Unlike other police procedural dramas, the viewers are Dexter’s accomplices as we are the only ones with access to his internal monologue. 

This season has been the best so far; for one, the plot lines are no longer based on the books, which has given the writers more freedom. But the major coup was scoring Jimmy Smits. I always thought the dude was talented, but as Assistant District Attorney Miguel Prado, I've been consistently blown away by his sometimes nuanced and other times flat out ferocious acting. In a recent scene, Miguel discovers that Dexter is trying to keep him in check, and like a geyser set to erupt, Miguel unleashes his fury on Dexter: "I am not the person to fuck with because I will fuck you back!" So, why, when Dexter decides to end Miguel's life does he go out without much fanfare? This is my only complaint about this season. I was looking forward to some type of throwdown or struggle. The whole season has been steadily building up to this point, and I would've liked to see Miguel get his just due. Anyway, there's still one last episode left, and every Dexter finale has been insane so I would expect nothing less.

Bat Shit Crazy: Man Tries To Pay His Utility Bill With Spider Drawing

Today I came across this story on MSN. A man attempts to pay his overdue utility bill with a drawing of a spider. I could analyze and dissect it, but really, it's just funny. Check it out:

Spider Story

PopBliss Favorites of 2008: The Renaissance by Q-Tip

Over the next few weeks, I will be listing my favorite CDs of 2008, and there were a bunch of good ones.  This year marked the return of one of hip hop's most talented and influential MCs, Q-Tip. In the 90s, A Tribe Called Quest blended jazz, funk, and intellectual lyrics to create a fusion of old school and new school. Then, they broke up and Q-tip released his first solo album Amplified, and that was eight years ago. Finally, the Abstract Poet has unleashed his new album The Renaissance. Apparently, he's been working on it for a while, but some typical bullshit with the record company delayed it. Nonetheless, it was worth the wait. 

The opening track, "Johnny's Dead," let's you know that Q-tip is back in solid-form: "And it's up to me to bring back the hop-e/Feeling in the music that you could quote/Not saying that I hate it cause here/I kinda dig it/But what good is a'ear/if a Q-tip isn't in it." That last line couldn't be more true. Like Tribe's music, the overall vibe is laid back and the beats are funky and there's plenty of jazzy riffs to go around. But, what I love the most is Q-tip's unique delivery--every line flows and he even rips it freestyle on the tune, "Dance on Glass:" "Who can make it up, dark ages here in rap/And the constant conversation has been let's bring it back/Corny rap style niggas they lack the pedigree/Deep waters they be in when they are just the manatee." Not only does he call other musicians out, but who else can fit "manatee" into their rhymes. This is the work of a man on a mission to make authentic hip-hop, and this is truly a renaissance for the genre.

Check out Q-tip's performance of "Move" on Letterman: 

"Dude, This is the Best Mix Tape Ever"

When I was in high school, I always tried to impress my friends with the coolest mix tapes of all time. For a while, I was into psychedelic rock, so side A might kick off with the mellow notes of Pink Floyd's epic "Dogs"and Side B would finish off with Hendrix's trippy tune "Axis Bold as Love." Over the years, however, my musical taste has shifted away from classic rock, though hearing "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" always transports me to another time.

That's the beauty of music and a perfectly crafted mix tape can tell an entire story. In fact, Rob (John Cusack), the record store owner in High Fidelity and mix tape aficionado claims, "The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick off with a killer, to grab attention. Then you got to take it up a notch, but you don't wanna blow your wad, so then you got to cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules." 

Of course, once CDs took over, mix tapes became an artifact and now iPod playlists are the current trend. So, how do you combine the best of both worlds? There is a new product out called the USB Mix Tape. Its 64 Megabytes and holds about an hour's worth of music (like most cassettes). If you remember, the 90 minute or longer tapes would always get stuck or slow down and then you'd have to take a pencil...well you know the rest. The coolest part is that the USB drive comes in a mock cassette complete with an area to personalize the playlist. For people who grew up in the '80s and early '90s, this is pretty damn cool. And, it makes an even better Christmas gift.