TUESDAY POP-POURRI

10 Great Double Albums

Thinking about the release of Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics last week, I started wondering what are the greatest double (or even triple) albums of all time in terms of quality, historical pop music impact or just plain audacity. I'd love to hear your choices, but here are mine (in no particular order):

1. Songs in the Key of Life, Stevie Wonder (1976)
2. The White Album, The Beatles (1968)
3. Sign O' The Times, Prince (1987)
4. The Wall, Pink Floyd (1979)
5. Speakerboxx/The Love Below, OutKast (2003)
6. Bitch's Brew, Miles Davis (1967)
7. Electric Ladyland, Jimi Hendrix (1968)
8. London Calling, The Clash* (1978)
9. Nothing Like the Sun, Sting* (1987)
10. Oranges and Lemons, XTC* (1987)
* denotes that the album was originally released as a double album, but it now fits on one CD.


Quick TV Pilot Reviews: Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip; Kidnapped

Thanks to the era of Netflix and some creative marketing by the networks, now anyone can screen some of the fall's hot new shows in advance! This week, two of the shows NBC hopes will turn around their network:

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Creator(s): Aaron Sorkin
Stars: Timothy Busfield, Judd Hirsch (pilot only), Amanda Peet, Matthew Perry, Steven Weber, Bradley Whitford.
Premise: Two friends, exiled from a sketch show very much like Saturday Night Live, return to take over the show in an attempt to save it from cancellation. This is a drama (with some comedy) about what goes on behind the scenes in network television.
Who Will Like It: TV junkies, Hollywood TV insiders, fans of Matthew Perry and/or Bradley Whitford, people who think Aaron Sorkin is God.
Who Will Probably Not Like It: Based on the pilot, pretty much everyone else, especially people who think the entertainment industry is far too self-involved and full of itself. This show won't dissuade them.
Bottom Line: The pilot is well-acted and beautifully shot. Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford are naturals in roles that seem like a natural segue from their work on The West Wing. Amanda Peet seems a little young for her part, but her character may have the greatest potential for growth. However, the pilot has a very "insider" tone and some of the supporting cast didn't make much of an impression. This feels like a poor knockoff of Sorkin's brilliant but short-lived Sports Night, but perhaps future episodes will be more involving.
Outlook: Doesn't have the greatest timeslot, but NBC will give it every chance to make it. It will last the full season, but maybe not get renewed.

Kidnapped
Creators: Michael Dinner, Joel Rutkowski [sp?]
Stars: Jeremy Sisto, Delroy Lindo, Timothy Hutton, Dana Delaney, Doug Hutchison.
Premise: The son of a wealthy, somewhat shady New York businessman is kidnapped and the family, FBI and a private "kidnap specialist" (Sisto) try to rescue the son and apprehend the bad guys--sometimes working at cross purposes.
Who Will Like It: Anybody who gets sick of waiting for 24 to come back on the air--this show is the closest I've seen to matching that show in action and intensity; fans of the charismatic Sisto, of which there are more than you might think.
Who Won't Like It: Anyone tired of serial crime dramas, of which there are definitely too many or people who might think the show seems like a retread of 24. Also, the pilot has a violent, gory, somewhat offputting scene in the beginning.
Bottom Line: The pilot for Kidnapped was better, more interesting and more cohesive than the more ballyhooed Studio 60. With a crackerjack cast, this show actually has a shot to catch on...
Outlook: ...but it's not much of a chance to catch on because the new Law & Order lead-in (yes, you read that right) is fading and will fade even more when American Idol comes back into the picture. Kidnapped had better catch on fast and build momentum or it will be gone by February. Or even November.

By Friday, the long-awaited Sportapalooza II, featuring a preview of the NFC.

Peace...