Films 2 See, TV Tanks, New Music

January will be SMASHing

Movie-Watch: Ok, here we are, on the cusp of the REAL movie-season... Oscar Time! Here are the ones I'll be seeing over the next week, if not all this weekend!  Lotsa Oscar-buzz for "The Artist," a silent film, yes silent, B&W film that was the darling of Cannes and atop many critics lists as the one to beat this awards season.  Scorsese goes the family-film route with what is touted as sophisticated fare for kids in "Hugo." I'm reading that these 2 films will be the front runners for gold statues.  Once again, Michelle Williams will be nominated - this time for "My Week with Marilyn,"  bravely channeling legendary, iconic Monroe.  While it won't blow up awards season - perhaps some Comedy nods at the Globes or musics nods at the Oscars, "The Muppets," have certainly set the stage for the biggest comeback since Tina Turner!  They are everywhere and I love it!  Kermit is my hero....  TV-Tanks: Two that are off-their-game this season are "Dexter" and "The Walking Dead."  Sleepy and overall "unexciting," these cable shows have the chance to be edgy, thrilling, gory - and yet, there's a s**t-load of talking and virtually no action going down.  The writers planted the zombie-killing-clan on a farm all season, dropped in an idiotic possible-pregnancy and a 4 episode search for girl who better be dead at this point.  As for the murderous Dex, what should be a macabre-sacrilegious-thrilling serial killer hunt, is slow-rolling, uninteresting yawn-fest with sidestepping stories (Trinity "returns," Brother Sam) that were there for no reason.  For what? Character development?  We get it - Dexter's a mess-of-man, struggling to be more "human."  We don't need special additives to show us that....  New Yorkers: Patti Lupone & Mandy Patinkin are on Broadway "in concert," till Jan 13.  An "A-" in EW and 4* in USA Today? Go!... Music-Musts: Mary J. Blige released "My Life II." After taking her in her concert in SF last week, I am still in awe of the Queen of Hip Hop.  Check out her current jam, "25/8."... Hot baldie Daughtry returns and my 3 initial call-out tracks are Crawling Back, Losing My Mind and Rescue Me.... Non-stop hit-maker Rihanna released her latest within 11 months of the last one!  It's as if she saw Beyonce would be taking a pregnancy-pause and decided to jump on the opportunity.  Well, I've yet to take in the full album, but her #1 tune, "We Found Love," is purely infectious and according to Mike, the call-outs are Roc Me Out and Do Ya Thing....  Highly anticipated here: the 2nd album from Adam Lambert. I've read he worships top 40 pop and is working with Nile Rogers (Chic, Madonna, Bowie), so I'm holding out for what could be my summer '12 soundtrack!...   Coming soon: The TV mid-season-season starts shortly with the return of Showtime's wonderful "Shameless."  Newbies set to launch include "GCB" on ABC (in March), a Dallas-set dramedy soap co-starring Annie Potts and Kristin Chenoweth.... Speaking of Dallas, the original "Dallas," gets a makeover on TBS for Summer '12....  And in January, faltering NBC is placing all its bets on "Smash," a 10pm "drama with music" from Speilberg about the making of a Broadway musical.  I need not explain my excitement over this.  I've seen the pilot and, Dear God, please make this show work, be huge and last! Watch the trailer here....  FlashBack:  This popped on the radio the other day, much to my delight. Barbra recorded with her then BF, Don Johnson, this tune from a never-staged-musical, "Goya." The breezy ballad hit #25 in '88.  While there was no video made, take in the delight of a home-made fan-video of "Till I Loved You."...  Are you a Dove or Caress Soap person?  Well, in these winter months, I reach for Caress, before I dress.... So get silky smooth and be Just Like Jerry.