CliqueClack

CliqueClack Hungry Trolls podcast – Episode 3

Friend, contributor and comedian Jay Black is switching things up a bit with the new site and is bringing his Hungry Trolls podcast here, to a new home on CliqueClack. Jay joins friend and comedian Vinnie Nardiello in what he tells me will be a twice-a-week deal!

Make sure you tune in and make your friends tune in as well, and comment and rate us on our iTunes page! We’re also on Stitcher!

Please keep the comments coming and let us know what you think. Got suggestions? Questions? We’d love to hear ‘em! Make sure you get everyone you know to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes (and rate us, please!) or via some other feed — we feed Jay’s ego a careful diet of traffic numbers and subscriber count, so let’s not let that sucker die of starvation. You can also check-in via GetGlue!

Thanks for listening!

Let me introduce you to Eva Cassidy

I won’t go into what my thoughts are about the best-selling porn, um … I mean erotic fiction novel Fifty Shades of Grey. I suppose that’s another post, and one I’m not sure I have the inclination to write (although you never know.) I can only allow you to get so far inside my head, ya know. Wink wink.

Suffice it to say, that after getting to know the lead character of Christian Grey by the end of book one, I was interested enough in the guy to google some of the music mentioned in the follow-up Fifty Shades Darker.

Continue reading 'Let me introduce you to Eva Cassidy' »

My predictions for the end of Young Justice season 2

It seems crazy, but we only have two days until Young Justice comes out of its hiatus like a majestic bear waking up from its long slumber to maul us with heartache and emotions. It’s been a long summer to wait, to wonder, to over-analyze the past episodes for any clues to what could possibly be coming. Since DC Nation started in the spring, I’ve dived head first into the Young Justice fandom and since the animation department is the only area that DC Comics haven’t thoroughly messed up this summer, I’m very glad to see Young Justice come back. Between the preview videos and the preview screenshots (on top of the comic that was released earlier this month), there’s certainly a lot to say about the potential of the show in the upcoming episodes. So here’s what I’m thinking …

Continue reading 'My predictions for the end of Young Justice season 2' »

Does Starz’s Spartacus translate to novel form? Surprisingly, yes.

I have a confession to make. I have never watched Starz’s Spartacus series. Nor have I seen the 1960 film version, starring Kirk Douglas and directed by Stanley Kubrick. Deep down inside, I’m a PG-13 kind of girl. A testosterone fueled film/show with sexual overtones starring a bunch of sweaty guys never quite appealed to me. However, when the call came to review Titan Books’ latest Spartacus novel, I leapt upon it. As a former English major, I’m always interested to see if novelistic adaptations can stand on their own. Can a person who never watched the show, the film, read Howard Fast’s original novel, or read the previous novelistic adaptation released by Titan Books, Swords and Ashes, truly understand and enjoy a Spartacus novel? My answer? Yes. Yes. They can.

Continue reading 'Does Starz’s Spartacus translate to novel form? Surprisingly, yes.' »

Eric McCormack gets cabin fever in Barricade

After playing Will Truman on Will & Grace for nine seasons, Eric McCormack has stepped as far away from the sitcom genre as he could over the last few years, most recently headlining the new TV drama Perception. Now, McCormack has gone even further out of his comfort zone with his starring role in the new psychological horror film Barricade, produced by WWE Studios and now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Barricade tells the story of Terence Shade, a psychologist who doesn’t have enough time in the day to spend with his kids. His wife wants them all to go to her old family cabin way, way, way up in the mountains to give the kids a white Christmas. The story jumps to a year later, and Shade’s wife has died under mysterious circumstances (mysterious, at least, until the climax of the movie), but he wants to honor her wishes and takes their two kids to the cabin. Once there, strange noises and shadows begin to terrorize the family … or has madness overtaken them?

Continue reading 'Eric McCormack gets cabin fever in Barricade' »

A SDCC smoke break with Billy Burke of Revolution

Last July, I was at the NBC party during Comic-Con in San Diego.

Keith and Ivey were with me, getting their picture taken with a famous monkey. I had on a kicking little outfit. Cast members from the show Community were being interviewed by a video crew in a corner. The food and drinks were flowing. I got a free beverage from the helpful barstaff and decided to stroll around.

Continue reading 'A SDCC smoke break with Billy Burke of Revolution' »

Bacon: Soon to be a staple of the past?

WHAT … ?!? No bacon … ?!?

(No, no, no … not Kevin Bacon, you goof.)

There’s a pending porkacolypse, folks, and it’s coming to local grocers, butcher shops and carnicerias sooner than you think. The world will soon be going to hell in a hand basket. It appears we’ll be losing one of our four food groups: Bacon.

Continue reading 'Bacon: Soon to be a staple of the past?' »

Grizzly Bear offers a worthy follow-up to its critically-acclaimed 2008 effort

Fellow Clacker Ivey West forever exudes his never-ending love for Delta Rae. Carla Day is a’hibbin’ and a’hoppin’ to Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” Tara Shrodes is grounded in Eva Cassidy of late.

Me? I have “Shields” in continuous rotation, the latest release from Grizzly Bear.

Six years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to this band. I found their brand of music oddly ethereal, yet attractive. Fast forward 13 months from that introduction to March 1st, 2008, where I found myself inside one of my all-time favorite venues, the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Grizzly Bear — unbelievably to me despite the fact I was seated, ready and waiting — was performing with the L.A. Philharmonic. This indie band with barely a notch on the bedpost was about to commingle with the premiere west coast orchestra in its very own home.

Continue reading 'Grizzly Bear offers a worthy follow-up to its critically-acclaimed 2008 effort' »

Robert Mitchum and his machine gun deliver The Wrath of God

I have to be honest and say that I’ve never been a real fan of Westerns, or even movies that aren’t Westerns but have that feel to them (with only a few exceptions). But I was intrigued to see the new Warner Archive Collection release The Wrath of God mainly because of the supporting cast. Robert Mitchum is the lead, playing “Father Van Horne,” who may or may not be a real Catholic priest. I can count the number of Mitchum films I’ve seen on one hand – with Night of the Hunter being the stand-out – but his co-stars were what brought the film to my attention.

Released in 1972, the film features Frank Langella in his fourth film role (it would still be a few years before he became an overnight sensation in Dracula on Broadway), Victor Buono (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, TV’s Batman, and The Wild, Wild West), John Colicos (the original Battlestar Galactica‘s Baltar), and, in her final film role, Rita Hayworth. For a movie and TV fan, those names should be more than enough to make you want to see this movie. But what’s it about?

Continue reading 'Robert Mitchum and his machine gun deliver The Wrath of God' »

Were minorities snubbed at the Emmys?

It has often been said that I am very predictable. I really don’t know how I feel about that, to be honest. Perhaps I’ll decide later. Nevertheless, I do tend to have the same morning routine — shower, brush my teeth, do the robot, and listen to The Tom Joyner Morning Show on the way to the job. Yesterday, Joyner, along with comedian Jay Anthony Brown, discussed the 68^th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Surprisingly, the discussion didn’t center on any fashion hits or misses, or lame acceptance speeches, or the fact that host Jimmy Kimmel was as dry as paint. Instead, Joyner made an observation that I wasn’t quite prepared for — especially since I hadn’t had my morning joe.

Out of all of the winners — and there sure were plenty — there wasn’t a single person of color. No African-American. No Hispanic. No Asian. No nothing. Well, damn.

Continue reading 'Were minorities snubbed at the Emmys?' »