The Pop Culture Addict’s Blog

Our immediate reactions:

My brother asked:

So what did you guys think? I liked it a lot. I wasn’t blown away but I certainly wasn’t disappointed. My friends were a lot more critical of Hayden Christensen’s acting and the dialogue than I was – I think once Anakin turns over to the Dark Side – the movie becomes pretty awesome. Ian McDiarmid was by far the best character and actor in the movie. He stole the show – his dialogue seducing Anakin to the Dark Side was easily the best written in the movie. By the end, I even found the Padme-Anakin love story kind of poignant even though that line earlier in the movie “hold me the way you did at Lake Naboo” is really hilarious in the wrong way.

I’m seeing it again at the Dome Saturday night.

I responded:

I liked it too. I actually stayed awake for the whole thing since it wasn’t 3am this time. Hayden Christensen reminded me of Michael Pitt during his scenes with Natalie Portman – the young, good-looking, sensitive outsider. Ian McDiarmid’s make-up was great. He did a convincing job too. I am ready to watch the originals again now. Yoda was cool as always. Isn’t Christopher Lee like 80 years old? He is so sprightly.

Then we talked about what lines sounded like Tom Stoppard wrote them: So this is how liberty ends: to thunderous applause. We talked about why Obi-Wan seems to forget about Leia’s existence in Star Wars (now known as Ep 4) when Yoda says, “There is another,” and Obi-Wan doesn’t act like he knows who this “other” is. Also, we know that C-3PO gets a mind wipe so he doesn’t retain the knowledge that Luke built him, but what about R2-D2? Why doesn’t he remember Luke later on? But I said that like Jane Espensen and Joss Whedon said of the Buffy fans re: gaffes, the fans will make it work, they can explain away inconsistencies to preserve the mythology.

We talked about how cool it was that Ian McDiarmid was the original Emperor. What else? We wondered what exactly Yoda and the Wookiees bonded over since the only evidence we saw of a special connection was the image of one of the Wookiees letting Yoda ride on his shoulder. I think the Wookiee stuff was part of what was excised and maybe part of what we’ll see on the dvd. The girl from Whale Rider was in it for a minute as the Queen of Naboo as was Bai Ling as the Senator’s wife. Um, oh since my memory of Ep 2 is hazy, I needed a refresher about the army of clones. So they were loyal to the Republic and were just programmed to listen to the Chancellor’s orders, right? That’s why they turned on the Jedis on a dime. That sequence was very Godfather-like.

We also talked about how the dialogue was a big improvement from Eps 1 and 2. People were complaining in the theater about it but I don’t know if we have become desensitized or lowered our expectations, but it seemed like neither of us were as bothered by those around us. I was actually defending George Lucas’ writing skills saying he did write American Graffiti, granted with assistance, but the ideas were his own.

Oh, so we talked about the merits of assigned seating when it is so frenzied otherwise. His theater had assigned seating. Mine did not. It was do or die. Also we talked about digital projection and how it was seamless this time. Last time, there was a distinct video-game quality to the movie, last time meaning Ep 2. But this time, I really couldn’t tell I was watching a digital projection though I was. Maybe if I hadn’t been, I would’ve been more aware. I was able to suspend my disbelief enough to get into the story. So all in all, it was fun stuff. And we talked about how ultimately, Darth Vader does restore balance to the force a couple of times (once at the end of Ep 3 and again at the end of Ep 6) and that means, in a way, Anakin does fulfill the prophecy. So, despite the remaining holes here and there that result from creating backstory 20-odd years later, ultimately, the mythology of Star Wars stays intact. And if we think of anything else that doesn’t make sense, we will give George Lucas the benefit of the doubt and make it fit.

(Edit: I have to admit I misspelled “Obi-Wan” with “Obi-won” at first and debated correcting it. But compulsions are compulsions. My brother would’ve never made that mistake but it is very much something I would do. I know stuff but I don’t know the minutiae. Well, that’s not accurate, this site is all about the minutiae. Let me think…I’m just not as big a Star Wars fan as my brother to know how to spell Obi-Wan Kenobi’s name properly.)

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So the question is, will Indiana Jones 4 come to fruition? Will George Lucas write it with someone else? I mean, George Lucas has cool ideas but he benefits from collaborating with other writers. I guess time will tell.

Added 5/23/05: I was reading in TIME how a script is written based on a story George Lucas had. It isn’t clear who wrote it. Maybe seeing Indiana Jones 4 starring Harrison Ford, directed by Steven Spielberg, story by George Lucas, is like seeing the Who in concert now. They’ve made their mark, they won’t be forgotten but we still want to hold on to the memory of the glory days. I love this combo so it’s hard for me to say they shouldn’t follow through. I guess if they all want to do it, then let’s see it!

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And I wanted to say that I really liked Hayden Christensen in Life as a House and Shattered Glass.

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And since it looks like we won’t get our fix of Chappelle’s Show Season 3, we will have to wait for Michel Gondry’s dvd of Dave Chappelle’s Block Party and of course, Chappelle’s Show Season 2 is out on Tuesday.

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Fresh from freaksandgeeks.com:

The Undeclared DVD is almost here! It hits stores August 16, and this thing is amazing: four discs with 17 episodes, including an unaired episode and a bonus Paul Feig director’s cut (starring Ted Nugent!). It’s got everything you’d expect – auditions, rehearsals, deleted scenes, outtakes, long takes, a museum of Television & Radio Q&A, and an un-produced second-season-that-never-happened script. But also – included is live concert footage of Loudon Wainwright we taped from two different shows in Los Angeles and New York – 8 songs in all! This disc rules.

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It really does. The trick lies in filtering. But then something you filtered out as less significant might return later on to be meaningful.

What brings this drivel on? I read a couple of nice quotes from Mr. Rogers – yes, Mr. Fred Rogers from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood that I wanted to share:

The people who care about you can like you just because you’re you.

That means you in all your grouchiness, hyper-ness, unpredictable-ness, messiness, neat-freak-ness, creative-ness, seriousness, shallowness, loftiness, mellowness, braininess, flakiness, blockheaded-ness, clearheaded-ness, stubbornness, easygoing-ness, quiet-ness, noisiness, simple-ness, complicated-ness, goodness, bad-judgment-ness, successful-ness, failure-ness, happiness, single-mindedness, peacefulness, voraciousness, sated-ness, silliness, uniqueness, normal-ness, making-up-words-ness, grammatically incorrect-ness, you got it. So don’t get hung up on those other people who don’t understand.

And then there’s this bon mot, also c/o Mr. Rogers:

All life events are formative. All contribute to what we become, year by year, as we go on growing. As my friend the poet Kenneth Koch once said, ‘You aren’t just the age you are. You are all the ages you ever have been!’

I really like that one. And in light of this thought, I would like to re-post something I wrote from awhile back which I think hits the same mark:

Added 9/04: I read this quote in the Sept/Oct ‘04 issue of Film Comment and had to add it here. Gavin Smith wrote, “…this issue embodies what former Film Comment editor Richard T. Jameson liked to call film’s ‘eternal present.’ What did he mean? That a film made in 1937 is as immediate and relevant and alive as a film coming out next month. Or, put another way, that film history lives on and shapes what we watch and what filmmakers create long after its prime movers have exited the set.”

Isn’t that a lovely way to look at pop culture as a whole? Pop culture’s “eternal present” is all of pop culture influencing what’s next and how what once was is still as relevant as what is and what will be. And if you read on, you’ll see that’s how I like to go through life. Life is what was, what is and what will be and it all means something to you and me now even if it has happened to someone else before and will happen to someone else in the future!

That really became clear to me recently when I was re-reading Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She wrote this book almost 200 years ago and human nature hasn’t changed one iota in all that time. So basically, 200 years from now, people will be watching Felicity saying, I totally can relate to this love triangle between Ben, Felicity and Noel.

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I know I could totally hang with Daniel Palladino and Amy Sherman-Palladino of Gilmore Girls’ fame (at least in my book). I’ve always enjoyed that show but never as much as this most recent ep, penned by Daniel Palladino, in which Aztec Camera’s amazing, unforgettable tune Oblivious played repeatedly in the background. Luke and Lorelai are riding in a limo back from NYC and Luke asks, Why does this song keep playing? and Lorelai says, Because I programmed it that way.

They also get props for their XTC shout-out awhile back. It was in the teaser of an ep when Lane, with cd in hand, ran to Rory and Lorelai’s house yelling, It’s here! It’s here! The new XTC! And then the wondrous sounds of XTC jingled and jangled us into the opening credits. Though it stayed in my mind, I don’t quite recall the tune…it might’ve been “Stupidly Happy” from Wasp Star or not. Anyway, it was cool.

And be sure to check out from this album Andy Partridge’s brilliantly clever, oh-so-pretty, bitter love song I’m The Man Who Murdered Love:

So dear public I’m here to confess
That I’m the one who freed us from this mess
Love won’t be calling at your address
‘Cause what you’ve never had you’ll never miss,
I guess

Of course I can’t let the chance go by to remind you all of another brilliantly clever, oh-so-pretty, bitter love song by our dear boy Sondre Lerche. I am of course speaking of Stupid Memory:

Stupid memory
Must you bring up these things?
Stupid memory
Can I forget all of that?
All of that crap

And before I go, I must again comment how amazing it was that Andy Partridge wrote and performed the theme song for the short-lived, but not forgotten tv series Wonderfalls.

I Wonder Why The Wonderfalls
Lyrics by Andy Partridge

We’re bobbing along in our barrel.
Some of us tip right over the edge.
But there’s one thing really mystifying
Got me laughing, now it’s got me crying
All my life I will be death defying
‘Til I know. . .

I wonder, wonder, why the wonderfalls.
I wonder why the wonder falls on me.
I wonder, wonder, why the wonder falls
With everything I touch and hear and see.
Don’t you ever think about this life
And how strange it all can seem?
Only way to find the answers out
Is to wake up from its golden dream.
See, I told you I was right about the wonder-wonder-wonder-wonder…
I’ve got to find out from where the wonder falls.

And if you listen to the dvd commentaries, you will hear the cast and creator Tim Minear singing along with Andy Partridge. So cute!

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I thought I’d tell you about the Animation Now thing I attended the other weekend. First off, yes, I was in the same room as Justin Timberlake. Seriously. He was the “audience member” selected to do a reading on stage from Shrek 3 with Mike Myers. He played, and will be playing in the movie, teen King Arthur. And yes, I have Justified.

It was a Film Society event co-sponsored by Dreamworks SKG to show people more about the behind-the-scenes of animation today. So this is what I learned, even Aardman Animation is venturing into the world of CGI with Flushed Away. It is something about an “upscale” rat, voiced by Hugh Jackman, being flushed down the toilet and meeting a “downtown, street smart” rat, voiced by Kate Winslet who helps him find his way home. Also, the new Wallace and Gromit looks awesome and it was made the old-fashioned way: WALLACE & GROMIT – THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (due out 10/7/05). Nick Park was there with a full set from the movie. He said he had brought it on the plane as carry-on luggage. Then he told us how it takes somewhere around a million years to film 3 seconds using stop-motion (if you didn’t already know this). And it was cool to see Wallace and Gromit but they were pretty darn small. There was a big screen monitor though so I could see the details up close and personal.

Jerry Seinfeld was very easy-going about telling us about the animated movie he is making about the life of bees voiced by himself and Renee Zellwegger. He is a pro. His stage presence during this loosely rehearsed presentation was top-notch. Al Roker said something about his tv show and Jerry said, It’s still on. I was also impressed by one of the animation directors from SKG…let me see if I can pick out his name…maybe it was Tim Johnson? Anyway, he also had great presence for a non-actor, stand-up comic.

Speaking of stand-ups, Chris Rock came on to promote Madagascar and seemed compelled to do an ad lib bit. He was probably prompted by the teleprompter, yes, there was a teleprompter hanging behind our heads, to fill some time. He was actually pretty hilarious. He said, lots of kids in the audience…all these rich white kids here…you don’t see any kids from the ghetto here. You kids must be happy – no nanny! You get to hang out with your parents. Then he said, I hate rich kids. My kids are rich and I have to say that I think I hate my own kids (do you remember when Bill Murray said something to this effect on Letterman or Conan???). Then he said, I like Justin Timberlake…Bye Bye Bye and Cry Me a River. But I hope he’s still famous when Shrek 3 comes out. People booed a little then. But I was thinking the same thing… I wonder if he and Cameron Diaz will still be together when Shrek 3 comes out. And while I’m trying to tell you I am as funny as Chris Rock, I also made a similar, but nicer, comment about the kids in the audience when I first sat down. I said something like, lucky kids. See, I have potential. Just kidding, even my delivery of knock-knock jokes is terrible.

We got to see a 20-minute segment of Madagascar which looked pretty cute. I think I probably saw my fill though at this event. Give me The Incredibles again instead.

Oh, did you know that composer Hans Zimmer was in the Buggles? They wrote the song Video Killed the Radio Star, also the first video on MTV in 1981. Very interesting, right?

Below is the description of the event from filmlinc.com:

From DreamWorks Animation’s next animated release, MADAGASCAR, opening nationwide on May 27, 2005:
Voice talent Chris Rock, will be joined by producer Mireille Soria; director/writers Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath; and Oscar®-winning composer Hans Zimmer. The audience will be given a preview of scenes from the computer-animated comedy about a group of pampered zoo animals who learn the true meaning of the phrase “It’s a jungle out there” in the wilds of Madagascar.

From WALLACE & GROMIT – THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT, coming to theatres on October 7, 2005:
Nick Park, the Oscar®-winning creator and director of the cheese-loving inventer, Wallace, and his loyal canine companion, Gromit, will be on hand to showcase scenes from the first full-length Wallace & Gromit feature film from the acclaimed British animation studio Aardman. Nick Park will preview scenes and also demonstrate the painstaking work of stop-motion animation.

From OVER THE HEDGE, slated for release on May 19, 2006:
Tim Johnson, one of the film’s directors, will be joined by head of story Jeff Snow for the part of the presentation featuring the new computer-animated comedy based on the popular comic strip by Michael Fry and T Lewis. The story centers on the unlikely friendship between a mischievous raccoon and a timid turtle who, together with their other woodland friends, must learn to co-exist with-and even exploit-the strange new world called suburbia.

From FLUSHED AWAY, set for release on November 3, 2006:
Aardman co-founder David Sproxton; and Sam Fell, who is one of the film’s directors, will be on stage to showcase Aardman’s first foray into computer animation. This new comedy from Aardman and DreamWorks Animation tells the story of a pampered British rat who accidentally gets flushed from his posh penthouse flat and must find his way home with the help of a few sewer rats.

From SHREK 3, slated to open in 2007:
Mike Myers, who provides the unmistakable voice of that lovable ogre Shrek will take center stage to present some early work on the third installment of the “Shrek” franchise. He will be joined by the Oscar®-winning producer of the first two “Shrek” movies, Aron Warner, who is also producing this latest chapter; and Andrew Adamson, the writer/director from both “Shrek” and “Shrek 2.”

From BEE MOVIE, also coming in 2007:
Jerry Seinfeld wrote this computer-animated comedy and is also producing and starring in the film, so who better to start the buzz on this new film from DreamWorks Animation set in an anthropomorphized world of bees. Taking the stage with him will be one of the directors, Steve Hickner, to talk about the process of animation in its earliest stages.

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Guess what? I finally had a chance to watch Kung Fu Hustle on dvd. Of course, I fell asleep for most of it. Dagnabbit. So I will have to give it a proper viewing later on.

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I don’t think so. I went to see Crash last night. I didn’t really know too much about it except it was about “race” and “prejudice” by Paul “Million Dollar Baby” Haggis featuring too many actors to name or count. Initially I had a mixed reaction to it and then in discussing it with my brother, who liked it a lot (*edit: see below), I was able to pinpoint what bothered me and concede that it was an interesting movie that probably accomplished what it was trying to which was to say that people who harbor prejudices aren’t completely malevolent beings although it took me until an hour after seeing the movie for me to accept this. First off, it was certainly an ambitious endeavor. If you don’t know, it is a nonstop bigotry fest by these people you want to like played by actors we have learned to like throughout various movies like Sandra “Miss Congeniality” Bullock, Jennifer “Spin City” Esposito, Don “Ocean’s 11″ Cheadle, Brendan “Blast From the Past” Fraser, Ludacris, Larenz Tate, Ryan Phillipe, Thandie Newton and the list goes on but I should be sure to include the actor getting major buzz from his upcoming release Hustle & Flow, Terrence Dashon Howard.

So what seemed to bother me was its unevenness. The characters were inconsistently developed and portrayed. The whole Asian angle fell flat and that’s what got my goat the most. They were two-dimensional characters played by uninteresting actors. And I didn’t like how people in the theater laughed when the Asians were getting verbally blasted. And then they were offended when it was other ethnic and racial slurs being said against non-Asians. But keep in mind that I felt the same way when I was watching The Fast and The Furious and the people in front of us seemed particularly stoked when the Asian gang got theirs. So I maybe I am a tiny bit hypersensitive when it comes to how Asians and Asian-Americans are portrayed in movies.

Also, I thought the Persian character was skewed unsympathetically – okay, there were 2 and the daughter was better than the father in terms of portrayal. I don’t know, he just was so on the edge and maybe elements of his characterization were too subtle.

So, I just wanted to get some of my thoughts out. I would watch Crash again to see what my second impressions were. As far as more first impressions go, Matt Dillon was really good. Brendan Fraser and Sandra Bullock were dead on. Ludacris did a decent job. I miss the Thandie Newton of Flirting days but my bubble was burst when I heard she and John Duigan were together during the filming of that movie about youth and innocence.

I guess what it comes down to is racism makes me very uncomfortable. Even during the satirical song in Avenue Q, “Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist,” I was squirming in my chair. It’s a hard thing to deal with. I usually chalk it down to ignorance and give it a hard stare. Hey, I work with what I got.

I should mention there were quite a few walkouts during Crash which I liked in that typically, I find it interesting to think about what causes people to walk out of movies. My brother thought it was because people were offended but I thought it was because they wanted an action flick and it turned out to be an arthouse type thing. Anyway, most people stayed.

Edit: Also, everytime something awful happened, I kept thinking, call your attorney or get one pronto!

Added 5/12/05: So my brother agreed that Chappelle’s Show (see right below) addresses race and racism in America better and with more wit than Crash did. But he still liked it. We also talked about Sam Fuller’s 1981 unreleased film White Dog. I thought I had seen it in full but it seems I’ve only viewed scenes from it while my brother has seen it with Curtis Hanson introducing it in person. It is about a German shepherd that was trained by white supremacists. Kristy McNichol finds it by the side of the road and nurtures it back to health only to find out about its racist proclivities. But in thinking about it, I realize while this powerful film exists by a great film maker, 1) it was never released – you can see it at film festivals and special screenings – while Crash is a major motion picture available for viewing all over the country and in fact all over the world; and 2) race and racism need to be addressed in the present context. So, there is a place for Crash. I think it had its strong points and the more I think about it, the more I can accept as true that we are complicated and the way we relate to others is layered in sometimes caring and sometimes ignorant ways. Can people change? Yes, I think so. But it’s the most challenging thing there is.

*Added 5/18/05: So my brother seems to like it less and less. This is what he sent me today:

Armond’s rants are actually dead on I think:
armond hatin on crash

Added 5/22/05: I just wanted to mention a couple of more Dave Chappelle skits that work more effectively than Crash to say the same thing. One is the Law and Order skit from Season 2 where they compare and contrast two different approaches to prosecuting criminals. The other is the Leave it to Beaver type spoof where Dave plays the milkman. Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan said that it was an idea pitched to them that they fleshed out. The original idea was about a family filmed Frontline-style but they decided to just make it a 50’s style piece instead.

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So let me lighten up and say, and this should not come as a surprise, I still hold that Dave Chappelle’s skit about whether white people can dance most effectively achieves the goal of talking about racism in America.

And to add icing to the cake, I got a sneak peek/listen to the dvd commentary track for that episode (Ep 3, Season 2). So Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan said, in their opinions, differences between white people and black people are purely cultural and about access. They said when they get together in the same room, they are alike. And Dave Chappelle says, yeah, like, “oh you feed your kids too?”

So the idea for this skit, my all-time favorite skit it seems, came from the fact that whey they write together, they listen to one or the other’s iPods/iTunes. Neal Brennan said, sometimes when they’re listening to his, Metallica will come on and he gets kind of embarrassed and Dave gets kind of scared. LOL. So they had this idea about how white people really embraced the electric guitar right away, loving their air guitar, etc. while black people took a long time to even come around to embracing Jimi Hendrix. Anyway, this is how John Mayer came into the plot. They read an interview in Spin with John Mayer and David Cross and thought he was really funny. So Dave Chappelle hadn’t heard of him but found him a great sport. He, John Mayer, was already a fan of the show and just said, don’t make me look like Chad from the Mad Real World (in Season 1). John Mayer also asked if he could be a musical guest on the show and Neal Brennan lied and said, “We’re booked up.” And then when they totally had time to add that fantastic segment where Dave Chappelle starts singing tv theme songs, most notably Different Strokes and Facts of Life, John Mayer was like, if you didn’t want me to sing, you could’ve just said no. But Neal Brennan said this skit did a lot more for John Mayer’s street cred than a musical guest spot would’ve done. Also, he said ?uestlove jokes that he’s more famous for this skit than for his own music.

Can I say it enough? I love this show and I love this skit! “Charlie Rose, Charlie Rose.” This is from another story on the commentary. Sorry I quoted it almost word for word but I just felt like being a total fangirl like that Chris Farley skit on SNL.

Chris Farley: You remember when you were with The Beatles?

Paul McCartney: Yeah, sure.

Chris Farley: That was awesome!

Paul McCartney: Yeah, it was.

Added 5/8/05: I forgot to comment on how we’ve been hearing about the delays re: Chappelle’s Show Season 3. Somewhere I read that it will begin airing at the end of the month.

Added 5/9: I’m sure you’ve seen this story already but here’s the link: Report: Pressure Behind ‘Chappelle’ Delay.

Mon May 9,12:38 PM ET

NEW YORK – Dave Chappelle is under pressure, according to a Newsweek report. The star of Comedy Central’s popular “Chappelle’s Show,” is exhausted due to tension, partying and creative differences with Comedy Central, causing last week’s halt in the show’s production, the report said.

Added 5/16/05: Well, I’ve read this summary from today’s NYT a few times trying to read between the lines but I guess he is having a hard time and maybe we’ll know more once his interview in TIME magazine comes out this week:

May 16, 2005
Arts, Briefly
Compiled by BEN SISARIO
Dave Chappelle, Alive and Well

After weeks of rampant speculation, the comedian Dave Chappelle is denying that he has gone off the deep end. “I’m not crazy,” he tells Time magazine in the issue that hits newsstands this week. “I’m not smoking crack. I’m definitely stressed out.” Mr. Chappelle, who fled to South Africa in late April, told Time’s Johannesburg bureau chief, Simon Robinson, that he is not holed up in a mental institution but is staying with a family friend and fellow Muslim, Salim Domar. Last week Comedy Central said it was suspending production of Mr. Chappelle’s hit sketch show, which was to return for its third season May 31, because of the comedian’s unexpected absence. Mr. Chappelle tells Time that he went to South Africa searching for a “quiet place” where, “I can enjoy my own thoughts sometimes – and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking here.” In another interview, with a Time senior editor, Christopher John Farley, Mr. Chappelle seemed to doubt the people in his inner circle: “You have to have people around you that you can trust and aren’t just out for a meal ticket.” He also questioned some of his signature race-baiting material: “Everyone around me says, You’re a genius! You’re great! That’s your voice! But I’m not sure if they’re right.” He added, “I want to make sure that I’m dancing and not shuffling.” His longtime writing partner, Neal Brennan, said the comedian was nothing like he was a year ago. “He’s 140 degrees different,” Mr. Brennan said. He questioned the way Mr. Chappelle handled the current situation: “He couldn’t think straight. It was fight or flight, and he chose flight.” LOLA OGUNNAIKE

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Okay, I’m sorry I’m writing forever here but so much has happened. I can’t not comment on the Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst appearance on Jay Leno the other night (Monday, May 2nd). My brother said, hey, what do you have on tivo to show me and I said, oh, I want you to see this kid Bright Eyes. He’s really cool. I had taped it but hadn’t watched it yet at this point. Then my brother said, oh I heard about this. It was really controversial. And I was like, what, huh? Yes, sometimes I live in a news vacuum. Anyway, we watched Conor Oberst perform When the President Talks to God with our jaws to the floor mainly because we were watching this performance on non-cable, late night and in particular, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. But if you’re a fan of Bright Eyes, you might be familiar with songs like The Trees Get Wheeled Away which sort of reflects similar sentiments. But he also writes love songs. So I thought he might be performing one of those. But no, this was not the case.

So without reading what others have said, I formulated a couple of theories and my brother added his which he thinks is fact and not just theoretical.

Theory 1: Jay Leno used to be cool. Then he got The Tonight Show and got lame. Sooner or later, if you don’t have the proper outlets and lead a balanced life, you’re gonna blow. So when Bright Eyes/Conor Oberst came on the show with this song, Jay said, go for it.

Theory 2: Conor Oberst pulled an Elvis Costello on SNL (when he rehearsed and even started to play Less Than Zero but then switched to Radio Radio once he was live) or a Jim Morrison the Ed Sullivan Show (agreeing not to sing “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher” and then doing it with flourish).

Theory 3: This is what my brother said: Jay Leno let Arnold Schwartzenagger announce his gubernatorial intent on his show. Jay Leno had Mel Gibson on the show to promote Passion of the Christ. People said, you are very biased towards the right. So Jay Leno said, I can give time to all sides. Here, watch this and then let Conor Oberst sing his song on national tv.

Edit: So as I was re-watching it for the whatever time, I noticed that Jay Leno introduces him by saying, here is he singing his critically acclaimed “protest song” so Jay totally knew what Bright Eyes was going to perform.

This whole thing kinda reminds me of when Jon Stewart was on Crossfire. Go watch it.

Okay, let me sign off for now.

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Added 10/23/05: I just thought it was worth giving a nod to the fact that the Veronica Mars soundtrack is finally available along with season 1 on dvd of this fantastic show.

5/3/05
So re: tonight’s ep, I thought the way they unraveled the mystery of what happened the night of the party went well. I don’t know what’s up with Logan and Veronica. I found them pretty cute together. I think despite the untoward behaviors that are insinuated by the discovery of the hidden video recorder in the pool house, Logan is going to turn out to be a decent guy.

Okay, because I care, here, again, are a few places to find the theme song to Veronica Mars or We Used to Be Friends by the Dandy Warhols:

1) To find the We Used to Be Friends mp3, go to the Dig movie site and look under “sights and sounds” and then “audio.” I also recommend the documentary Dig of The Dandy Warhols and Brian Jonestown Massacre where you can watch some footage of the Dandy Warhols actually performing the song.

2) This is where I found it (I just hadn’t listened to the whole album enough to recognize all the songs yet):

3) Of course it is also on the Dandy Warhols’ album Welcome to the Monkey House:

Only one more episode left of this season!

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Added 6/4/05:

You can dl a 38-second clip of We Used to Be Friends here: http://www.dandywarhols.com/sounds.html.

And here’s more music info:

I found a couple of excellent resources for any and all questions about the soundtrack of Veronica Mars:

http://veronicamusic.blogspot.com/

http://www.slaverats.com/

Yay to the other fans and creators of the show!

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