Showing posts with label Alvin and the Chipmunks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alvin and the Chipmunks. Show all posts

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Charting Music

Here's the Billboard music round-up.

Frank Sinatra's best-of, "Nothing But the Best" is in the top 10, at #6, falling from #4 last week. Death Cab for Cutie is at #10, down from #5 last week, and #1 the week before that. I'm not a big fan, but good for them. I like it whenever a rock album tops the charts. It's like a dying beast throwing out its limbs with its final breath.

Madonna's at #11, and after 5 weeks, still has yet to move 500,000 copies. Her primo-days are long gone, my friends. Kid Rock's latest has gone gold, making me die a little inside, Jack Johnson has gone platinum, making me sleepy inside, and Alvin & the Chipmunks refuses to leave the charts, has gone gold, and hovers around #24 (up from #29 last week). That movie is evil, so I imagine someone selling their soul cut a smooth contract that guaranteed theatrical and musical success.

We eat each other's shit for laughs.

REM hovers at #66, and The Raconteurs are out of the top 100. Bummer.

As far as singles go, Weezer reigns supreme with Pork & Beans at #1 on the Modern Rock chart, which makes me sad, but is followed up by a new Offspring song at, surprisingly, #2. Wow. I thought they spontaneously combusted or something. Good to have you back, guys. Be good. "Salute Your Solution" by The Raconteurs rounds off the top 10.

And there's your music minute.

-RoboNixon

Thursday, May 1, 2008

74 of 92

I can't believe it happened. But last night, I watched Alvin & the Chipmunks. Sitting in the apartment, with RoboRoommate v.2, we figured it would be good for a laugh. "It has to be so terrible it's amusing," was our rationale. If only we had known. If only...

Those who made this movie touched upon something dark and evil that lurks beyond the realm of man. Alvin & the Chipmunks isn't bad, it's evil. Like the call of cthulhu before it, the purpose of this film is only to plant the seed of cruelty, deceit, and depravity into the minds of children everywhere. 

I cannot recommend this movie to you, dear reader, even if you are in an altered state of mind, because I want to protect you from this mortal sin.

David Cross plays a shallow, sarcastic, and selfish music executive who likes to tell Jason Lee, a songwriter, how horrible his music is. Then, upon discovering Alvin & the Chipmunks, he works to convince Lee that the money to be made off of them is limitless. David Cross isn't even playing a character in this movie. We realized about halfway through that David Cross is playing David Cross. It's psuedo-common knowledge that Cross did this movie for the hefty paycheck. But what's stranger is that in the movie, he works to convince Jason Lee to work with him so they can both make money off the chipmunks. All the scenes play like Cross is trying to convince Lee to be in the movie with him so they can make phat dollahz.

Also strange is how Jason Lee seems to have just given up. There's no moment where he (the actor) tries to do anything other than survive the mess that he's in. What made the film work better for RoboRoommate v.2 and myself was this (which we made up, but helped us survive): In the past, Dave (Lee's character) was committed to an asylum for the insane, for his conviction that there were three talking chipmunks ruining his life. He went away... but came back, sane, in charge. It's only when he is actually cursed with three talking chipmunks that his life starts to unravel again... all the work he put forward... all the hard therapy... the stares on the streets... all of it returning... Yet, he can't confront this issue head on -- the stress would be too much. 

It's only when the public accepts the chipmunks that Dave is vindicated. Other people see the chipmunks too! Oh sweet Jesus, thank you for absolving me of my sins!

In their first interaction, Alvin farts in Dave's face. Then, later, when Dave is yelling at the three rodents for behaving badly, Theodore literally shits himself in fear. Dave is then more upset, but Simon passes it off as it's just a raisin left over on the couch... and eats it. Yes, Simon eats Theodore's shit

Much like the audience did. 

Not only that, but after knocking Dave out when he first tries to remove them from his home, the Chipmunks decide what to do with this unconscious human on the kitchen floor. Alvin's response is to list items he needs. A few plastic bags, etc, etc... I looked to RoboRoommate v.2 and exclaimed, "Are they talking about disposing of his body?" 

That's the evil that is this film.

In what must have been an act of God, our DVR malfunctioned, 74 minutes through, of 92. The movie must be like hell, because I honestly thought we had watched two hours of it already. We couldn't get the film back on. It was a sign. A welcome salvation. 

Alvin & the Chipmunks is the work of something foul in this world... something evil... 

Stay away.

-RoboNixon

Friday, April 25, 2008

Alvin, Part III

Proving that children prefer movie soundtracks to "music," the Alvin & the Chipmunks album fell one place this past week to #7 on the Billboard Album Chart. That's only one spot lower than last week, which was only a spot lower than the week before. It's time to face the hard truth: Alvin & the Chipmunks will likely sell more units than REMs latest. 

Did you hear that? That zipping? That's the sound of millions of musicians across the country turning into animated creatures to promote their music. What's scary about that is the passage in Revelations where it is revealed that "children as animals will dance upon the grave of man." 

REM is down to #9, the Juno Soundtrack somehow snuck up to #8 (from 46), and Mariah Carey debuted at #1, proving that her vocal chords can not only sing a ridiculous range of notes, but also can hypnotize the American populace into parting with its cash.

-RoboNixon

ps. Expect reviews in the near future of The Raconteurs' "Consolers of the Lonely," The Long Blondes' "Couples," and REM's "Accelerate."

Friday, April 18, 2008

Alvin & the Chipmunks Soundtrack Update!

The Soundtrack dropped one spot this week to #6. REM dropped from #2 to #5. Leona Lewis is #1 with her album Spirit.

A correction from the last Alvin & the Chipmunks post: The album has only gone gold, not platinum. So only 500,000 people have bought it, rather than 1,000,000. (whew)

As for singles, The Raconteurs' "Solute Your Solution" has risen on the Modern Rock board to #7, coming after a bunch of bands I don't like, like no more, or have never heard.

Otherwise, no news on any band or artist I care about.

You can see the whole list here.

(Thanks Billboard)

-RoboNixon