• Lock's Quest (Nintendo DS)
• Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise (Nintendo DS)
• NHL 2K9 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2) *
• Mystery Case Files: MillionHeir (Nintendo DS) **
• Cabela's Legendary Adventures (Wii, PS2, PSP)
• TNA iMPACT! (PS3, Xbox 360, PS2) **
• Mazes of Fate (Nintendo DS)
• The Price Is Right (Nintendo DS, Wii) **
• Hell's Kitchen (Nintendo DS, Wii) **
• NHL 09 (PS3, Xbox 360) *
• Yakuza 2 (PS2) *
• Zoids Assault (Xbox 360)
• Dance Dance Revolution X (PS2)

* - Getting this week. ** - Interested in, but am broke.

Since I'm going to fill you in on the games that I'm getting this week when I actually have them in hand, let me tell you why I'm interested in the other ones I noted:

There was actually a demo for Mystery Case Files via the Nintendo Channel last week. The game plays like a Where's Waldo clone, as you have to find certain objects hidden in the background of a backdrop. I enjoyed the demo, even though I was pretty lousy at it. What's interesting is that Nintendo is publishing it... so it will be interesting to see whether they had a hand in some additions to the game before its arrival at retail. Plus... it's a mere $20.

I don't know why TNA iMPACT! interests me. I haven't watched wrestling with regularity in years now. I guess my interest has more to do with the fact that the game isn't SmackDown vs. Raw, so it's definitely interesting to see how the game fares in terms of reviews across the web.

When it comes to The Price Is Right, I can only say that I'm a HUGE fan of game shows... so I am always interested in video game versions of game shows. Some have been good (Jeopardy! for the PS2 was solid), and some have sucked eggs (Deal Or No Deal for the Nintendo DS was painful). I've not read much in advance about this game, which concerns me a bit; however, it IS The Price Is Right. The Big Wheel, Plinko, Cliff Hangers, and so on. If done well, this game could be a surprise.

Hell's Kitchen is intriguing to me if only because I want to hear Gordon Ramsey's edited-for-TV commentary in a video game. How will he insult his less-than-stellar virtual chefs? How many words will be bleeped out? Yeah, yeah... there's a video game in there somewhere. Gimme more Ramsay!

I guess the new DDR interests me a little, although I can't dance anymore. I'm too old and those mats that are included with Konami's bundles slide around like a banana peel. I don't take too kindly to falling on my ass in my own house, thanks. I am curious to see this game's song list, though.

It's going to be a busy, busy week for new games. Keep checking back here for initial impressions of my new additions once I get them later this week.

As soon as I can get in the game and get some impressions I will update and let y'all see what I am up to. I hope that some of you out there fell for the temptation too!

...talking of unlikeable self absorption this week also sees the release of What Happens in Vegas.  Nuff said but if you want a portrayal of women that does not adhere to Hollywood sensibilities then Caramel might just be for you.  This is a Lebanese film that follows the lives of a group of women who are linked through a beauty salon - whilst this might not sound like a major diversion from the usual tired fare word is that Caramel is a delightful and truthful movie that needs to be seen.

This weeks most interesting re-release is Ralph Nelson's Soldier Blue.  Released in 1970 it caused controversy for it's graphic depiction of the Sand Creek massacre... which does overshadow the fact that the first three quarters of this film are just insanely annoying and play like a bad comedy.  Yes the end is powerful but, stripped of all context by the inane nature of what has preceded it, the film is ultimately a failure.

Moving on, DVD of the Week is Our Daily Bread.  The hypnotic power of this superior documentary lies in the simplistic approach taken by filmmaker Nikolaus Geyrhalter - he shows you various methods of modern farming, no voice over or judgments.  It might sound boring but it is an endlessly fascinating and beautifully shot piece of cinema.

SPORE is set to go 'Live' tomorrow, September 7th @ 7:00am PST, meaning you really really need to get on the ball folks!. From the previews already out there, the game is going to do some very interesting things for the Sim game category - that has to be expected as it is a creation of Maxis... the creators of the acclaimed (and addictive) Sims series.

I have to admit, with a slight bit of guilt, that I am already on the pre-order bandwagon. Direct2Drive has a bundle deal going on right now where you can get both SPORE and the SPORE Creature Creator for a low price (well.. $5.00 less than buying them separately, which basically reduces the price of the Creature Creator to 4.99).. if you don't want to jump on the bandwagon right away, you can download the free trial of the Creature Creator from EA's website.

Count down the hours folks.. in just a little bit you will be able to conquer the galaxy with a race that comes directly from the dark recesses of your mind... However weird or ghastly that may be :).

Want to see some SPORE creations? Head over to the SPORE website and check out the community links.

Here are 2 of my crazy creations in the Creature Creator:

My niftiest creation (in my eyes):

My first attempt (kinda wacky):

Eight years in the making, the group has put together a 12-song CD that "paints even the difficult times in life with an underlying optimism," a recent press release read.

The debut album, Jet Black and Jealous, will be available Sept. 16, and of course includes the current single, "When It Rains." The members of the group are Mike Eli, vocalist; James Young, guitar; Jon Jones, bass, and Chris Thompson on drums.

The four weren't sure initially what they had or where they were bound, the release said. But they knew they needed to keep pushing forward, that there was something special in their boundless mix of modern country and solid roots-rock inspirations.

Without the help of a major recording label, the group sold 40,000 albums and got their video aired on CMT and GAC. Now, with the manpower of Universal Republic and Universal Records South behind the band, their single is on its way to becoming the longest running single in chart history.
(Professional photographs courtesy of Universal Records South)

"We live in the American Idol age," the age of instant celebrity," Young said. "But we grew up listening to bands that did the same thing we eventually did. That was all we knew; Go out and start playing."

Eli adds, "we can stand up with our heads held high because we have a history and we've gone out there for eight years and worked really hard. Everything we've done so far, we've built ourselves. I think there's something to be said for that, being able to have our story and being able to have a history as a band.

Be sure to visit the group's MySpace page, by clicking on their name in blue above. There you will find now only "When  It Rains," but other Eli Young music you can listen to as well. I think you guys are really going to like this group. I really like them - and I think you guys will, too.

The Washington County Fair starts Monday, Sept. 8 - and I will definitely get that lineup and other fair information here for you all tomorrow. Have a great weekend - and remember to check out Eli Young Band - maybe we'll see them at a fair in our area next fall!

Country
country@countryschatter.com

If you have never heard of him...you probably want to go ahead and click that link above! I will keep you posted as my weekend journey to Charlotte begins tomorrow...stay tuned....

We are proud to introduce the next member of the Waldorf family, our brand new Blofeld keyboard!

Available at Dolphin for £599

Features:

• 60 Megabyte sample memory 
• Class compliant USB MIDI for PC,Mac and Linux 
• 16 part multimode 
• maximum 25 voices polyphony 
• highest quality standard keybed with 49 weighted keys and aftertouch 
• Internal power supply 
• Pitchbend and modulation wheel 
• Virtual analog, wavetable, and sample based oscillators 
• MIDI in/out 
• Sturdy metal case 
• Stainless steel rotary encoders 
• Backlit 128x64 pixel LCD 
• Over 1000 sounds 
• 3 oscillators, 2 filters per voice 
• Selectable drive curves 
• Frequency modulation for oscillators and filters 
• Three LFO, four envelopes per voice 
• Extensive modulation capabilities 
• Complex arpeggiator 
• Powerful effects section 
• weight: apprx 8,-- kgs 
• weight in carton: apprx 9,5 kgs

We are proud to introduce the next member of the Waldorf family, our brand new Blofeld keyboard!

Available at Dolphin for £599

Features:

• 60 Megabyte sample memory 
• Class compliant USB MIDI for PC,Mac and Linux 
• 16 part multimode 
• maximum 25 voices polyphony 
• highest quality standard keybed with 49 weighted keys and aftertouch 
• Internal power supply 
• Pitchbend and modulation wheel 
• Virtual analog, wavetable, and sample based oscillators 
• MIDI in/out 
• Sturdy metal case 
• Stainless steel rotary encoders 
• Backlit 128x64 pixel LCD 
• Over 1000 sounds 
• 3 oscillators, 2 filters per voice 
• Selectable drive curves 
• Frequency modulation for oscillators and filters 
• Three LFO, four envelopes per voice 
• Extensive modulation capabilities 
• Complex arpeggiator 
• Powerful effects section 
• weight: apprx 8,-- kgs 
• weight in carton: apprx 9,5 kgs

This was a fun moment that I captured on my little digital camera of the full cast of 13 singing "A Little More Homework". Check out how big the studio is!

New Hebrew-only Machzor: Through the years, ArtScroll has produced several High Holiday Machzorim, yet there has been a demand for a Hebrew-only Machzor with halachos and instructions in English.  Now this need is filled with the release of the Machzor Zichron Hena (Ashkenaz), which offers many of the familiar features of the popular Hebrew-only siddur, including a crisp, modern type font, Scriptural sources cited, attractive page layouts, high quality paper and a durable binding.  Light in weight yet complete in content, this will become the new Machzor of choice for many.  Visit our online Machzor Shop to see all the various editions and binding options available for your next machzor.

Selichos: ArtScroll offers versions for davening Selichos, including Nusach Lita Ashkenaz and Nusach Polin, available in full and pocket size editions.  Selichos: First Night is a small, paperback volume priced at under $3.00. 

Insight and Inspiration: For general reading in preparation for the New Year, ArtScroll recommends Rosh Hashanah: It’s Significance, Laws, and Prayers, by Rabbis Avie Gold, Hersh Goldwurm, and Nosson Scherman. With an anthologized commentary drawn from Talmudic and traditional sources, this brief, single volume presents the essence of Rosh Hashanah in language and perspective satisfying to today’s intellectually curious Jew.  The celebrated Yad Avraham Mishnah Series offers a brilliant and complete one-volume commentary on the tractates of Rosh Hashanah, Yoma, and Succah.  Other engaging texts include Days of Awe: Sfas Emes by Rabbi Yosef Stern; The Festivals in Halachah by Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, offering an analysis of the development of the festival laws, as well as his Treasury of Chassidic Tales – Festivals. Children love to read Rosh Hashanah with Bina, Benny, and Chaggai HaYonah by Yaffa Ganz. 

Holiday Outreach Tools – As a public service to the Kiruv community, ArtScroll distributes two excellent books by outreach professional Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf. Both are well-suited to introduce inquiring Jews to the beauty and power of the High Holiday services.  Published by K’hal Publishing, the first is the classic Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur Survival Kit, which has sold over 150,000 copies. Rabbi Apisdorf explains, “It’s like have a friend next to you explaining the what and why of the services in clear, enjoyable language.”  His second book is the just published Beyond Survival: A Journey to the Heart of Rosh Hashanah, Its Prayers, and Life. A perfect companion to the Machzor, it leads the reader along a path of discovery and personal growth as one progress through the prayers, with a special commentary to unlock the depth and significance of the Amidah.

There is, of course, no law saying that it should be exactly the same but surely the isolation of the original character is one of the things that makes the film so interesting? And could they not have considered the humanitarian aspect of saving us from Cage's weary tones? As it stands Bangkok Dangerous itself looks slightly weary as Cage's hitman starts to question his career choices whilst no doubt slaying half of Bangkok.

If you have access to Cineworld then this week offers more in the way of new films ...

I'm sure by now that every critic in the world has commented on how appropriately titled Disaster Movie is so I'll just ponder why on Earth anyone thinks that an effective parody of Hancock (a film which starts with a drunk superhero crashing into things) is showing a drunk superhero crashing into something? This bilge comes from the team responsible for Date Movie, Epic Movie and Meet The Spartans - could whomever is going to watch this crap please stop as it only encourages them.

Next up is the The Duchess a film seemingly so weak that the marketing department has inserted pictures of Princess Diana into the trailer in an effort to reach out to Express readers who, since the inquiry showed that drink driving is dangerous (as most sane people already know), must be going through some kind of cold turkey at the moment.

RocknRolla sees the return of Guy Ritchie which to some is most welcome whilst the rest of us (who liked Lock, Stock...) can't help but think about Revolver and Swept Away. Well, on one side this has a really good cast (Jeremy Piven and Idris Elba are always worth watching) and sees Ritchie return to familiar territory - but on a less positive note Snatch had similar qualities and just didn't really work.

Oh well... still, if non of that floats your boat Cineworld has an advance screening of Seth Rogan's stoner comedy Pineapple Express on Wednesday.

Click on the appropriate page for full listings and screening times.

Key features of the new model include:

• Newly designed Nikon DX-format CMOS image sensor with wide ISO sensitivity range with low noise
• EXPEED for smooth tones, rich colors and fine details
• Innovative D-SLR movie function: D-Movie
• Scene Recognition System integrated with Face Detection System
• Easy-to-use Live View mode
• Picture Control System: Customize the visual style of your images
• Active D-Lighting for smooth tone reproduction in high-contrast lighting
• Versatile practical 11-point AF system
• Bright pentaprism viewfinder featuring frame coverage of approx. 96%
• Advanced Scene Modes for superior image quality
• Extensive palette of in-camera Retouch Menus
• Engineered for precision and durability 

Nikon claims that the larger, SLR-sized sensor in the camera is a significant advantage for the D90 D-Movie feature, resulting in far less noise than traditional camcorders.

Street pricing on the Nikon D90 is around $1399 for body only (with Australian warranty - not grey import). Stock is expected by the beginning of October. Nikon has not announced the availability of any lens kit bundles for this model, at this time.

Not to be outdone, Canon has announced the new EOS 50D. More information here.

Im Sommer 2007 beschlossen Gründungsmitglied Jan Moser und Sängerin Daniela Dietz aus beruflichen Gründen die Band zu verlassen. Obwohl LOST AREA nun zunächst ohne Frontstimmen auskommen mussten, war dies jedoch kein Grund, das Projekt zu beenden. Nach nur kurzer Zeit gelang es der Band um Mastermind Jan Bertram, Asli Gerhardt  als neue Sängerin, als Frontmann Markus Bär (bekannt auch mit Coy Impact) und Andi Grundler (Ex-Eurocide) an den Keys und zusätzlichen Sänger zu gewinnen. Dass dieser Umbruch in gewisser Form auch ein musikalischer Neuanfang sein wird, war zu diesem Zeitpunkt allen Bandmitgliedern bewusst und gewollt. Umso größer war die Freude, als die neuen Stimmen sowohl seitens der Presse als auch von Seiten der Fans positiv aufgenommen wurden! Nach nur kurzer Zeit präsentierten sie ihr erstes Werk in der neuen Besetzung. „Changes“ spiegelt die Weiterentwicklung der Band wieder und überzeugte in allen Bereichen. Dies erkannte auch die Fachpresse und berichtet regelmäßig über LOST AREA. Die Band hat die Arbeiten am  kommenden Album „Man Machine“ abgeschlossen und wird mit dem Release am 26.September 2008 bei dem Schweizer Label THEXOOMO.NET mit jeder Menge musikalischer Überraschungen aufwarten!

Das Album „Man Machine“, wurde produziert von Dirk Steyer, auch bekannt durch sein Musikprojekt Accessory. Das LOST AREA bereit sind, völlig neue musikalische Wege zu beschreiten, zeigen sie u.a. in ihrem Song „Amnesia“. Dort wurde mit Robert Klausch, Gitarrist der europaweit bekannten Berliner Gothic-Rock-Band Scream Silence, ein Könner seines Fachs gewonnen, der die Gitarrenpassagen eigens eingespielt hat.

Auch die neue Bandbreite der Sänger wird zeigen wie sehr sich LOST AREA weiter entwickelt haben. Mit Andi Grundlers Stimme ziehen auch die rauen Töne bei LOST AREA ein, erhalten ihre musikalische Beachtung und verwandeln die Musik der Band in ungeahnte Tiefen.

Dass LOST AREA auch in den Bereichen Foto & Video professionell begleitet werden, lässt  sich durch die künstlerisch ausgereiften Arbeiten der renommierten Künstlerin und Fotografin Annie Bertram eindrucksvoll belegen. Sie zeichnet sich für die kompletten Bandfotos, das Cover Artwork und das Webdesign der Bandhomepage verantwortlich.

LOST AREA sind in erster Linie ein Live-Act. Sie verstehen durch ihre eindrucksvolle Performance und die vier charismatischen Charaktere der Band, das Publikum schnell und überzeugend in ihren Bann zu ziehen. So spielte die Band bereits als Support der Crüxshadows und trat unter anderem schon beim bekannten Dark-Dance-Treffen in Lahr auf.
Electro meets Emotion – das Ziel der Band – der Wunsch der Fans – Eine neue Ära beginnt!

Release-Date: 26.09.2008

Bandwebsite
Band @ Myspace

The video version is a bit shoddy, so head over to MySpace for a better listen. Play it loud.

The Bamboos feat Megan Washington – King Of The Rodeo
The Bamboos describe themselves as 'Australia's masters of raw, old school Funk breaks and super-heavy Soul.' Don't let that put you off though. This is a happy-inducing take on the Kings of Leon track, like a slightly cutesier cousin of Mark Ronson's Valerie. As with that track though, it's the vocal turn that steals the show, and you'd be safer looking out for more from Megan than from the Bamboos themselves...

Metronomy – Heartbreaker
Their most straightforwardly pop record yet, and it sounds more like Hot Chip than ever. This is not a bad thing. Needs a more energetic remix to really get it off the ground, though. In lieu of that, here's everyone's favourite bedroom tenorion-queen Little Boots inserting a bit the Metronomy track into a cover of the will.i.am song of the same name. Is that confusing enough?

Conor Oberst – Souled Out
Mr. Bright Eyes drops the pseudonym for his first solo record in, ooh, literally some years. The colourful video's a lot more fun than the song, which while a little looser and lot less intense than the average Bright Eyes record, is not exactly a million miles away from their sound. It's not bad, it's not great either.

Slow Club - Come on Youth (from Let's Fall Back In Love EP)
More twee than a barrel of bubblegum kittens, I'm blatantly a sucker for Slow Club. This is a (mis-labelled on YouTube by their record label, tsk) pretty if slight track from their excellent new EP. Quite why they didn't make the glorious Summer Shakedown the lead track, though, I'll never know.

Eric Prydz - Pjanoo
Actually pretty good, if traditional, house track from the 'Call On Me' guy. Sensibly, if surprisingly, resists the temptation to whack a load of bellowed vocals over the top of it, and keeps it pretty pure. A bit late for the summer, though.

Johnny Flynn – Brown Trout Blues
Pretty, if somewhat lethargic, indie-folk ditty, that almost strays into trad-country territory on occasion. Hardly our usual cup of tea round these parts, but quite charming.

Spiritualized – You Lie You Cheat
Another solid track from Jason Pierce, breaking free from the recent trend of ballads as singles to issue something a little bit more pleasingly deranged. Sounds a bit like it was recorded in a wind tunnel, but not in a bad way.

Katy Perry – I Kissed A Girl
There something indefinably wrong about this, the follow-up to the easier-to-define wrongness of 'Ur So Gay' (seriously). To be honest, I'm going to sum up the baffling situation with a quote from the ever astute 'personage2007', a commenter on YouTube: 'katy perry is fake lesbian that hats gay men' (sic). The world has quite probably gone mad. The song? It's OK, blustery late-90s-esque rocky-pop.

Yamaha’s monitors always demand scrutiny.

The MSP7 delivers a clear top-end that doesn’t tire over time. The bass extension of the 6.5-inch bass drivers is also very natural and delivers a well reasoned amount of low-end woofer movement without any excessive hype.

For your chance to own a pair of these fantastic studio monitors of the 7-inch bass drivers, just visit this page!

I've run out of superlatives, to be honest, so here's an extra treat. The clip below begins with a bit of Lykke guesting live with Kleerup on their superb collaboration, Until We Bleed (full version without video here). It then segues into another, slightly more well-known Kleerup track...

Oh to have been there! Still, it's been a good week...

Little Jackie - The World Should Revolve Around Me
Excellent, breezy, slightly-too-late-for-Summer pop that's mainly notable for being great, but also for marking a long-overdue return to the mainstream for Imani Coppola. No reason for this not to be massive.

Mystery Jets – Half In Love With Elizabeth
Harking back to the ramshackle oddball-pop of Making Dens, the third single from Twenty-One doesn't quite hit the highs of its predecessors. Still pretty damn catchy though, hey?

Roots Manuva – Again And Again
The friendly, unthreatening face of UK hip-hop returns. Here as likeable and smile-inducing as ever, with a nice video about cricket thrown in for good measure. Almost certainly impossible to hate.

Red Blooded Women – You Made Your Bed
Is it new girl band season? Trashy, but less bad than City Girls. Not quite the full package, but less dull than the Saturdays. Oh, and it steps up a gear about 2/3rds of the way through, which is what all the best pop songs do. Coincedentally, that's also the point in the video where they start playing spin the bottle with their vodka. Is this just really cheap soft porn? Time will tell. Out of this torrent of girl bands, we're bound to get an actually brilliant one at some point soon. Probably.

Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Dawn Of The Dead
While they're not really all that, I reckon DIOYY?, daft name aside, are unfairly maligned. This has got a bit of a glossy Duran Duran feel to it, and though the chorus doesn't really lift off as you'd want it to, it still works for me.

Fujiya & Miyagi – Knickerbocker
I'm not overly familiar with these Brighton-based Krautrock-afficianados, but this is really quite excellent. As repetitive and monotonous as you'd expect, but listen to it a few times and you'll be wandering around all day with it stuck in your head. Vanilla, strawberry, knickerbocker glory... yep.

Grace Jones – Corporate Cannibal
Self-evidently the most bizarre single anyone has released in 2008. Looking and sounding like a low-rent Doctor Who bad guy, Ms Jones has actually buried a decent, trip-hoppy chorus somewhere in the middle of this record. It's hard to keep a straight face through the rest of it. But hey, at least it's different, right?

Sportsday Megaphone – I Think It’s Love
Bedroom-produced low-key casio-disco from Sportsday Megaphone, or Hugh Frost to his mum. No immediate evidence of pop crossover potential, but charming enough and plenty of fun.

Alphabeat – Boyfriend
Here comes a lazy review: it's much better than 10,000 Nights, but much, much worse than 'Fascination.' Needs to loosen up a bit. Cheerful vocals imply fun, but the music doesn't deliver it.

Manda Rin – DNA
I wanted to like this. Manda had some great (indie-)pop moments with Bis, but this isn't really up to standard. Dated production, deliberately going for that overdone Tom Tom Club style, but missing the mark. The vocals are moderately charming, but there's little else to add. Shame. (Apropos of nothing, I'm treating this as an excuse to link to an under-appreciated classic Bis single.

Miley Cyrus – See You Again
I have to confess to almost total ignorance of the Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus 'phenomenon.' Since I'm not American and/or teenage, this is probably not such a surprising fact. This is solid, if unspectacular, teenpop that has its moments, but a one-note chant in place of a chorus.

Blackout Crew – Put A Donk On It
Pretty much sounds like the Chuckle Brothers off their tits in a recording studio. What else is there to say?

Patrick & Eugene – Don’t Stop
This is a bit too self-consciously quirky, isn't it? It's for the same sort of grinning goons who liked that Lemon Jelly song about ducks, isn't it? Oh how delightfully random, Tarquin! Wrong.

Glasvegas – Daddy’s Gonelr
The time has come when I must stop sitting on the fence about Glasvegas. So here I go... I like sentimental lyrics; I find theirs mawkish. I love Scottish accents in music; I really dislike this guy's voice. I appreciate wall-of-sound production; I think it adds nothing here. In summary: I don't get it.

Let's live in the past and remember how good they were instead via the medium of Old Videos: Worked Up So Sexual, Glass Danse, Agenda Suicide, Southern Belles in London Sing(Unofficial). There we go. Better now.

Cut Off Your Hands - Expectations
Itchy, twitchy, angular guitar stuff from these New Zealanders. The shoutalong chorus could almost belong to an 80s hardcore band. If you squinted a bit. With your ears. Aside from that, it's fairly verse-chorus-verse, repetitive riffs, you know the score.

IAMX – President
Watching and listening to this brings to mind nothing so much as Mika fronting a downbeat Muse tribute band. Which is not what I expected of the new(ish) project from ex-Sneaker Pimp Chris Corner, if I'm honest. It's pretty decent, though.

Magistrates – Make This Work
There's something that stops this from being a great track. And I can't work out what it is. I'm pretty sure it's to do with those vocals. While certainly unique in the current climate, they're evoking some horrible things in my mind. At best, it's poor white soul. At worst, it's Toploader. Which is a pity, because the intricate musical backing is pretty joyful.

Taio Cruz - She's Like A Star
Musically pretty good, reminding me of a slightly less good version of Kanye's excellent 'Flashing Lights', but as ever with this sort of thing, ruined for me by the strained, over-emoting vocals. Not awful by any means though.

Sandrine - Where Do We Go
This is cutesy, pretty, Feist-like stuff. But [geek alert] can someone please let me know if the first few lines' melody and lyrics are deliberately lifted from this very similarly titled Buffy musical song? Because I'm finding it hard to think of anything else while listening to this. And now I've got the Buffy song stuck in my head. Damn you, Sandrine. Um.

A true "Thank You" should be said to those who worked on Heroes and went on strike.The ending that was intended for season 2 left us with Peter Petrelli arriving too late to catch the vial that contained the virus. Because of this, the rest of the show was going to revolve around a quarantine of Odessa Texas, Sylar doing evil douchiness, and Maya (the chick with the black shit that would ooze out of her eyes) learning control over her power. Because of the strike (and other minor problems), Nathan Petrelli was assassinated instead of being infected with the virus. Thank the Gods. Season 3 will be a lot more interesting without a shit ton of characters being killed off.

Yes, the strike was the most painful thing to happen to the entertainment industry in our generation. There are very few television shows that are being made that can actually make me go "Fuck! What a sweet show!". Having an eleven episode season of a tremendous show makes me want to pull out my intestines and strangle a studio exec with them. But knowing that one of my favorite shows almost went ass backwards and was slapped straight is a relief. Don't ever do that again Writer's Guild. A shock to the ticker of a former fat kid isn't very nice.