Desperado: Deep Greens and Blues are the Colors I Choose

So, you guys remember that episode of Seinfeld where Elaine dated a guy who absolutely enamored with the song "Desperado" by The Eagles? He'd make everyone stop talking and sit in reverence until it was over. I love that episode, for many reasons, but I especially love the part where Elaine tries to come up with a song that she felt that strongly about. She chose The Eagles' "Witchy Woman," which is an awesome song, but he looked at her like she was crazy for feeling so strongly about this song.

Everyone has these songs, though. Songs that you will always, always stop for on the radio. Songs that you will never ever skip when they come up on your iPod. Songs that get an automatic five-star rating on iTunes, or an automatic thumbs-up when your Pandora stations are brilliant enough to play them. Thus, we begin a new feature here at Daily Word Allotment: highlighting songs that deserve the reverence that Elaine's boyfriend paid to Desperado. (This was just going to be one post, but then I decided it was more fun to break them up, and also easier to reference later if necessary.)

So, our first Desperado song - James Taylor's "Sweet Baby James." You're all surprised that I'm not leading off with a Billy Joel song, aren't you? Well, too bad. This song makes me happy. Every form of it, every lyric of it, the entire melody, and the way that my Pandora stations have all been trained to play every version of it that there is.

I've loved the song for years, but my love was further cemented when Jay Leno had Taylor as a musical guest on his last episode hosting The Tonight Show. Well, the first last episode - had I known then what I know now about that whole fiasco, I would've been a lot less sentimental about it. But I was sure when Leno said Taylor was there, he'd come out and play "You've Got A Friend" or something sappy like that. But he didn't, he played Sweet Baby James, and Leno said he had specifically requested it because it was on the radio a lot the year he moved out to LA and reminded him of that time in his life. So not only did he pick an awesome song, he had a good story about why he liked it. (Too bad he turned out to be a jerk to Conan, which is grounds for immediate and complete shunning in my book.)

I wish I could find a video of him performing it on The Tonight Show for you, but alas, in all the wide reaches of the internets, I have had no luck. So instead, I give you this lovely old live performance to enjoy.

The Entertainer, Volume 17

Title: Death At A Funeral

Notable Actors: Lots of British people. And Alan Tudyk.

Why?: I watched the American version and thought it was OK. A coworker told me I should watch the original, British version, which is far superior.

Thoughts: Said coworker was correct. This was hilarious. I don't know if it's the fact that I like British humor (or should I spell that "humour"?), or if it's that it came first, or what, but it felt so much more natural and less forced in this version. And also, I laughed out loud multiple times. Alone, in my living room. I very rarely laugh out loud at films when I'm watching them alone. I'd recommend it as long as you're not scared of the fact that everyone has British accents. And even then, Alan Tudyk runs around naked. So there's that incentive too :-).

Title: Sex Drive

Notable Actors: James Marsden, Seth Green, and Clark Duke are among the more recognizable.

Why?: A coworker recommended it. (A different coworker than the one who recommended Death at a Funeral.)

Thoughts: This was...better than I expected. Definitely some quotable and funny parts, even if the plot is kind of stupid. It fits solidly into the R-rated boy comedy genre, so if you like those types of movies, go for it. I do have a feeling it would get better upon rewatch, so I might give it another try someday when I'm in the mood for that - it was a free streaming movie on Netflix, so it'll be easy to get ahold of.


Title: Sweet Valley Confidential

Author: Francine Pascal

Why?: Because of my great, great love for young adult literature, and also for epilogues.

Thoughts: This was...well, it kind of felt like a giant book full of fan fiction. Random pairings of people, lots of drama that results in a happy ending for everyone, lots of references to characters that barely made an appearance...and I didn't care. I loved it. If you ever read a Sweet Valley book, read this. It will make you happy, flaws and all.


Title: Arthur

Notable Actors: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner

Why?: I liked the original. And I worship the ground upon which Helen Mirren walks. And this one was showing at a time that fit well into our schedules.

Thoughts: I hope I'm half as awesome as Helen Mirren when I'm her age. Hell, I hope I'm half as awesome right now. That being said, while she did a great job in this role, the role itself was nothing compared to the original. Actually, that pretty much applies to the whole movie - fine, harmless, definitely funny in parts and Mirren and Russell Brand do a nice job, but it kind of just made me want to watch the original. That, and The Tea Shop Song (as Mary and I call it after an incident with a CD and the Spirit Shoppe) was sadly underused. Bottom line - when you get lost between the moon and New York City, the best that you can do is stick with Dudley Moore and Liza.





Title: I Know I Am, But What Are You?

Author: Samantha Bee

Why?: I like Samantha Bee. She's a Daily Show correspondent, for those of you who are not familiar.

Thoughts: Really funny, although some of the stories toward the end of the book dragged a bit. She reminded me more than once of David Sedaris if he discussed more feminine topics. I particularly liked the story about her religion, and also the one in which she discussed learning about sex. I'd highly recommend the book, but at the same time, I didn't like it enough to keep it, so you're on your own for finding a copy ;-)

Title: The Good Wife: The First Season

Notable Actors: Carol Hathaway, Mr. Big, Logan Huntzberger, Cybill's friend Mary Ann. (I don't care how many awesome things Christine Baranski does. She will always be Mary Ann to me. Except for maybe her exceptional role in Mamma Mia!, which was glorious.)

Why?: Because apparently, it's awesome. I did not know this, and assumed it was your standard cookie cutter legal drama populated by familiar actors.

Thoughts: This is a pretty darn awesome show. Where so many legal dramas become predictable and boring, or worse, contrived and sensationalistic, this one is a lot more intelligent. I'm really annoyed that I can't get the whole second season On Demand or on Netflix yet, because I keep seeing commercials and I want to catch up!

Title: Handle With Care

Author: Jodi Picoult

Why?: I was trying to diminish The Stack, and I can plow through one of her books in a weekend.

Thoughts: This one's about a kid with a bone disease whose parents sue for wrongful birth. It's just like all the others - really, really melodramatic and fairly predictable. But it's also just like all the others in that it's very difficult to stop reading once you've started. I swear this lady puts crack in her books, they're so addictive. I maintain that if you've read one, you've got a good handle on what's going to happen in all of them. But at the same time, they're enjoyable (if not exactly fun), and highly readable.