Greatest Song Evah 6/23/23

Sprawl II

Is is still OK to praise Arcade Fire now that we all know how appalling Win Butler is? Do I get a pass for selecting a song that Regine Chassagne sings? Yes? Good, let us proceed.

A large part of Arcade Fire’s magic is due to the fact that there are approximately 135 band members, all of whom bring something unique into the mix. I’m not exaggerating, either. It’s likely that I, along with most of you reading this, are in the band without realizing it. Regine Chassagne is one of the more crucial ingredients in the Arcade Fire stew. Her contributions have always been a major component to their distinctive sound.

Her background looms large. Growing up as a French Canadian outside of the rock and roll pipeline, she was trained as a jazz singer and has that classic chanteuse vibe about her. Her tone and timbre are completely unlike anything you generally hear in a rock band. This song is one of the highlights of their Grammy winning The Suburbs album. Every component works well together - the synth line, the pounding drums, Chassagne’s voice, the lyrics. It’s a brilliantly produced record.

How Am I Doing So Far?

Each major league team has played around 75 games, so the official halfway point is only a week or so away. Enough games have been played that it’s clear by now how strong or how weak each team is. So this is as good a time as any for me to cut a slice of humble pie and see just how poorly my preseason predictions are turning out.

Going into the season I wasn’t alone in expecting the overwhelming majority of last year’s playoff teams to return to the postseason. But, that’s why they play the games. The shocking disappointment of San Diego, St. Louis, and New York is matched by the equally stunning pleasant surprises coming out of Cincinnati, Arlington, and Arizona.

My crystal ball was obviously fuzzy this year, as I had some major whiffs. It bears repeating that with expanded playoffs it’s very possible for a team to have a middling record at this juncture yet still have enough time to make a push, but in some cases it’s getting close to now or never time. I’m looking at you, National League underachievers. The Padres were my #1 pick in the NL, right now they’re 5 1/2 games out of the wild card. The Mets were my #3 choice; they’re even further back. And just take a look at the deep hole the Cardinals are in. I did not see the Reds coming, the Giants are almost as big of a surprise. The Marlins are another huge shock. If the current standings hold, I will have only gone 3 for 6 in my National League playoff picks. Ouch.

I’m doing a little better in the American League so far. I’m also 3 for 6 here, but none of my picks are as far back as the National League stragglers are. The Blue Jays are only an half game back, the Red Sox only 2, and the AL Central is weak enough that the Guardians are only 1 game back despite their poor record. I really underestimated both the Rangers and the Orioles. At least in the AL my #1 pick is currently in the playoff bracket, but that’s the Yankees and they are barely holding on at the moment.

So, there are lots of questions that need to be answered in the second half. Which of the surprising teams are for real, and will be able to sustain it for the full 162? Which of the underperforming teams will be able to pick themselves off the map and play the way they were expected to? And which of those will determine it’s not their year and turn into sellers at the trade deadline? It should be fun to watch.

2023 Kennedy Center Honorees

I always enjoy the Kennedy Center awards. As opposed to some other annual prizes, I rarely hear any anger surrounding the announcement. It’s rightfully looked at as a lifetime honor bestowed on artists who have made long lasting contributions to our culture. When the ceremony takes place there is no pressure on the honorees; they sit in their boxes in the opera house as they watch those that they have inspired pay tribute. (The honorees are always still living; unless someone unexpectedly passes in the months between the announcement and the ceremony no one is selected posthumously.)

Another factor in the positive mood that surrounds the announcement is the fact that it essentially comes without warning. When the 5 names are released we don’t know who else had been considered, so there are seldom “why ___ and not ___?” type arguments. Also, the Kennedy Center honors at least one person in either classical music or jazz, so there is literally something for everyone.

This year’s recipients are Billy Crystal, Renee Fleming, Barry Gibb, Queen Latifah, and Dionne Warwick. Congratulations to all.

A Tale Of Two Drafts

24 hours ago everyone assumed that Victor Wembanyama would be the star of last night’s NBA a draft, but in an upset it turned out to be Gradey Dick’s suit. Outstanding work all around. I like to make “I could pull off that look” jokes, but in this case I can’t.

NBA Draft Night always contrasts starkly with the MLB draft. MLB tries as much as it can to make the draft a thing, but it’s such an uphill battle. It doesn’t help that it’s official name is the First Year Player Draft. It doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. But no matter how much time MLB Network devotes to broadcasting the draft combine and how large of a television production that they make the draft itself, there’s only so much that they can do.

The NFL and NBA drafts both benefit from two key facts. First off, the popularity of both college football and basketball means that fans are already familiar with most of the players. Even Wembanyama was very well known coming into the evening as the hype machine has been running full throttle for months. College baseball doesn’t have anywhere near as large of an audience, so in any given year the number of prospects that anyone other than a hardcore fan could name can be counted on one hand. Of course, I say this in a NBA draft year in which only 5 of the top 10 picks (and only 1 of the top 5) are college players, but this year was unusual.

Second, and more importantly, the incubation period for the top picks in the NBA is fairly brief. The high lottery picks are expected to make an immediate impact, and moving further down the first round analysts can make a reasonably educated analysis as to how much playing time they should expect. There will be a stray international player who will be stashed overseas for a year or two, but otherwise every first round pick will play in the NBA next season. That’s not the case in baseball. Even the best prospect is going to spend some time in the minor leagues, and a player drafted out of high school will take years to make it to the bigs. Which means they quickly move from the splashy moment of getting drafted to spending years working on their game in relative obscurity.

Which makes the MLB Network broadcast of the draft so awkward. Player gets drafted, and the team of analysts universally praise the pick and the network immediately shows graphics guessing where they will fit in on their new team. Hold on, full stop. With few exceptions by the time a draftee gets promoted to the big leagues the team will look vastly different. Draft night analysis in baseball is such a pointless exercise. I have to respect the league for giving the players their due spotlight, but to me the night is one big yawn.

One final note about the NBA draft. Remember, Nikola Jokic was famously drafted during a commercial break. If history repeats, keep an eye on former Arkansas Razorback Jordan Walsh, who was the first player whose selection was not aired live on ESPN. Sacramento selected him, but he is going to be traded to the Celtics. Congratulations Boston fans, a future MVP is on the way.

Perhaps The Flash Isn’t The Greatest Super Hero Ever Made After All

Quick lesson - if a studio head overly praises an upcoming release it’s perhaps best to take that with a grain of salt. Warner Brothers Discovery chief David Zaslav was a tad exuberant in his praise of The Flash, but he wasn’t alone. Tom Cruise had a private screening and he was so enthusiastic over what he saw that you could easily imagine him jumping on a couch as the closing credits rolled.

Bad sign #1 came as the early reviews were fairly lukewarm. Bad sign #2 came as box office returns started to come in. The fatal piece of data was bad sign #3 as the audience scores qualified as “meh.” Clearly the issues surrounding Ezra Miller did not help at all, but is there more to the movie’s poor response from critics and audiences alike? Is this further proof that superhero fatigue has set in? Has there been too much multiverse storytelling? Did fans stay away with the knowledge that James Gunn will soon reset the DC cinematic universe? There’s also the writers’ strike issue. The late night talk shows have gone dark, removing a key promotional outlet. Whatever the answer the is, the filmmakers behind the upcoming Blue Beetle movie and Aquaman sequel must be feeling very nervous.

In a related note, recent news coming from WBD sent chills down the spines of movie lovers. There have been major structural changes at TCM. The content purge at Max was bad enough, damage to the TCM brand would be devastating. Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Paul Thomas Anderson met with Zaslav to express their displeasure. Apparently they were assuaged by whatever he told them, as the three directors released a statement assuring fans that the network is still in good hands. It bears watching, however. Zaslav seems to be more of a fan of schlock; TCM is too important to mess with.

That’s All For Now

Have a great weekend everyone and remember to tip your waitress. See you all again on Monday.