Category Archives: Music Review

Music Video of the Day: So Yesterday by Hilary Duff (2003, dir by Chris Applebaum)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

For today’s music video of the day, Hilary Duff says that you’re so yesterday!

Personally, I’ve always liked Hilary Duff and I think she’s underrated as both a singer and an actress.  For instance, The Haunting of Sharon Tate was a problematic film on several levels but Hilary Duff’s performance in the title role made the film several times better than it probably had any right to be.  Add to that, Hilary Duff is a Texas girl, just like me!  Texas girls support each other.

Texas plays a role in this video.  Hilary breaks up with her boyfriend, who appears to be a Galveston surfer.  When he leaves his Don’t Mess With Texas t-shirt on the beach, Hilary steals it and then takes it around the town and basically gets everyone to pose while wearing it.  Good for her!  This is a fun, revenge-filled video.  Hilary Duff lets her ex know that he is “so yesterday,” and his t-shirt looks better on a random skater dude than it does on him.  Take that!

I’ve been asked if Don’t Mess With Texas is something that is really said down here and the answer is that it is.  Don’t Mess With Texas started out as an anti-littering slogan but it has since been transformed into a catch-all phrase that can be used for almost any situation.  For instance, whenever we talk about all of the Yankees that have been moving down here, we always agree that they better live by the slogan.  Remember why you left your old state and don’t mess with Texas.

Enjoy!

Music Video Of The Day: Ooh La La by Britney Spears (2013, dir by Marc Klasfeld)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

In today’s music video of the day, Britney Spears gets to live every film lover’s dream!

Before I selected this video for today’s music video of the day, it had been a while since I had watched it and I have to admit that I had forgotten that this song was actually written for The Smurfs.  When the video started, I thought Britney and her children were watching a deliberately cheesy send-up of Harry Potter and I was like, “Well, that’s clever!”

But then Britney got transported into the movie and that’s when I saw all of the little blue people around her feet.  Imagine how different this video would have been if Britney had accidentally stepped on the Smurfs and left a trail of blue gore in her wake.  Some in the audience would have cheered but I imagine others would have been traumatized.  Myself, I don’t know how I would have reacted as I find the Smurfs to be kind of creepy but, at the same time, I wouldn’t want Britney to have a Smurf massacre on her conscience.  In the end, we should just be happy that things worked out for the best.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Is Everybody Happy by David Hasselhoff (1989, dir by ????)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Seriously, we are so lucky to have the Hoff.

Is everybody happy?  Well, it is Oscar Sunday so some people will be very happy but even more people are going to be bitterly disappointed that they are not going to get to go home with an Oscar.  I’m not particularly enthused about sitting through the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted ceremony but I am happy that, after all the build-up, we have finally reached the Big Day!

This is going to be a big day here at TSL.  I’m looking forward to it!

Set the mood, Hoff!

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Always Remember Us This Way by Lady Gaga (2018, dir by Bradley Cooper)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Awwwwww!

To be honest, I think the Oscars pretty much peaked when Bradley Cooper and Lay Gaga performed on stage together.  They should have just ended the whole thing there because that was the last great Oscar moment.  Instead, the Oscars continued and subsequent years so not only the COVID Oscars but also The Slap Oscars.  Luckily, for the stars of A Star Is Born, we’ll always remember them this way.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Besame Mucho by Danny Aiello, feat. Hasan (2007, dir by Frankie Nasso)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

“Michael Corleone says hello!”

Seriously, it’s amazing what you can come across on the YouTube when you’re searching for a music video of the day.  This single appeared on an album called I Just Want To Hear The Words.  Apparently, this was one of several albums that the actor Danny Aiello released during his lifetime.  As a singer, Danny Aiello sounds …. well, he sounds exactly how you would expect an old school New York crooner to sound.  Considering that most of his roles involved him doing a lot of bellowing, Aiello had a rather pleasant singing voice.

With the Oscars coming up, I should mention that Danny Aiello was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing.  He also appeared as one of the Rosato Brothers in The Godfather Part II.  Reportedly, Aiello improvised the line, “Michael Corleone says hello!”

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Crash by Gwen Stefani (2006, dir by Sophie Muller)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

This is probably the most energetic song about a crash that’s ever been written.  Of course, the song is actually about a relationship that’s a lot like a car crash.  The important thing is that Gwen Stefani’s a natural-born star, even when she’s dressed like someone who just broke out of prison.  This is a fun song to sing and dance along too.  Just don’t drive while listening to it, for obvious reasons.

This song was written by Linda Perry, who writes songs for everyone.  She probably wrote a song while you were reading this post.  Ariana Grande will probably record it next week and everyone will describe it as being “her most personal song yet!”

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: 6th Avenue Heartache by The Wallflowers (1996, dir by David Fincher)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I’ve always liked this song, perhaps even more so than The Wallflowers’s best known song, One Headlight.  Jakob Dylan (who certainly has the talent necessary to be worthy of being known as something more than just “Bob’s son”) was inspired to write this song by a homeless man who he used to see on 6th Avenue.  One day, the homeless man was gone but all of his possessions were still sitting on the sidewalk.  As the days passed, the man’s possessions disappeared one-by-one.  Jakob considers this to be the first true song that he ever wrote.

This music video, which features the band walking around New York City and 6th Avenue, was directed by David Fincher, who you may have heard of.

Music Video of the Day: San Antone by Randy Rogers Band (2016, dir by ????)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

I’ve often said that my musical tastes run the gamut from early EDM to slightly later EDM.  That’s another way of saying that I’m not really a huge country music fan.  But I am a big San Antonio fan and this music video pays tribute to that wonderful city.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Crush by Mandy Moore (2001, dir by Chris Applebaum)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Mandy Moore has a crush but her apartment building has structural issues!

Mandy Moore has got such a crush on her neighbor that she just has to sing about it!  In fact, the music gets so loud that the neighbor comes over to complain.  Is he not paying attention to the lyrics?  Later, Mandy discovers that her crush is apparently a very deep sleeper.  And even later, Mandy is visited by two chimpanzees.  Wait, what?

A few thoughts.

First off, I hate the wallpaper in Mandy’s apartment.

Secondly, chimpanzees freak me out because they’re always wearing diapers and I would not want to be on chimp clean-up duty.

Third, Mandy’s apartment building has some serious structural issues.  I mean, if you’re falling through the carpet and landing in a different reality, that could be an issue.  Also, as much as I dislike the wallpaper, the carpet in the hallways is even worse.

Fourth, this video proved that, long before This Is Us ever premiered, Mandy Moore was a good actress.  Personally, I prefer this video to This Is Us because it’s a bit cheerier and no one dies.  I only saw a handful of episodes of This Is Us but, in every episode I did see, someone died.  I’m pretty sure the whole point of the show was that Mandy Moore’s daughter intentionally set the fire that killed her father.  This video is a lot more fun than This Is Us.

Enjoy!