Welcome To Totally Claimin!

For Your Consideration:
Foghat - Slow Ride (Full Version) Mp3

It's A Totally Claimin' Site: Pappy's Products

Check out Pappy's Products as featured on the My 13 News here in Los Angeles. New flavors? New varieties? New products? Yep, that's what it's all about. Oh, and the videos on the site feature a certain "sidekick" claimer you may already know and love too.



For Your Consideration:
Weird Al Yankovic - Eat It Mp3
Larry Groce - Junkfood Junkie Mp3

Friday Afternoon Funnies: Reno 911!

It's four thirty in the afternoon. You've done your week's work, and there's still an hour and a half to kill before you go home for the weekend. Throw on your headphones and kill some time with Totally Claimin's "Friday Afternoon Funnies!" The boss won't know, and you'll be thankful for it! Today's funny is the first episode of Comedy Central's "Reno 911!"

According to Wikipedia, Reno 911! "is in some respects a parody of the long-running television show COPS. The show features the fictional members of the fictional Reno Sheriff's Department (a non-existent law enforcement body created so as not to offend the Reno Police Department or Washoe County Sheriffs Department), who are videotaped during the course of their duties, sometimes addressing the camera directly as though being interviewed. The force also has problems with racism, unrequited attractions, promiscuity, passive-aggressive feuds, drug use, and other dysfunctional troubles that supply much of the show's humor."

Here's how it all started: "Facing a shortage of criminal suspects, Lt. Dangle declares a zero-tolerance policy, only to find himself becoming the first criminal when he rear-ends a civilian's car. Fortunately, he discovers evidence of a crime in the car's trunk."

So spend your Friday afternoon seeing how it all began, then go out tonight and see their new film which opens today called "Reno 911!: Miami." Here's the trailer for the film, and enjoy this week's Totally Claimin "Friday Afternoon Funny!

An Offer You Can't Refuse: A Sneak Peak Of "The Black Donnellys"

Ok, so ya love the violence and family drama of "The Sopranos," and you already miss the angst and indie soundtrack of "The O.C," but we all know that those two shows aren't going to be around forever. "The O.C." leaves the airwaves tonight, and "The Sopranos" is in it's final season as well. So whattaya gonna do? Tell ya what ya my friends, I'm totally claimin you need to watch "The Black Donnellys."

According to TV.com, "The Black Donnellys" follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish brothers. Their involvement in organized crime in New York City will put their life at risk and they will do anything to protect each other from the hostility between them and the others New York families who want their territory."

According to Totally Claimin, it's the closet thing to "The Sopranos" meets "The O.C." and it shouldn't be missed, especially it's "Goodfellas" inspired climatic ending. I love how music played a role in that film. "Layla" by Derek And The Dominoes will never be heard the same way again. That same dynamic effect is used for the ending of "The Black Donnellys" with The Arcade Fire's "Rebellion (Lies)." A track by Imogen Heap called "The Moment I Said It" also adds dimension to the compelling drama.

Academy Award winners Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco (both for "Crash") are the creators and executive producers of the gritty new crime-drama series filmed in New York City and loosely based on Moresco's background. The ensemble cast includes Kirk Acevedo, Thomas Guiry, Billy Lush, Keith Nobbs, Michael Stahl-David, Jonathan Tucker and Olivia Wilde. The pilot was directed by Haggis, who also wrote the Academy Award-winning film "Million Dollar Baby." It premieres Monday, February 26th on NBC at 10:00 PM, but you can watch it here first! For your consideration: "The Black Donnellys"

For Your Consideration:
Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) Mp3
Imogen Heap - The Moment I Said It Mp3

Land Of The Lost

Has "Lost" lost it? Last Wednesday night's episode was the lowest rated first run episode since the series began. The show drew an estimated 12.8 million viewers last week in it's new time slot. ABC moved the show to 10pm to avoid Fox's ratings monster "American Idol." Unfortunately for execs at ABC, more people seem to be watching CSI New York at 10pm over on CBS. Ok, so the ratings are down. In simple terms that means more people are leaving the island and moving on. They've stopped watching. Perhaps they've grown tired of the show, and it's increasingly confusing storylines. I must admit that after watching last week's episode, I half expected "The Log Lady" to show up to tell Desmond that a dancing midget will appear with incredible apple pie for him to share with Charlie and Hurley.


And for me? As lost as I am while watching "Lost," I'm sticking with it. As confusing (and frankly, unsatisfying) as the show has been lately, it has too good of a pedigree for there not to be something really cool around the bend. I've invested way too much time into it for there not to be. Oh sure, I fully expect there to be more questions than answers, and I totally understand that it's all a part of the "Lost" experience. That being said, there better be something wonderful coming, because I really don't want "Lost" to mirror my "Twin Peaks" experience. The final season of that groundbreaking program left a real sour taste in my mouth and in a way ruined my entire opinion of the show when I reflect upon on it.

So are you lost too? What the hell is happening on the island? Jesus, for that matter, what island are we even on?

Alright, some of you might have been wondering where you can get that song that they keep playing on "Lost." You can get it here. It's called "Make Your Own Kind Of Music," and it is sung by Mama Cass Elliot of "The Mamas And The Papas." It reached #36 on the Billboard Pop charts back in 1969, and the dance version of the song (also available here) went to #11 on the Hot Dance Charts in 1997 after appearing in a motion picture called "Beautiful Thing." Enjoy ya claimers.



For Your Consideration:
Mama Cass - Make Your Own Kind Of Music Mp3
Mama Cass - Make Your Own Kind Of Music (Dance Remix) Mp3

Crush Of The Week: Tiffani Thiessen

Tiffani "I dropped the Amber" Thiessen is rapidly becoming the Heather Locklear of a new generation. When a show was struggling or needed a ratings boost, producers used to call Ms. Locklear in to rescue it. Heather has been credited for saving "Melrose Place" and "Spin City" single handedly. After following in her footsteps by boosting "Beverly Hills 90210," producers now turn to Tiff in the same way for a ratings kapow-ski. (C'mon, that was a tasty pun, wasn't it?)

In a recent interview from tvguide.com, she addressed that issue:
TVGuide.com: With an eye on your joining "What About Brian" and your previous gigs on, say, Just Shoot Me and 90210, do you think someone out there envisions you as a Heather Locklear-esque "show sexer-upper"?
Thiessen: I would like to think that Heather and I have an "appeal" that enables us to fit in well with an already existing show, be team players and work for the betterment of the show. Did I just give the politically correct version of a "show sexer-upper"?


Wha? Did you just say something Tif? I was too busy drooling over this picture.

For those of you who didn't even know that the show existed (like me), you now finally have a reason to watch ABC's "What About Brian." According to IMDB, "What About Brian" is an "ensemble show about a group of supportive friends in various stages of romantic relationships and friendships living in Los Angeles." Yeah, that doesn't sound too generic does it? Wait, isn't Matt LeBlanc in that one? Nope, this one stars Barry Watson, and Tiffani Thiessen has just joined the cast as "Natasha, Dave’s new boss." Her first episode aired last Monday night on ABC at10 p.m, and that makes her this week's edition of Totally Claimin's "Crush Of The Week!"



For Your Consideration:
The Tubes - She's A Beauty Mp3
Prince - Hot Thing (Extended Remix) Mp3

Roger Waters: Embracing The Dark Side

Former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters is returning stateside this year for a second round of concerts billed as “The Dark Side of the Moon—The Return Engagement.” The tour kicks off May 18 in Florida and will run for two months. I caught the Los Angeles stop of the tour at the Hollywood Bowl last year, and I can tell you first hand, this is a concert that should not be missed.

According to a statement from a representative of Waters, the concert features "a full evening's worth of music—comprised of two sets plus encores—performed by Roger Waters and full band with state-of-the-art staging, lighting and sound. Set one provides a comprehensive overview of Waters' music including early Pink Floyd material; classic compositions from the masterpiece "The Wall"; beloved pieces from "Animals," "Wish You Were Here," and "The Final Cut" and songs from Waters' solo tour de force: "Amused To Death." Set two features a complete performance of the classic Pink Floyd album, "Dark Side Of The Moon."

I don't know, maybe it was the brownies taking effect, but I swear to God, I had never heard the acoustics at The Bowl sound better. The dude simply knows how to put on a show. As always with a Waters concert, they will utilize an elaborate "large-scale video projection and theatrical staging to underscore and accentuate the power of the music which is delivered via a state-of-the-art 360° quadraphonic sound system, immersing the audience in a 3-dimensional hyperworld."

Yeah, I read that last line too and thought that they kinda sounded like total claimers, but seriously, they back that shit up, yo.

Here are the announced tourdates:

MAY:
Friday 18th - West Palm Beach - Sound Advice Saturday 19th - Tampa – Ford Amphitheater Tuesday 22nd - Atlanta – Philips Thursday 24th - New Jersey - Continental Wednesday 30th - New York City MSG

JUNE:
Friday 1st - Philadelphia - Wachovia Monday 4th - Ottawa - Scotiabank Place Wednesday 6th - Quebec City – Colisee Arena Thursday 7th - Montreal - Bell Center Saturday 9th - Chicago - United Center Wednesday 13th - Hollywood Bowl Friday 15th - Irvine – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Saturday 16th - Las Vegas – MGM Grand Garden Arena Tuesday 19th - Oakland - Coliseum Thursday 21st - Vancouver - GM Place Saturday 23rd - Calgary – Saddle Dome Sunday 24th - Edmonton - Rexall Place Wednesday 27th - Winnipeg – MTS Center Friday 29th - Omaha - Civic Center Saturday 30th - St. Paul - Excel

JULY:
Monday 2nd - Milwaukee – Marcus Amphitheatre Summerfest Monday 9th - Boston – Fleet Center Friday 13th - Hartford – The Meadows Saturday 14th - Toronto - Roger's Center

Waters played all of the typical songs that you would expect to hear from his show, but one toward the end of the first act stood out to me because I was not as familiar with it as I was with the others. It was called "Leaving Beirut" and is currently only available as an import cd single. Never one back down from controversy, Water's polarizing track was written as a response to the invasion of Iraq. He sings about his firsthand experience meeting people from the area, and questions the purpose of the war. For your consideration, so that you'll be ready to hear it performed live, you can grab the song below. I've also added "To Kill The Child," which was also available on the single. Here is a sample from the lyrics which are directed toward President Bush:

Are these the people that we should bomb

Are we so sure they mean us harm
Is this our pleasure, punishment or crime
Is this a mountain that we really want to climb
The road is hard, hard and long
Put down that two by four
This man would never turn you from his door
Oh George! Oh George!
That Texas education must have fucked you up when you were very small

For Your Consideration:

Roger Waters - To Kill The Child Mp3
Roger Waters - Leaving Beirut Mp3

I Love This Game

This clip is why I love the NBA. There is always a real sense of fun, whereas in other sports, it seems like work. Barry Bonds, I am talking about you. What amazes me about this clip from the weekend's All-Star festivities, is here you have Dwight Howard, a first time all-star, Shaq, a sure fire Hall Of Famer, and LeBron James, the future of the league and some believe to be the next Michael Jordan cutting it up without a care. Not for a second are they worried about their image, just a bunch of multi-millionaires acting like kids. I love this game.




For Your Consideration:
Kurtis Blow - Basketball Mp3

Britney Shears: Clip Me Baby One More Time!

It's now safe to say the drapes match the carpet.

I watched the NBA All-Star game last night, and at half time a weird thought came over me. Who would have thought that compared to Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera would have ended up being the normal one? Then again, who would have thought back in the 80's that Prince would end up being the normal one when compared to Michael Jackson? My how the mighty have fallen.

Employee Emily Wynne-Hughes told Usmagazine.com that Britney arrived at the salon agitated and, when asked why she shaved her head, replied, "I don't want anyone touching me. I'm tired of everybody touching me." Anybody else find this as disturbing as I do? Hang in there Brit, I can't wait for the comeback special.



For Your Consideration:
Bob Marley - Crazy Baldheads Mp3
Beck & The Flaming Lips - Devil's Haircut (Live) Mp3
Travis - Baby One More Time (Live) Mp3