sammi says

I had pretty much forgotten about "Scrubs," ever since I watched what was supposed to be the end of the series last year. It was a satisfying finale, J.D. and Elliot got back together, we got a trip down memory lane of all the wacky doctors and patients and it was funnier than it had been in years. But then ABC throws everyone for a loop and renews "Scrubs" for another season. Mind you, this is all after NBC cancelled "Scrubs" in 2007 then ABC picked up the show for an eighth season. The eighth season was supposed to be the last...most of the cast member's contracts were up and everyone wanted to move on so they wrapped the show. I guess since people were pleased with the last episode ABC decided to raise the show from the dead one last time with a sort of spin-off series, "Scrubs: Med School."

TiVo still had my "Scrubs" season pass in my to do list and recorded the show for me. If not for TiVo, I certainly would have passed over this bastardized version of what used to be one of my favorite shows. Everything is changed. Sacred Heart hospital is now on the campus of a medical school with most of our favorite doctors, Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), Turk (Donald Faison) and for six episodes, J.D. (Zach Braff) acting as teachers. What's missing? Elliot (Sarah Chalke), Carla (Judy Reyes) and most of all, the Janitor (Neil Flynn) make for the greatest absences.

The show is now focusing on a new group of med school students who I can't even bother to mention because they were such a bore. ABC showed two episodes back to back and I didn't laugh once. "Scrubs: Med School" makes "Saved By The Bell: The College Years" look like comedy gold. ABC made a huge mistake trying to revive "Scrubs." I think the show ended on a high note and that's how they should have left it. In my opinion, TV doesn't get much funnier than the first 5 seasons of "Scrubs." My recommendation is don't bother watching "Scrubs: Med School" on ABC...you're much better off watching the reruns on Comedy Central.

Lady Gaga recently released, "The Fame: Monster" a revamp of her hit album, "The Fame." I've already talked about the amazing track, "Bad Romance," but there's also seven other new songs. I love every single song on "The Fame" and I can't say the same about "The Fame: Monster." I'm about 50/50. "The Fame: Monster" is very techno and sounds like club music whereas "The Fame" was pure pop. The songs I love I really, really love. But there's a few tracks I immediately skip over. The Good- "Bad Romance," "Speechless," "Teeth," and "Telephone." The Ok- "Monster" The Bad- "Alejandro," "Dance in the Dark," and "So Happy I Could Die."

The songs I love, for the most part, are unlike anything I've ever heard before. "Speechless," is about as much of a ballad we'll probably get from Gaga. I hear the backstory about this song is that Gaga wrote it for her father who was refusing necessary heart surgery. She's mentioned on talk shows recently that her father received the surgery and is doing fine. This song translates to anyone who's dealing with someone who's giving up. "Teeth" is gritty. "Telephone" featuring Beyonce is an awesome poppy-techno track that is fun and catchy and makes for great going out music.

The ok song is "Monster." It's hard not to like a song with lyrics, "We french kissed on a subway train/He tore my clothes right off/He ate my heart then he ate my brain/That boy is a monster."

The bad songs sound like Madonna rip-offs or are too techno for my liking. Now don't get me wrong, I'm still fully behind Gaga 100% but I can't help but feel like the record company was just trying to capitalize on her recent success and wanted to buy a new album right away, regardless of the material.

You can buy "The Fame: Monster" on iTunes. Or if you want to just give it a listen you can stream the songs here.

It was hard for me to write a review of John Mayer's latest release "Battle Studies." I kept putting it off because the fan girl in me wants to sum it up and say "BEST ALBUM EVERRRRR!!!!1!" But writing one sentence about my unconditional love for JM does neither of us any good.

So I'm going to try to put my thoughts into words having let "Battle Studies" sink in for the last two weeks. If you recall, I was a little shocked at the tone of the first single "Who Says," and even though I knew John was going to go a completely new direction for this album, I didn't really anticipate how different.

His previous album "Continuum" hits you with electric-guitar-heavy, epic, ascending tracks ("Belief," "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room," "In Repair") and that's just not the case with "Battle Studies." It's more subdued but I think it delivers more lyrically than any of his past albums.

"Battle Studies" plays out as a modern relationship survival guide. The first song "Heartbreak Warfare," is about being on he verge of breaking up, with lyrics like "red wine and ambien, you're talking shit again." Another track "Assassin" delves into the world of one night stands. "Friends, Lovers or Nothing," is an anthem for all those friends with benefits who are looking for something more.

My favorite song of the moment is "Half of My Heart," featuring Taylor Swift. It's an acoustic, pop song that feels familiar. I say song of the moment because after my first listen my favorite was "Heartbreak Warfare," and I can already feel my next favorite coming on, "Edge of Desire." It's inching to number one because a few days ago, as a thank you for making "Battle Studies" the number one album, John recorded an acoustic, live, solo, uncut version of "Edge of Desire," in his apartment at 3 in the morning. I think it's beautiful and vulnerable and makes me appreciate the album version 10 times more. Here's the link to download.

It took a few listens of "Battle Studies" for me to feel comfortable with the songs but now I can't stop listening. It's the perfect soundtrack for dreary winter days. "Battle Studies" makes John Mayer's musical evolution clearly evident. Buy it on iTunes here.



(I love the way JM did the track listing for "Battle Studies." He made it look like an actual manual with chapters like Evasion, Navigation, Identifying the Enemy etc...Click the photo above to enlarge it.)