Knoxville520.com

Phase 2: Our Celebrity Obsession (Wherein we didn't really care to talk about anything but sports and Mike Witcher's ass.)

Phase 3: Where We Were Just Getting Really Good At Photoshop (Wherein we were just getting really good at Photoshop.)

Phase 4: Fin (Wherein we say good-bye.)

Good-bye!






And now for our weekly rankings!

This week's key:

= ...the eff?
= Really? Are you kidding me?
= Was it really that bad? Was it really that good? Do I really care?
= That was...what's the word? Cool? Sweet? Totally rad?
= Am I so happy I could die? Duh, do I really need to say? Is there anything that could make me happier? Hmmm, is Jake Gyllenhaal single? Wait -- is he gay?

Random Panties ()

This relatively new Clinton, Tennessee foursome played their debut show as a band on Friday at the Old City's Basement Gallery. They've got a punk-rock sound with lyrics that, once you really start hearing them, will make you laugh, then cry, then dance.. maybe not in that order. I've been a fan of theirs for a long while now (they've got some of their tunes up at the RP MySpace site), and seeing them play in person made my adoration for what they're doing only intensify. They're fun, it's a good time, and really, can you beat a band playing their very first show on the same night the venue is playing "This Is Spinal Tap"? Doubtful. What a killer way to start out my Friday night, before heading across the street to see...

Westside Daredevils ()

Rock! Rock! More rock! I never have enough good things to say about these fine fellows. They were playing a solo show Friday at Manhattan's, and I rarely pass up a chance to see them play live. They're on their way to Bonnaroo this year, and drummer Mike confided in me before the show that the very first song was one they were "trying out" on the Manhattan's crowd before playing it live in Manchester, TN. My reaction: it rocked. No surprises there. But, gosh.. the harmonies that Brett, Gray and Jeff manage to pair with the guitar melodies they make are beautiful, and the rhythm from Mike and Brandon (bass guitar) is like a surging heartbeat to every song. They are most definitely headed for greater things, having already gotten a song, "Heroes and Zeroes," onto the soundtrack for the 2006 movie, Geekin'. Learn more about Westside Daredevils on their MySpace. -B.T.

Being a No-Good Couch Potato, Part Deux

30 Rock, Season 1 ()

It's taken a whole season for Tina Fey and Co. to find their stride, but this garbled mess of a show is still funnier that most of the shite out their on teevee land. (And while friends of mine who have worked with him Off-Broadway have stories that would chill your spine, Alec Baldwin is truly the talented glue that holds this disorganized comedy together.) Kudos to 30 Rock for adding "aww, nuts" and "blorf" to my vernacular.

Ugly Betty, Season 1 ()

I was hooked on this show like a crack whore on crack for its first six or so episodes. And then when its plot grew dull, I discovered Lost and Heroes, and then couldn't make myself care anymore whether or not Betty and Henry were ever gonna suck face.

The Office, Season 3 ()

Shrute Bucks! Stanley Nickels! Jan's boobies! This year's season finale exceeded every expectation and cemented in my mind the fact that The Office is one of the Best Shows Ever. Next year's predictions? Ryan traps Michael in a sexual harassment suit, Karen quits her job but somehow returns at the end of the season after Rashida Jones' new sit-com crashes and burns, and Jim and Pam get caught doing some after-hours bonking in the men's room. -J.B.

Chris Thile and the How to Grow a Band at the Bijou Theatre

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You may know him as the mandolin playing crooner from the band Nickel Creek -- or maybe you saw in him play in a duet with Edgar Meyer earlier this year on our UT campus -- but everyone in attendance at the Bijou last week found out that Chris Thile leads one of the tightest acoustic outfits ever to grace a stage. Featuring the fast picking of guitarist Bryan Sutton, this 5 piece Newgrass band owned the stage playing a unique blend of music sounding old-timey and progressive all at once. The best part of the evening for me was the unexpected cover of Radiohead's "Morning Bell" as the encore. That and the five part harmonies were sweet enough to make any man cry in his beer. The best show I've seen this year hands down. -D.T.

Thanks for reading! See you never!