Working the Weekend with Luke-Louie, Star Wars/Superman Trailers, Whiskey Rose
Welcome to the April 19th edition of Working the Weekend with Luke. I’ve got a nice little mix of things today. I’ll start with some talk on Louie, get into the trailer frenzy that nearly broke the internet over the past few days, and finish up with some info on a great little country duo I’ve been following. I’ve had a busy week with Binge Sports with the NHL and NBA Playoffs both getting underway, and you can still vote on Round 1 for both (NHL HERE and NBA HERE). The all-new Binge Sportscast will also get underway later this week, so stay tuned for that. But for now, let’s talk a little TV, a little film, and a little music.
LOUIE
I’ve been fan of Louis C.K. and his stand-up specials for a long time, but I’ll be honest with you that up until last week, I hadn’t sat down and watched one full episode of Louie. It’s not that I didn’t have any interest in it, but I really just don’t watch a ton of live television outside of sports. I usually wait until I can binge-watch something and then I get after it. Such was the case last week when I watched the first four seasons of this amazing show.
When the show debuted, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. As I said, I’d been a fan of his stand-up for a while, and with the show being on FX, I knew it wouldn’t be anything like Seinfeld, but I sure didn’t think it was going to be this.
I knew there would be laughs, but I had no idea that there would be this much heart. At some point, I expected to cry from laughter, but I NEVER expected that it would bring the other kind. During so many episodes, I found myself getting extremely emotional, basically due to the connection I feel with the main character.
Without giving spoilers or getting into too much of my own life, I’m a divorced father with two little girls. The episodes that have his daughters in them are extremely personal to me, and I really made a connection with the feelings he’s trying to get across to the audience. I’m going to stop before I get into too much and write 5000 words, but seriously, if you haven’t watched Louie yet, get on it.
STAR WARS/BATMAN v SUPERMAN
Have you heard that there’s a new Star Wars trailer out? Of course you have, and so has the rest of the world. As someone who grew up during the height of this storied franchise, I will admit to getting a little excited for last Thursday’s release. After the disappointment of the prequels (minus the last 45 minutes of Revenge of the Sith), this franchise needed a kick in the ass, and it looks like we’re getting it. Hearing the voice of Luke Skywalker and some of the images from that trailer actually has me believing that The Force Awakens has a chance to right the wrongs from the previous three films. And yes, I’m a Skywalker guy, but the Han/Chewbacca sighting at the end was pretty solid.
I’ve not seen one person over the last few days make a bad comment about the trailer above, but the trailer below is another story. The first real trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrived this past week as well. Some people are excited. Some people are disappointed. If you don’t know me, then let me fill you in. I’m a big Superman guy, a BIG Superman guy, so consider me on the excited side. I actually watched Man of Steel again a few nights ago, and it keeps getting better with each viewing. Is is perfect? No, it’s not. I think Russell Crowe was completely wrong for Jor-El, and part of the movie suffered for that. The opening was too long, or maybe I just think that because of the Russell Crowe factor. But I thought that Henry Cavill did an excellent job (certainly better than the rubbish I had to sit through with Brandon Routh). As I am with a lot of topics, I could go on and on about this, but as for the trailer itself, I’m pleased with what I see so far. This movie is going to be dark and that’s exactly what it should be. The end of Man of Steel was very controversial to some, but I think it was building to this. I think that Lex Luthor (nice to hear Jesse Eisenberg’s quote) is going to get in the ear of Bruce Wayne and that will lead to the conflict. Ultimately, we know where things are going to go, but I think this movie has a chance to be very solid, as long as Snyder reels it in a little bit.
And if you haven’t seen Pete Holmes’ take on this whole thing, do yourself a favor and spend a few minutes watching this.
Told you it would be worth it.
WHISKEY ROSE
I know that this isn’t the biggest forum for country music, but I’m a guy who listens to just about everything. I’ll say it…I like country music. I’m a lyrics guy and I like for songs to tell me a story. So if you’ve followed this column from the start, you know that last summer, I met a young indie duo that goes by Whiskey Rose. They were here in my hometown for a three day festival with the likes of Brad Paisley and Hank Williams Jr. I was working at a TV station at the time and was able to meet Kristen Kuiper and Skye Claire at a VIP event and again when they came into a taping at the station. These ladies couldn’t be sweeter and they’ve been working hard over the past year to try and make a real name for themselves. So it’s nice to bring you the news that last week, Whiskey Rose released their first EP, “Don’t Slow Me Down”. I’ve been saying since I met them that the time is coming for these two, so it’s really great to see things start to happen for them. Good for you, girls. Congratulations. I’ll look forward to catching up with you this summer.
To download “Don’t Slow Me Down” and catch up with Whiskey Rose, go to their website, www.whiskeyrosemusic.com
Thoughts? Comments? Leave them below or follow me on Twitter @THElukenorris. And once again, stay tuned for the all-new Binge Sportscast, debuting later this week right here at Binge Media. Until next time.