PoP, Edition 16

Music
Heroes Vol. 1 by Ward Child
In what happens to be a very awesome concept, 16 classic performers were asked which bands they'd like to represent them on this charity compilation. Some of the covers make complete sense (The Kooks covering The Kinks' "Victoria), some sound great in theory but not so much in execution (Franz Ferdinand doing a rather weak version of Blondie's "Call Me"), and some are delightfully transcendant (like Estelle singing "Superstition" and Rufus Wainwright with Brian Wilson's "Wonderful"). It's a fun album with a great cause, so you can't go wrong.

Feather in the Wind by Mindy Gledhill
If you've been following the Nie Nie Recovery at all, then you're surely familiar with the name of Mindy Gledhill. Her efforts in helping with the recovery and her honest lyrics prove that she is a lovely person both inside and out. All of the songs on this, her sophomore album, are impressively self-penned, save for a gorgeous cover of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now." Her ardent voice has the same breathy quality that makes Imogen Heap so loveable. Give her a listen at her website and get purchase information here, because you will not regret it.

Television
Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Seasons Two and Three
Joss Whedon is a cruel, cruel master.
There are so many reasons why people dislike his work. Characters that you know and love die ALL the time. The characters you love to hate often triumph and let's not forget the characters that are so truly hateable and annoying that you can't stand it when they're on screen. The plots sometimes sound hackneyed and situations often fall on the side of completely ridiculous.
And yet.
He has gained his loyal following fair and square because the good parts are so good that the rest is inconsequential. Those very same character deaths carry such an emotional impact. The hateable characters are not always the villains and they are really very fun to hate. Cliches are avoided all together and the storylines are so awesome and original and well-played that you don't need to worry about the ridiculous part. Also, let's not forget that the dude's freaking hilarious. Season Three tends to get more of the critical acclaim, but I'd take Season Two any day of the week. And as much as I love the Buffster, it's the rest of the cast that charms me and keeps me coming back for more. (Oz is completely charming and I adore Xander when the writers are good to him. Giles? Yes and please and often. Cordelia is, so far, absolutely hilarious. Mayor Wilkins--best villain EVER.)
I could talk about this forever, so I'm just gonna wrap it up by saying that the main draw of Buffy is the sheer display of humanity (and feminism) that's portrayed through the fight against evil and the struggle of teenagehood.


Movies
Tongan Ninja
I don't usually review old movies, but I'm going to have to make an exception for this 2002 release. My dad borrowed it from a co-worker, after excitedly telling us kids about "this band called Flight of the Condors. I think you'll like them." Us kids: "Wait, what? We quote them constantly. Also, it's Conchords." Starring Sam Manu and Jemaine Clement, Tongan Ninja is this Aussie parody of kung-fu movies and once you figure out that it's supposed to be a paroday, it's super funny. These guys filmed it in English and then dubbed over it AGAIN in English just to get that Japanese-dubbed effect. The dialogue is either painfully on-the-nose or smartly sarcastic and the action scenes are AWESOME, like when Tongan Ninja actually kicks a guy's head off. There are three songs written by Bret and Jemaine of FotC fame and those are the best part. Below is the video to the opening credits musical number, although I was a fan of Nunchuck Lover. ("You crush his head in/And you're crushing on me/Ooh, Nunchuck Lover") I don't think it's readily available, but it's worth searching out, especially if you're a hardcore fan of Jemaine and Bret.