Episode 16

1. Concert
-  Josh Groban’s tour at Wells Fargo Theater
-  Phil and Colleen’s experience

2. Fallen Skies
-  How was the first season?

3. Movie Catch Up
-  Thoughts on Dirty Dancing and Footloose remakes
-  New movies our contributors had watched (Stupid Crazy Love, Planet of the Apes, and Change Up)

4. New Movie Releases
-  Conan the Barbarian
-  One Day
-  Spy Kids
-  Fright Night

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Of course, our contributors discuss about more random things as well, so please check it out by clicking here or download here

Please feel free to also visit our other blogspot account.

1. Concerts
-  Keith Urban
-  Brad Paisley
-  U2

2. TV News
-  Breaking Bad returns
-  Two & a Half Men kills of Sheen’s character
-  How I Met Your Mother extends for two more seasons

3. Woody Allen
-  Midnight in Paris became his highest grossing film
-  Each contributor’s favorite Woody Allen Film

4. New Movie Releases
-  Captain America: the First Avenger
-  Friends with Benefits

It’s about 6:30pm on Thursday, and I’m just now processing this concert almost 24 hours after the fact.

A few weeks ago I got a text, “Hey, hope you’re not working July 20th, we’re going to see U2!” At that moment until the second Bono, The Edge, and the rest of U2 walked on stage, I was beyond excited.  Irish superband insanity!

We skipped the opener, Interpol, because well, I didn’t really care about anything else. So we explored the New Meadowlands Stadium, found our seats, and waited for the show to start. The stage was set, all four legs towering over the crowd, the round jumbo-tron-esque screen, and the walkway surrounding the center. U2 calls the stage “The Claw,
 and I’ve also heard it referred to as a crab, spider, and space ship. Before the band came out and the house music was playing, the round screen was displaying facts like statistics on poverty, illness, other world issues, as well as the time in countries around the world.  Bono sure knows how to preach it, even before he’s on stage! But more about that later.

The stats slowed and then only the countries’ times remained, and at about 9:15 pm EST, Space Oddity began to play. Space Oddity?!?! On comes the big round screen, and there they were.  Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayotn, and Larry Mullen. Walking on to the stage that was almost as big as Bono’s ego. The lights in the stadium went out, the green lights on stage came on, and so began the almost 3 hour show. Even Better Than The Real Thing was their opening song, leading right into more Achtung Baby tracks. At this point I was still trying to catch my breath. If I haven’t mentioned, I kind of lose it when I see mega-famous people.

By the time they got to I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, I was able to move and sing along a little bit, but mostly I was still in awe. Ok guys, I really effin love U2. In Bono’s preaching on his soap box manner, he turned Beautiful Day into a greeting from the International Space Station, which also went along with the whole “space theme” of the tour. After that, most songs also became messages with footage of countries and events that most people have little knowledge of.  It’s part of the reason why I respect Bono so much–he just puts it out there, and when it’s just him and 90,000, you better listen. Members of Amnesty International and the One Campaign even got to spend some time on stage. 

Beautiful Day

The stage itself was a show. During City Of Blinding Lights, and during a few songs afterwards,  not only did the lights on the legs flash around the stadium, but there were beams of light shooting up towards the sky, much like the lights we have in NYC at Ground Zero. I’m sure everyone felt something when they first came on. This video has a great view and captures the reaction of the crowd quite nicely. Oh yeah.. did I mention the stage had moving bridges?

City Of Blinding Lights

The last song of the initial set was Walk On, and by then I was predicting multiple encores, and boy was I right! 11pm quitting time means nothing to the world’s biggest rock group, let the union get paid their overtime, we’ve got a show to do!

Ready for the 90,000 people singalong? Hallelujah. Not the first time I’ve seen this song covered live (Bon Jovi did it on his last tour), but still awesome. Now what song have we all been waiting for? Where The Streets Have No Name! FINALLY the entire audience was on their feet, singing and dancing along. I love/hate the end of concerts, especially big ones like this. The energy is so intense, and sometimes you just want the band to stay forever. Well alright, they heard my prayer, and stayed for two, no, FOUR more songs. 

Here’s the second song of their second encore. My favorite of the entire night; it was so surreal.

With Or Without You

Then… Bono started thanking the audience, saying goodnight, and before he walked off… he asked to see a poster that someone in the crowd was holding. “For Clarence.” Ready for the waterworks, Jersey? The band has mentioned on several occasions their love of the E-Street Band and New Jersey, so it was much appreciated here that the band did a tribute to Clarence Clemons. It started with the lights going out, cell phones being waved in the air, and then Moment Of Surrender was played. Earlier in the evening, they had incorporated The Promised Land into “Still Haven’t Found…” I say it was a very fitting tribute, and it reminded me how lucky I was so have seen Bruce and the gang at the old Giants Stadium before they tour it down.

Moment Of Surrender

The final song of the evening was Out Of Control. And with that, the concert was over at 11:50. 

I’ve been to a LOT of shows in my 23 years of existence, and I’ve seen some pretty big names, but this one now has a place at the top of my list of “most mindblowing concerts.” After I got home, I noticed that U2, New Jersey, and the Meadowlands was trending on Twitter and Yahoo. I haven’t seen any mention of the tour on Twitter until last night, which obviously means that Jersey goes big when we have a band in town. I am beyond thankful that I got the chance to see one of my favorite bands, favorite celebrities, that this was a postponed show I would have missed otherwise, and that I didn’t wet my pants as expected. Thanks to my good friend who got me the ticket =)
 
And here is the setlist, which over the duration of the tour has evolved several times. I was happy with the song selection we had, only thing missing was New Years Day.

 Even Better Than The Real Thing, The Fly, Mysterious Ways, Until The End Of The World, I Will Follow, Get On Your Boots, Magnificent, I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For / The Promised Land (snippet), Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (snippet) / , Stay (Faraway, So Close!) / In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning (snippet), Beautiful Day / Space Oddity (snippet), Elevation, Pride (In The Name Of Love), Miss Sarajevo, Zooropa, City Of Blinding Lights, Vertigo, I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight / Discothèque (snippet) / Psycho Killer (snippet) / Life During Wartime (snippet), Sunday Bloody Sunday, Scarlet, Walk On
encores: One, Hallelujah (snippet) / , Where The Streets Have No Name, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, With Or Without You, Moment of Surrender, Out Of Control

Setlists from the whole tour can be seen at <a href=”http://www.u2setlists.com/360-northamerica-2011.shtml”></a>

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On the Rocks
- Final Destination Marathon
- How to make Skippies
- Glee cast graduating
- In comparison to other shows like Friday Night Lights
- Can Glee survive without Leah Michelle’s voice?
- Heroes vs Lost
- Harry Potter trio
- Predictions on their future movie career
- Best Picture nomination for Deathly Hallows?
- Jeter’s 3K Hit

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1. Google+
-  Our thoughts and experience so far
-  Comparison against other social networks

2. Curb Your Enthusiasm
-  Season premiere

3. Our long time friend, Harry Potter
-  Our likes and dislikes of the series
-  What we took from it
-  Why we love this franchise

4. New Movie Releases
-  Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2
-  Winnie the Pooh

We pick up with the 2nd Massachusetts with a civilian pointing a gun at Anne, demanding all of the medicine. He plans to take his son and wife away from the school and take his chances to live away from the unit. After Weaver, Mason, and Michael follow him, they retrieve all of the medicine when a soldier of the 7th Mass assists them. We meet Terry and he will play a very important part of this episode.

While Anne and Margaret took a lead role last episode, this one dealt with the Mason family and the new face of the unit, Terry. There have been many tough decisions made already for this group of survivors, and they’re about to make another one. Terry warns Weaver and the 2nd Mass that the Skitters invaded his unit. He suggests leading the children to a safe haven and away from the school where the Skitters will target next.

Of course, the parents, including Mason, aren’t on board with separating themselves from their children. Still, it seems like the only logical thing to do. Anne is pretty shaken up from being held at gunpoint from a civilian and Margaret consoles her by giving her a handgun and teaching her how to shoot. There’s nothing like hot women staring fiercely at an enemy while holding a gun. Uh huh.

Back to the episode, we get a few scenes with Ben and his family. Ben explains to Matt what it was like to be under the Skitters control, which he admit wasn’t a terrible thing. Falling Skies has done a very good job and drawing some sympathies for these Skitters. There’s a fine line between hating these aliens and actually wanting to understand what they’re doing and why. Whatever you think, it makes for some compelling television. Also, Ben continues to tell Matt that with the harnace on, the Skitters knew everything that he wanted without having to actually say anything. Can someone get me one of these harnaces?

The night Mason presents the plan to the civilians, a Mech attacks the base. This is little Jimmy’s first night back under soldier duty and he comes face to face with a Skitter before Weaver blasts it to pieces. I have to say, because Falling Skies has been playing things safe, I didn’t ever believe that Jimmy was going to die this episode, although I would’ve recommended it. Nonetheless, the complete turn of Jimmy’s willingness to fight and being completely scared out of his wits was sobering. He was just a child who should be in junior high school, but I couldn’t help thinking of all the children used in wars.

Mason finally realizes that it’s better to place the children in a safe environment and not directly in harm’s way. A heart-warming scene between Hal and Tom follows when Hal wants to be there with Matt and Ben as they go with Terry. Of course, Tom allows it.

Now let’s get to the surprising conclusion. Terry leads the children and a few soldiers to the safe haven, but not without diverting the original trail through the woods. That’s the first time I grew suspicious about the entire plan of separating the children from their parents for a few days until the soldiers can fend off the Skitters. What we see next is Terry working with the Skitters and giving them a young boy. How did Terry know where to find the 2nd Mass? He has Pope as a prisoner! Hey, atleast Pope is back in play, right?

Overall, I enjoyed this episode, which is half of a two-part episode. So I assume Terry’s character will be terminated next week and we’ll have Pope back in the 2nd Mass. Any takers?

–

A few notes:

- So Jimmy doesn’t die, but Parker does… and apparently Jimmy is a chess wizard. But that doesn’t help himself from crapping his pants at a Skitter’s presence.

- I enjoyed the hostility inside of the base between the one civilian who mocked and blamed Ben for the upcoming attack. Put under such pressure, it’s hard to see everything clearly and that was how everyone began to turn against each other. Good thing for our hero, Tom Mason, to restore order.

- When the Skitter crushed that toy globe in his hand (claw?), that kind of freaked me out a bit. Pretty clear that’s a hint at what their intentions really are.

- So we have Hal and Margaret getting closer and also Tom and Anne. I’m afraid to see some mushy gushy romance story-lines in Season 2.

There are a few things that I have learned about Falling Skies through the first five episodes. For one, there seems to be a lot of coincidences and conveniences for the group of the Resistence. Whether Pope is a gourmet chef and knows where to get motorcycles, or if Margaret knows how to shoot a crossbow and knows the hospital like the back of her hand, it doesn’t stop. I hope this doesn’t get too out of hand as the show goes on, but it’s definitely something I can do without.

Secondly, the show does a good job at creating suspense. It benefits from dealing with the unknown alien race and it’s fun going along the ride, trying to figure out how the Skitters act and what their weaknesses are. There is still a lot of trial and error, but for the most part they’re continuing to understand them more. Finally, Falling Skies hasn’t really taken many risks yet. It’s very formal and standard with its story-lines and I would really like to see it take risks. For me, that’s really its breaking point that’ll either make it a show that I enjoy or a show that will be memorable.

Okay, I got that all off my chest. Now let’s recap the episode, which was a very Anne-heavy show (which is a very good thing). Tom, Hal and the small group of soldiers are planning to retrieve Tom’s son along with as many children as they can. Margaret (the hot blonde who was with Pope’s group at first) makes herself very important, showing off her crossbow skills and helping out the soldiers navigate around the hospital. Tom and Hal had a lot to thank her for.

Like I mentioned, Anne takes over. First, Dr. Harris gets killed by the alien (who didn’t see that coming?), which creates a lot of tension inside the group. Anne convinces the Captain to allow her to learn more about the alien before killing it, which results in her demonstrating to Tom and Hal how to kill a Skitter one-on-one. Who know Anne could be so tough, but that why she is a great character. Also, we find out that Anne hasn’t posted any pictures of her missing son, Sam, because she doesn’t have a picture.

So before the soldiers raid the hospital and rescue the kids, we see the Skitter put the children to sleep while sleeping over them, like it was pretecting the children. Are the Skitters really acting like the caretakers of the children they harnaced? It definitely seems like it now. After taking the children back, Anne, Lourdes, Tom, and others remove the harnaces from the children. The procedure was successful for all but one child, who died. It’s the tough life of a doctor and to no surprise, Anne was distraught over it.

The episode ends with Ben waking up and to my surprise, he remembered his family. This was definitel the happiest moment of the season so far, and finally Tom has something to geniunely smile about. But why did Ben remember his father while Rick didn’t?

Overall, “Silent Kill” was a very complete episode. Anne and Margaret take a much more important role in the show, which has mainly been focusing in on Tom Mason. And is it me, or can Anne and Lourdes be related? I still miss Pope’s crazy antics and without him the show lacks the much-needed comedy relief. But what it lacked in comedy, it made up with plenty of touching moments, none more touching that Captain Weaver listening to the record towards the end of the episode. It’s tough to imagine a world without music, and how memories and people can tie into such a luxury. Whatever keeps a loved one alive in your memory is what they’re holding onto.

Anyway, I look forward to what is in store next for our group of survivors.