Happy 4th of July!

Little known fact: 4th of July is my favorite Holiday. It celebrates something I actually believe in, involves getting together with friends, great food, explosions, music, and there's no snow, ever.

Here's a quick clip that I try to watch every Independence Day, courtesy of the Animaniacs. Always helps put me in the mood.

2011 Album Power Rankings (Week 3)

Its the third week of the Power Rankings. There's been a little movement and there is a new album making its debut on the list.

10. Big K.R.I.T. : Return of 4eva ( -1 ) [9]

KRIT shows he's got a conscious side on a track like "Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Ecouraging Racism," while still serving up some good ol' "Country Shit" with Southern stars Ludacris and Bun B.

09. Fucked Up: David Comes To Life (-1) [6]

The punk opera is still a solid release, just suffers from the increase play the up-and-comers have gotten over the past week.

08. Bad Meets Evil: Hell- The Sequel (-3) [5]

Em and Royce make for a killer combo the likes we haven't seen since Outkast broke up. Until they reunite, Bad Meets Evil will be the rap duo of choice (yes, that's a challenge to Jay-Z and Kanye to actually try).

07. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues (---) [7]

Last week's top gainer owed its jump to its awesome grooves and understated production. It stays at #7 for the same reasons.

06. The Antlers: Burst Apart (---) [6]

Its interesting how such a subdued sounding album can reach the great heights Burst Apart does. Just a really captivating album.

05. The Weeknd: House of Balloons (**) [5]

I heard The Weeknd for the first time last weekend (ha ha! See what I did there?). I heard a little buzz about them on Twitter from Joe Budden and Drake. The R&B sound is similar to Frank Ocean in tone and style, and the subject matter sticks to what I love about R&B- women and sleeping with them. Its great stuff and is growing on me by the day. Definitely worth checking out! (free download from their website)

04. Tyler, The Creator: Goblin (---) [4]

Leader of the Odd Future movement, Tyler's sophomore effort shows no sign of a slump, and its not slumping in the standings either.

03. Brad Paisley: This Is Country Music (---) [3]

Still the lone country artist on the list, Brad sets himself apart from the country crowd thus far this year with his unparalleled versatility within the genre.

02. Frank Ocean: nostalgia, ULTRA (---) [2]

Odd Future's elder statesman is finally getting the recognition from his record label (Def Jam) that he so clearly deserves. My favorite new thing in R&B since Melanie Fiona.

01. Adele: 21 (---) [1]

Adele holds the record for most consecutive weeks atop the MFP Power Rankings. All kidding aside, I think she proved with this record she could be a star for the ages. Unless she tragically goes the way of Sam Cooke, I see a prolonged career without the Amy Whinehouse breakdown bullshit.

(Largest Drop: Bad Meets Evil, Hell: The Sequel- #5 to #8)

(Largest Gain: The Weeknd, House of Balloons - unranked to #5)

GCS meets NYC

The Gate City Squad took a trip out to NYC to film their music video for their new track, "Dreaming (ft. Jeff Blair)" They making GOOD Music like Kanye... Check it out, like it, support it.

NBA Draft's Biggest Winner

Kyrie Erving, Derrick Williams, Jimmer, Kemba & company: Take notes-- Jan Vesely is the leading scorer thus far this season, and an early favorite for rookie of the year.

The Wizard's #6 overall pick is a 6'11" freak athlete. So how tall must his girlfriend be? (6'3").

Too soon to pronounce- "We Are Witnesses?"

My New Drug

My new addiction, explained in a way that convinced me I don't need to give it up... Having 2 of the best weeks ever since I started drinking it wasn't helping either. Hooray for coffee!

Video From: http://blog.cgpgrey.com/

America Doin' Work

U-S-A! U-S-A!

I don't know when the last time the USA took out 2 of its highest profile bad guys in a few months, especially ones that could fill in for either Waldo or Carmen Sandiego.

Toy Story 4

Tagline: Hold On Woody!

This made my morning. This, and the fact that Friday always leads right into a Fun Weekend.

NBA Draft Tonight

The Boston Celtics own the #25 and #55 picks in tonight's NBA Draft. I'm going to play Danny Ainge for a quick minute and make the picks the green needs. And yes, that is Sam Cassell, the heart of our 2008 World Champion Team.

Tonight, I hope to hear David Stern pronounce: "With the 25th pick in the NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics select, Kenneth Faried from Morehead State."

Wait- who? From where? Trust me, this is the guy we want. He's a rebounder. He goes after the ball with wreckless abandon. He's incredibly athletic. He can block shots and dives all over the floor. He will do everything that Big Baby wouldn't do (i.e. why I grew to really dislike the guy the second half of the season). He averaged 17 and 14.5 last year. And he patents his game after the ultimate undersized-rebounder: Dennis Rodman. What's not to love?

The #55 pick is a lot more of a shot in the dark, but there are a couple players that I wouldn't mind seeing the Celts draft late in the 2nd round. Keep in mind, we got solid role players like Gomes and Semih around this spot in past years.

1. Shelvin Mack, Butler G.

2. Chandler Parsons, Florida F

Both guys are team players that play smart, effective basketball with the ability to bring some extra scoring off the bench for a team that suddenly has no bench whatsoever.

Mack can definitely improve from simply being around a great shooter like Ray. He's not a true point guard (was Butler's SG) and will need to improve his blow-by speed off the dribble. But< I could seem him eventually becoming an Eddie House-type spark plug down the line.

Parsons was the SEC's player of the year and is considered one of the most clutch performers in the draft, something that's proven invaluable this past NBA Finals. He's also the first player I like from Florida since NH's own Matt Bonner played there. That has to count for something, right?

2011 Album Power Rankings (Week 2)

Its the second week of the Power Rankings. There's been a little movement and there is a new album making its debut on the list.

10. The Lonely Island: Turtleneck & Chain (-1) [9]

The Lonely Island is a pleasant surprise, mixing humor with great music. Successful hip-hop satire no longer belongs solely to Weird Al anymore.

09. Big K.R.I.T. : Return of 4eva ( * ) [8]

Power Rankings debut for KRIT. The southern rapper is easily deserving of this spot once I realized Return of 4eva is more a "free album" than a mixtape. KRIT shows he's got a conscious side on a track like "Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Ecouraging Racism," while still serving up some good ol' "Country Shit" with Southern stars Ludacris and Bun B.

08. Fucked Up: David Comes To Life (-2) [6]

The punk opera is still a solid release, just suffers from the increase play the up-and-comers have gotten over the past week.

07. Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues (+2) [7]

The week's top gainer owes its jump to its awesome grooves and understated production.

06. The Antlers: Burst Apart (+ 1) [6]

Its interesting how such a subdued sounding album can reach the great heights Burst Apart does. Just a really captivating album.

05. Bad Meets Evil: Hell- The Sequel (---) [5]

Em and Royce make for a killer combo the likes we haven't seen since Outkast broke up. Until they reunite, Bad Meets Evil will be the rap duo of choice (yes, that's a challenge to Jay-Z and Kanye to actually try).

04. Tyler, The Creator: Goblin (---) [4]

Leader of the Odd Future movement, Tyler's sophomore effort shows no sign of a slump, and its not slumping in the standings either.

03. Brad Paisley: This Is Country Music (---) [3]

Still the lone country artist on the list, Brad sets himself apart from the country crowd thus far this year with his unparalleled versatility within the genre.

02. Frank Ocean: nostalgia, ULTRA (---) [2]

Odd Future's elder statesman is finally getting the recognition from his record label (Def Jam) that he so clearly deserves. My favorite new thing in R&B since Melanie Fiona.

01. Adele: 21 (---) [1]

Adele holds the record for most consecutive weeks atop the MFP Power Rankings. All kidding aside, I think she proved with this record she could be a star for the ages. Unless she tragically goes the way of Sam Cooke, I see a prolonged career without the Amy Whinehouse breakdown bullshit.

(Largest Drop: Joe Budden, MM4.5 - #8 to unranked)

(Largest Gain: Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues - #10 to #7)

The Voice-- Going from Semifinals to the Finals

This show's awesome at keeping you on your toes. Its producing great performances week after week, and although I've been able to predict it most of the way thus far (I wasn't even that surprised Adam went with lil' Stevie Nicks over my favorite Jeff Jenkins), its been a wild few weeks. We've quickly moved from 32 to 16 and 16 to just 8 in a four show span, and we're cutting in half again tomorrow to reach our 4 Finalists.

I'll just post last nights' performances here for anyone who forgot or doesn't watch in the first place.

Team Blake

Dia: Losing My Religion, by REM

Xenia: The Man Who Can't Be Moved, by The Script

Team Xtina

Beverly: The Thrill Is Gone, by BB King

Frenchie: Like A Prayer, by Madonna

Team Adam

Javier: Fix You, by Coldplay

Casey: And I Will Always Love You, by Whitney Houston/Dolly Parton

Team Cee-lo

Vicci: The Dog Days Are Over, by Florence & The Machine

Nakia: Whataya Want From Me, by Adam Lambert

Personally, I see the Final 4 being Dia, Javier, Vicci and Beverly... but honestly Nakia and Frenchie could sneak in and I wouldn't be all that upset. What do you think?

On a side-note, what the hell is on Adam Levine's iPod? He's never heard Whataya Want From Me or God Bless The Broken Road? I've always been interested in what music that artists listen to, but that's only been elevated by Adam's, ummm... lack of Pop knowledge?