Celebrity crush: Shiri Appleby (updated)

And we close out the week with another revised entry, featuring a star of The CW's drama Life Unexpected. Look for a new entry Monday, and then it'll depend on how quickly Ye Olde Podcaster got a new computer after arriving in Massachusetts for grad school.

Name: Shiri Appleby
Hometown: Los Angeles, according to her Wikipedia entry.
Best Known For: Life Unexpected is her first starring role in several years, since her first series -- the science fiction teen drama Roswell -- ended. But she also played an intern in the final season of ER and, a little before that, did an episode of the NBC horror anthology Fear Itself alongside Superman Returns star Brandon Routh. But she has a very extensive list of credits.

(Roswell was the launch pad for a couple of other folks who have gone on to bigger things: Katherine Heigl has had the most high-profile career since then, but the show also starred fellow crush Majandra Delfino, whose music has been featured a couple of times on the Mental Nomad Podcast; Colin Hanks, most recently seen on Fox's police comedy The Good Guys; and future celebrity crush entrant Emilie De Ravin, who co-starred on Lost as Claire.)

As "Jailbait" in "Charlie Wilson's War"

Film work includes playing the girlfriend of the guy being stalked by fellow celebrity crush Erika Christensen in Swimfan and playing a congressional staffer nicknamed "Jailbait" in Charlie Wilson's War (alongside fellow celebrity crush Rachel Nichols). And she co-starred with fellow celebrity crush Larisa Oleynik in A Time for Dancing.
Humble Beginnings: Appleby started doing commercial work at age 4 for Cheerios, M&Ms and other products. Early TV appearances included 7th Heaven, ER (14 years before her later recurring role as an intern), Doogie Howser and others. As usual, I'm just including roles filmed and released after she turned 18.

Missed Opportunities: Appleby was set to star in a USA Network series called To Live and Die as the daughter of a hit man played by Tim Matheson. Twelve episodes were ordered, but something apparently happened on the way there, because the pilot aired as a two-hour movie, and that was it. Oops.
Obligatory Edgy Stuff: Appleby was in the film Havoc, though since she kept her clothes on, most of the chatter around that film involved Anne Hathaway showing skin (as did Bijou Phillips, but that happens on any day ending with a Y). Probably about the edgiest thing I can say about her is that she played a sexual surrogate in the comedy When Do We Eat? and may or may not have gone topless in heavy creature makeup for a really terrible straight-to-Sci Fi movie called Darklight.
The Courteney Cox Factor: Appleby has shown up in at least three music videos: Bon Jovi's "It's My Life," Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Want to Be" and Sense Field's "Save Yourself" (the latter of which was on the Roswell soundtrack and included on the DVD set for the show's first season).

With "Life Unexpected" co-star Britt Robertson

Why Ye Olde Podcaster Likes Her: Appleby generally plays the down-to-earth, normal sorts, even in the science fiction milieu. And she plays it well, taking characters and making them appealing -- even if, as with her character on Life Unexpected, you're initially a bit wary of her.
Music video appearances: Bon Jovi - "It's My Life" (iTunes) * Gavin DeGraw - "I Don't Want to Be" (iTunes) * Sense Field - "Save Yourself" (iTunes)

TV credits: Life Unexpected, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * Life Unexpected, season 1 (Amazon | iTunes) * ER, season 15 (Amazon | iTunes) * Fear Itself: "Community" (Amazon | iTunes) * Six Degrees (Amazon | iTunes) * Project Greenlight, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * Roswell, season 3 (Amazon | iTunes) * Roswell, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * Roswell, season 1 (Amazon | iTunes) * The Amanda Show, season 2: "Episode 218" (Amazon | iTunes) * The Amanda Show, season 2: "Episode 216" (Amazon | iTunes) * Batman Beyond, season 2: "Terry's Friend Dates a Robot" (Amazon | iTunes) * Beverly Hills 90210, season 9: "Local Hero" (Amazon | iTunes) * Xena: Warrior Princess, season 4: "A Tale of Two Muses" (Amazon | iTunes) * Xena: Warrior Princess, season 3: "Forgiven" (Amazon | iTunes) * 7th Heaven, season 2: "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (Amazon | iTunes) * Baywatch, season 7: "Hot Water" (Amazon | iTunes) * Emergency Vets (Amazon | iTunes)
Film credits: Unstable (Amazon | iTunes) * Charlie Wilson's War (Amazon | iTunes) * What Love Is (Amazon | iTunes) * The Killing Floor (Amazon | iTunes) * Love Like Wind (Amazon | iTunes) * Carjacking (Amazon | iTunes) * Thrill of the Kill (Amazon | iTunes) * I'm Reed Fish (Amazon | iTunes) * I-See-You.com (Amazon | iTunes) * Pizza My Heart (Amazon | iTunes) * Havoc (Amazon | iTunes) * Everything You Want (Amazon | iTunes) * When Do We Eat? (Amazon | iTunes) * Darklight (Amazon | iTunes) * Undertow (Amazon | iTunes) * The Battle of Shaker Heights (Amazon | iTunes) * The Skin Horse (Amazon | iTunes) * Swimfan (Amazon | iTunes) * A Time for Dancing (Amazon | iTunes) * The Thirteenth Floor (Amazon | iTunes) * The Other Sister (Amazon | iTunes) * Deal of a Lifetime (Amazon | iTunes)

Bizarro Files: 29 September 2010

Today is observed as Inventor's Day in Argentina. If you look at the ads on my page, you might notice that some of my advertisers are stores that sell really great inventions: SharperImage.com and Real Goods Solar, just for starters. Check 'em out, or consider donating via the Paypal button, to help me keep up with hosting fees, won't you?

Notable folks born on this date include Spanish humanist and Unitarian martyr Miguel Servet (aka Michael Servetus, 1388-1421); Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616); Italian artist Caravaggio (1571-1610); British admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805); Italian physicist and Nobel laureate Enrico Fermi (1901-1954); American singer, actor and businessman Gene Autry (1907-1998); Inspector Morse novelist Colin Dexter (born in 1930); American children's author Stan Berenstain (1923-2005); musical hell raiser Jerry Lee Lewis (born in 1935); British actor Ian McShane (born in 1942); former Polish president and Nobel laureate Lech Wałęsa (born in 1943); prolific American composer (often of TV themes) Mike Post (born in 1944); TV personality Bryant Gumbel (born in 1948); Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and American comic and talk show host Stephanie Miller (both born in 1961); Primus bassist Les Claypool (born in 1963); actress Natasha Gregson Wagner (born in 1970, daughter of Natalie Wood); and Chuck star Zachary Levi (born in 1980).

Prominent people and things departing on this date include French writer Émile Zola (1840-1902); engine inventor Rudolph Diesel (1858-1913); American author Carson McCullers (1917-1967); English poet W.H. Auden (1907-1973); American cartoonist Charles Addams (1912-1988); pop artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997); and American newspaper Syracuse Herald-Journal (1839-2001).

Flashback scenes and musical accompaniments:

Darius I of Persia staked his claim on the throne of the Persian Empire this day in 522 B.C.E. by killing rival Gaumâta. (This was BEFORE Darius became lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, and hence also before his career as a country singer.)

Themistocles and his Greek fleet beat the Persian fleet of Xerxes I (the glittery bad guy from 300) at the Battle of Salamis this day in 480 B.C.E. -- so, all that bloodshed was over sandwich meat? Seriously?

Topping the American singles chart on this date of history -- some time later, obviously -- were songs including "Mack the Knife" (Amazon | iTunes) by Bobby Darin (1959); "Oh Pretty Woman" (Amazon | iTunes) by Roy Orbison (1964); "Cherish" (Amazon | iTunes) by The Association (1966); "The Letter" (Amazon | iTunes) by The Box Tops (1967); "Hey Jude" (Amazon | iTunes) by The Beatles (1968); "We're an American Band" (Amazon | iTunes) by Grand Funk (1973); "I Honestly Love You" (Amazon | iTunes) by Olivia Newton-John (1974); "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" (Amazon | iTunes) by Meco (1978); "My Sharona" (Amazon | iTunes) by The Knack (1979).

The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II was excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX this day in 1227 C.E. because he would not participate in the Crusades, an event memorialized in John Lennon's "I Don't Want to Be a Soldier." (OK, it really wasn't about that in particular. Great song, though. Available at Amazon or iTunes, take your pick)

History's first recorded dating service -- the Office of Addresses and Encounters -- was opened in London on this date in 1650 by Henry Robinson.

The cornerstone for the Washington National Cathedral was set in place this date in 1907. The project was finished on this day in 1990.

Other No. 1 singles on this date include "Another One Bites the Dust" (Amazon | iTunes) by Queen (1980); "Jack and Diane" (Amazon | iTunes) by John Cougar (1981); "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (Amazon | iTunes) by Bonnie Tyler (1983); "Let's Go Crazy" (Amazon | iTunes) by Prince and the Revolution (1984); "Didn't We Almost Have It All" (Amazon | iTunes) by Whitney Houston (1987); "Don't Worry Be Happy" (Amazon | iTunes) by Bobby McFerrin (1988); "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" (Amazon | iTunes) by Milli Vanilli (1989); "Release Me" (Amazon | iTunes) by Wilson Phillips (1990); "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (Amazon | iTunes) by Boyz II Men (1997); "A Moment Like This" (Amazon | iTunes) by Kelly Clarkson (2002); and "Stronger" (Amazon | iTunes) by Kanye West (2007).

Émile Zola's no-good grandson, Arnim Zola,
fought Captain America on behalf of the Nazis.
There's a black sheep in every family...

And illegally appointed American "president" George W. Bush -- in his second term thanks to the stolen re-election campaign of 2004 -- further secured his place as the destroyer of the United States this day in 2005, when his Supreme Court nominee John Roberts was confirmed as Chief Justice of the United States. The court under Roberts is notable for its worship of corporate power and disfranchisement of human beings, as evidenced by the "Citizens United" ruling that lets companies pour unlimited money into elections.

Sources: Wikipedia, Josh Hosler's site, recycled red tape from various failed government programs.

Celebrity crush: Summer Glau (updated)

Here's a revised profile of another of the actresses discussed in Mental Nomad Podcast 143, the infamous celebrity crushes edition.

Name: Summer Glau
Hometown: San Antonio, Texas, according to her Wikipedia entry, but we'll forgive her.
Best Known For: Glau is best known for playing hot but lethal (and sometimes crazy) women in a science fiction milieu -- co-starring on Joss Whedon's Firefly and the movie Serenity as the mysterious River Tam, playing the recurring role of mental patient and mind controller Tess on The 4400, playing a Terminator named Cameron on the TV series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. And now she's kicking ass on the NBC superhero drama The Cape.

That's her niche: Women who are beautiful but deadly (aren't they all?).

She also did seven episodes in the second season of the military drama The Unit, which allowed us to see how she'd fare in a bikini. (Verdict: Fan-friggin'-tastic.) And she's the voice of Supergirl in the forthcoming MMORG DC Universe Online, having previously voiced the character in an animated movie.
Humble Beginnings: Glau was home-schooled in grades 3-12, according to Wikipedia, so she might also focus on dance: Ballet in particular, plus tango and flamenco.

A serious ankle injury led her to acting, and she came to Joss Whedon's attention playing a ballerina in a third-season episode of Angel.

Obligatory Edgy Stuff: Actually, her shameful secret is the opposite of edgy: Before meeting Joss Whedon, Glau auditioned for one of the incarnations of the Power Rangers TV franchise.
Why Ye Olde Podcaster Likes Her: In addition to being gorgeous -- with the legs of a ballerina to go along with that face -- Glau is great at playing characters who are somewhat broken or incomplete and giving them an air of both menace and vulnerability.

Her deadpan delivery and pouty lips were sometimes the only things that kept Ye Olde Podcaster watching The Sarah Connor Chronicles, in all honesty.

And in her guest appearance as herself on the second season of The Big Bang Theory -- one of the funniest shows around -- she easily held her own in a train ride with the fanboys from hell.
Variety Is the Spice of Life: According to her IMDB.com profile, her favorite TV show is Brothers and Sisters, which co-stars fellow celebrity crush Emily VanCamp. And despite the heavy science fiction presence on Glau's resume, Brothers and Sisters has nary a trace of the supernatural -- except maybe the fact all those squabbling relatives haven't killed each other yet.

TV credits: The Cape, season 1 (Amazon | iTunes) * Good Morning Rabbit, season 1: "National Hamburger Day" (Amazon | iTunes) * Deadly Honeymoon (Amazon | iTunes) * Dollhouse, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * The Big Bang Theory, season 2: "The Terminator Decoupling" (Amazon | iTunes) * Terminator: The Sarah Chronicles, season 1 (Amazon | iTunes) * The 4400, season 4 (Amazon | iTunes) * The Unit, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * The 4400, season 3 (Amazon | iTunes) * The 4400, season 2 (Amazon | iTunes) * CSI, season 5: "What's Eating Gilbert Grissom?" (Amazon | iTunes) * Cold Case, season 1: "Love Conquers Al" (Amazon | iTunes) * Firefly (Amazon | iTunes) * Angel, season 3: "Waiting in the Wings" (Amazon | iTunes)
Film credits: Knights of Badassdom (Amazon | iTunes) * The Legend of Hell's Gate: An American Conspiracy (Amazon | iTunes) * Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (Amazon | iTunes) * The Initiation of Sarah (Amazon | iTunes) * Mammoth (Amazon | iTunes) * Serenity (Amazon | iTunes) * Sleepover (Amazon | iTunes)
Videogame voice credits: DC Universe Online (Amazon)

Mental Nomad Podcast 166: The Question Mark

This could be the last episode for a few weeks, or who knows? I might be back as early as a week or two from now. I'm recording it and publishing the show notes in late August, before heading to Massachusetts for graduate school, and I'm not sure how quickly I'll have a computer of my own after I get there.

Here's what you'll hear today (right-click to download MP3 or to stream it in a new tab or window):

1. Alan Marchand: "Blues in G"
2. Annie Fitzgerald: "Watch the World Go By"
3. The Dino Haak Collective: "State Trooper"
4. Sound of Surrender: "Ambulance Anxiety"
5. Sound of Surrender: "The Long Road Home"
6. Darko Saric: "Lush Life"
7. Matthew Dear: "I Can't Feel"
8. Rilo Kiley: "With Arms Outstretched"
9. Alan Marchand: "Mister Mojo"
10. Amy Coleman: "Goodbye New York"
11. Sean Costello: "Hard Luck Woman"
12. Sound of Surrender: "This One's for You"
13. The Dino Haak Collective: "Life Bit Me"
14. Darko Saric: "Reaching the Stars"
15. Amy Coleman: "Time to Believe"
16. Annie Fitzgerald: "Hero"

(Total play time: 1:05:34)

Tracks 1, 3, 6, 9, 13 and 14 were purchased at Magnatune; track 7 comes via the IODA Promonet and may be downloaded below for free as long as the promotion lasts; songs 8 and 11 were picked up at Music Alley; and the remainder of the songs are by Ariel Publicity clients. And if you liked something you heard here, I'm including Amazon and iTunes links below for your consideration -- royalties from your purchases and/or Paypal donations would be much appreciated, as I'm also unsure how quickly I'll have a job up there.

The link for the late Sean Costello in this and any future episodes will take you to the site of The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research.

Source albums

Free downloads

Amy Coleman: Goodbye New York (Amazon | iTunes) Sean Costello: We Can Get Together (Amazon | iTunes) Matthew Dear: Black City (Amazon | iTunes) Dino Haak Collective: Switzerland, Your Light Is On (Amazon | iTunes) Dino Haak Collective: Filmscore (Amazon | iTunes) Annie Fitzgerald: In Good Time (Amazon | iTunes) Alan Marchand: Blues for All Occasions (Amazon | iTunes) Rilo Kiley: The Execution of All Things (Amazon | iTunes) Darko Saric: Circles (Amazon | iTunes) Sound of Surrender: The Long Road Home (Amazon | iTunes)

Matthew Dear "I Can't Feel" (mp3) from "Black City" (Ghostly International) Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album

Celebrity crush: Jessica Paré

Here's a new entry for the celebrity crush series, a Canadian actress and sometimes singer whose list of credits is somewhat more limited than you'd expect from someone once dubbed her country's "It girl."

She's married and has said she doesn't intend for acting to prevent her having a personal life. Which I totally respect -- just a shame the lucky husband isn't, you know, Ye Olde Podcaster. :)

Amazon and iTunes links may be found at the end -- for works after she turned 18, at any rate. Any affiliate payments earned from your purchase or rental will help pay the hosting fees for my podcasts, so please consider clicking.

Name: Jessica Paré
Hometown: The suburbs of Montreal, in Quebec, up in Canada (aka Our Strange and Savage Neighbor to the North), according to her Wikipedia entry. I dunno about you, but I surrender to Canada right now.
Best Known For: Paré is best known as a "Hey, it's that girl" actress here in the United States, if at all -- with recent appearances on Mad Men (as a hot secretary who causes people from other offices to walk by hoping for a glimpse of her) and in the comedy films Suck (about vampires) and Hot Tub Time Machine (title self-explanatory). She may be second-best-known as "Wait, no, that's not Anne Hathaway."

She played Eleanore in the 2002 TV miniseries Napoléon, co-starred in the too-short-lived series Jack and Bobby (along with Mad Men co-star John Slattery and recurring guest star Matt Long), and shared lesbian love scenes with fellow celebrity crush Piper Perabo in the dark indie film Lost and Delirious.
Humble Beginnings: While attending Catholic girls school, she played Jesus in a production of the musical Godspell. Other stage work included Maid Marian in a Robin Hood tale.

Paré began doing television work while still in high school and made the leap to film before she was 18, which brings us to...
Obligatory Edgy Stuff: Paré did nude scenes in at least one project released before her 18th birthday. Presumably, her parents signed a waiver -- if Canadian laws work the same as I understand American laws to work -- but Ye Olde Podcaster won't be linking to it here, only to works released (and most likely filmed) after she was an adult.
Not the Courteney Cox Factor: She learned to play bass guitar for the film Suck.
Why Ye Olde Podcaster Likes Her: Paré is a buxom French-Canadian beauty with a look that reminds me of actresses in the Brigitte Bardot era, when curves were still seen as an asset (making her a perfect fit for Mad Men, actually).

"Lost and Delirious" promo

Her work on Jack and Bobby allowed her a fuller range of dramatic depth than her one-off appearances in other series, but she also had a really strong turn as an Eastern European victim of human trafficking on Life. And her work in Lost and Delirious was great (and I don't just mean the naked bits) -- second only to the heartbreaking performance turned in by Piper Perabo.
TV credits: Mad Men, season 4 (Amazon | iTunes) * Life, season 1: "The Fallen Woman" (Amazon | iTunes) * Jack and Bobby (Amazon | iTunes) * Lives of the Saints (Amazon | iTunes) * The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton (Amazon | iTunes) * Napoléon (Amazon | iTunes) * Random Passage (Amazon | iTunes)
Film credits: Red Coat Justice (Amazon | iTunes) * Hot Tub Time Machine (Amazon | iTunes) * The Trotsky (Amazon | iTunes) * Suck (Amazon | iTunes) * Canifornia (Amazon | iTunes) * Jusqu'à toi aka Shoe at Your Foot (Amazon | iTunes) * Peepers (Amazon | iTunes) * Wicker Park (Amazon | iTunes) * See This Movie (Amazon | iTunes) * Bollywood/Hollywood (Amazon | iTunes) * Posers (Amazon | iTunes) * Lost and Delirious (Amazon | iTunes) * Possible Worlds (Amazon | iTunes)

Monday Morning Mess 10: Roughin' It

We hear from three different artists in today's episode, songs pulled from Rough Guide compilations of world music: Brazilian lounge, Cuban music and Gypsy revival, to be precise.

Here's what you'll hear today (right-click to download MP3 or to stream in a new tab or window):

1. Sierra Maestra: "El Son No Puede Fallar" (from The Rough Guide to the Music of Cuba)
2. Axial: "Tamanquero" (from The Rough Guide to Brazilian Lounge)
3. Shukar Collective: "The Wind" (from The Rough Guide to Gypsy Revival)

(Total play time: 15:37)

All three of today's songs come courtesy of the IODA Promonet and may be downloaded for free below as long as their promotions last; I'm also including links to buy all the albums in the series that are currently available at Amazon and/or iTunes for your consideration.

Your purchases or Paypal donations would be greatly appreciated as I'm wrapping up my first few weeks in graduate school. And if you like the Brazilian lounge music in today's episode, might I encourage you to check out The Chillcast with Anji Bee -- which has a promo in the episode as well.

Source albums: The Rough Guide to Brazilian Lounge (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Gypsy Revival (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to the Music of Cuba (Amazon | iTunes) African and Asian music from the series: The Rough Guide to Afrobeat Revival (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Afrobeat Revolution (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Arabic Lounge (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Bhangra (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Bollywood Gold (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Bollywood Legends: Asha Bhosle (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Bollywood Legends: Lata Mangeshkar (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Bollywood Legends: Mohd. Rafi (Amazon | iTunes) *  The Rough Guide to Desert Blues (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to the Music of Afghanistan (Amazon | iTunes) (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to the Music of India (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to the Music of Iran (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to West African Gold (Amazon | iTunes) Music from Europe and the Americas: The Rough Guide to Blues and Beyond (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Blues Revival (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Celtic Music (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Gypsy Music (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Irish Folk (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Merengue Dance (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to the Music of Italy (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to the Music of Portugal (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to the Music of Russian Gypsies (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Paris Cafe (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Salsa Columbia (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Salsa Dance (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Salsa Divas (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Scottish Folk (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Tango (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Tango Revival (Amazon | iTunes) Others in the series: The Rough Guide to Calypso and Soca (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to Calypso Gold (Amazon | iTunes) * The Rough Guide to World Music for Children (Amazon | iTunes)

Axial "Tamanquero" (mp3) from "The Rough Guide to Brazilian Lounge" (Rough Guides/World Music Network) Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album Sierra Maestra "El Son No Puede Fallar" (mp3) from "The Rough Guide to the Music of Cuba" (Rough Guides/World Music Network) Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album Shukar Collective "The Wind" (mp3) from "The Rough Guide to Gypsy Revival" (Rough Guides/World Music Network) Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album