Brent Spiner's Dreamland: A Biased Review

Yes, I'm a huge fan of Mr. Spiner. So this is a very biased review of his new CD.

Ever since I first heard Ol' Yellow Eyes is Back, I have been waiting to hear more of Brent Spiner's musical creations. A lot of people know Brent Spiner as Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation, or from his appearance in different movies. Actually, Brent is a multi-talent, and he is a great singer, as well as a wonderful actor.

Brent Spiner's official website was launched about 2 months ago, and with it the information about Dreamland - Brent's new CD.

Dreamland is a combination concept album and radio show. It's really an entire story, told in dialogs and songs. Brent sings along with Maude Maggart, whom he describes as "a sensational singer". Brent says that when he heard Maude, he was "knocked out". He looked up her website, bought her CDs, and thought, "It's gotta be her or I'll be so disappointed".

Maude and Brent are a great couple. The CD is absolutely wonderful and moving. The songs are sweet and charming, Maude is a great singer, and Brent's voice is beautiful. The storyline is very romantic, and funny at times. No big surprises to my taste, and the end is happy as it should be.

The story was written by Brent himself, and was arranged, orchestrated and conducted by John McKinney.

Dreamland is a pleasant, sweet listening experience. It's not your usual song-after-song CD, and it needs your attention in order for you to enjoy it. I heard it on the road and loved it. If you are a Brent Spiner fan, then this CD will make you very happy.

You can buy the CD or download the songs in Brent Spiner's Official Website.

My 14 All-Time Favorite Internet Video Clips

I watch a lot of online clips. I get them from many places. Mostly it's because I enjoy discovering new, funny, amazing or horrifying clips. It's also my job to know what's hot on the net, so I have to keep updated.

Most of the time, I see a clip, enjoy it and forget about it. The flow of information on the web doesn't allow for too much attention of the net's tidbits. Still, every now and then there are clips you remember (mostly the funny ones, I admit) and go back to watch over and over again.

Here is a list of my current 14 favorites. When I present a "YouTube tour" to a friend, I usually show them at least 2-3 of these clips. Of course, this list is only correct for the time being. Times change and clips come and go, but for the time being, here they are:

#14

Bianca Ryan's first audition on America's Got talent - When I first saw this clip, I was SURE it was lip-syncing. I mean - a voice like that, coming out of a small child - it really blew my mind. Every time I watch her I get the shivers. She is truly amazing. No wonder she took the first place. Still, I haven't heard anything good from her ever since. I hope she comes up with a good CD soon.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ozDh4NQveJs

#13

Einstein, the Amazing Parrot - Animals always steal the attention. Talented, unique animals are something you remember. There she is, then - the amazing African Gray Parrot.

http://www.youtube.com/v/wnTT7u5U4Yo

#12

The kid with the most evil parents on earth - It's hilarious, but very cruel. Parents scare the shit out of their child, using the computer. Mean. But funny. But still MEAN!

http://www.youtube.com/v/fRulvYAAs28

#11

Sparta - The Mean Kitty Song - Talk about incredible User Generated Content. I remember seeing this clip when it just had 250,000 views, and I watched it go through the roof. A winning combination of a cute cat, a cute guy and a cute song.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Qit3ALTelOo

#10

Brent Spiner and the Hilarious Theater Story - Brent Spiner is one of my favorite actors. He is talented and funny, and also an amazing singer (His new CD, Dreamland, is available for sale in his new official site). Some of you might not know this, but Brent is a well-experienced theater actor. Sometimes, extremely funny shit can happen on theaters, mind you.

http://www.youtube.com/v/-nFmUuRlLkM

#9

Achmed, The Dead Terrorist - I admit, I was really late picking up this stupidly funny ventriloquist act. Nonetheless, I consider it one of my faves. It has over 36 million views on YouTube. Amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/v/1uwOL4rB-go

#8

The Stoned Smurfs - "Ha-Dardasatlanim" (הדרדסטלנים) - OK, this is in Hebrew, so most of you won't understand what it's about. Basically a genius parody about some of our beloved childhood TV series, plus some shrewd remarks on the pot-heads culture. This is actually the 2nd clip of this "mini-series" - I think it a hell of a lot better than the first.

http://www.youtube.com/v/9AkUeOcbUu8

#7

Amen Brothers - The world's most important drum loop - This clip is not your average YouTube thing. For starters, it's not funny and contains no animals. It actually contains nothing but a mysterious voice that tells the story of a single drum loop that has influenced the music industry in amazing ways. Give it the 18 minutes it demands. It's worth it.

http://www.youtube.com/v/5SaFTm2bcac

#6

Hayagur Ra-Ev (היגור רעב) - Yet another Hebrew creation, from the much earlier days of the net. A simple, ugly flash movie, that makes me tremble with laughter every time I see it.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Xg89GFw2gas

#5

Why You shouldn't Throw Paper-clips at your Co-workers - Simple, violent, hysterical and represents something that most of us wanted to do at some point of our lives.

http://www.youtube.com/v/l3KIxzCqYqM

#4

Kevin Smith lets a stupid idiot HAVE IT - I adore Kevin Smith. He is talented, funny and original. He is also a great story teller, which is why his lectures draw out such big crowds. He usually answers questions in those lectures, and as you know - there are assholes everywhere. Kevin gets an asshole question, and answers right back. Best snappy comeback EVER.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ou2mVnElp6c

#3

Bad Day at the Office - Sure, it's a commercial. But it's a damn good one, and represents well some of the terrible frustrations of a cubical slave (ah, sorry, "WORKER").

http://www.youtube.com/v/GhnLZ3Ryccg

#2

Wake Up Cat - This is a fairly recent one. It's animated, clever, has a cat in it and is generally telling the real story about cats, the way only true cat-owners can identify with. I believe it's all true.

http://www.youtube.com/v/GmwqpHsMExg

#1

The Internet is for Porn - This clip just sums it up so well. And it contains WoW characters. What else do you need? A catchy song by Avenue Q, cool animation by some computer geek and a phrase that says it all - THE INTERNET IS FOR PORN. The rest is just for background.

http://www.youtube.com/v/jhTxRssxfuI

Honorable Mentions: Terry Fator, Taylor Ware, Evolution of Dance, Sarah Silverman is fucking Matt Damon, Jimmy Kimmel is fucking Ben Affleck.

The New Brent Spiner Official Site

After years without a real presence on the web (aside from some fan sites), Brent Spiner's Official Site is online.

All very glittery and shiny (I'm trying to avoid the Flash pun here). Something of a Broadway touch. Anyway, for avid Brent Spiner fans, the main news is that you can listen and pre-order Brent's new CD, which is called Dreamland. Orders are through PayPal only at this stage.

It would have been nice to add "Ol' Yellow Eyes is Back" to the online store of the new site. I know many fans are looking for it, prices on eBay and Amazon are outrageous and it's really hard to come by that CD.

Also, I find it very odd that the "Contact" option in the site isn't really working. I hope it's a mistake and not an intentional thing.

As a huge fan, I am really glad to see Brent's online presence (finally!), and I hope the CD sales go well. Brent is an amazing singer. Obviously, someone there has started thinking "marketing", because a video of Brent's work on Dreamland has appeared on YouTube. Way to go, Brent, and all the best!

Brent Spiner: The Days before Data

I am huge fan of Brent Spiner. I think he is one of the best actors out there, and I always get proof for that. His role as Data in Star Trek: TNG was brilliant, but he did many other things in the movies, the theater and as a singer, that prove - time and time again - that he has the gift of true talent.

This is why I was delighted to discover this funny little clip in YouTube, that shows Brent Spiner in Night Court, doing what he does best - making people laugh:

To the best of my knowledge, Brent is working on his second music album at the moment, which is supposed to come out real soon. His first CD, "Ol' Yellow Eyes is Back" is a wonderful creation, which caught me completely by surprise - who knew Brent could sing so well? It wasn't easy getting that CD, as it was out of print and only available at eBay and Amazon for outrageous prices, but it was worth every dollar. I hope that getting the new CD won't prove as difficult.

How come they never killed Wesley Crusher?

Star Trek: TNG celebrates 20 years today, or so they say.

I remember watching this show when I was in high school, and trying hard not to miss any episodes. Still, time had its effect, and I didn't get to see the entire 7 seasons. Recently I have decided to correct this mistake, I got a hold of the entire 187 episodes, and started watching season one.

To tell you the truth, the 1st season isn't very impressive. Everything seems a bit rickety, the characters are awkward and the shooting angles reminded me of over-dramatic soap operas. Only Q reigns supreme, as usual. I had no idea that he was there on the first episode of the first season.

I was also surprised to discover that the very-well remembered episode, in which Data and Tasha sleep together, is one of the first episodes of the series.

Boldly I have waded through the 1st season, and it was worth it - the rest of the seasons just got better and better. Seasons 4-7 are the best, in my opinion.

The episodes at the end of the seasons tended to be very good, not just because of the cliff-hangers, but simply because the plot had more time to develop. The bottom line is that the series survives the test of time - it's still enjoyable these days, and because of special effects or a twisted plot-line.

I just have one question, though - Why oh why did you bother with Wesley Crusher for the entire length of the series? I mean, it's OK to have annoying characters, but he was so much above and beyond that. He is the guy that gets beat up at school - not because he's smart, but because he so damn nerdy. I mean, how can you spend so much time on the coolest starship in the sector, and still come out an idiot? You offed Tasha rather easily, why not the boy?! Even Picard loathed him!

This can really go on and on, but I thought of summing it up in a very concise list:

Favorite character and best actor: Data - Brent Spiner
Most annoying character: Wesley Crusher
Most annoying female character: Tough battle between Diana and Beverly
Coolest Gadget: Tircorder
Most Disappointedly not-sexy character: Riker
Most needed to be killed character: Wesley Crusher
The thing I would probably abuse the most: Holodeck
The stupidest thing: WHERE ARE THE SEAT BELTS?
Favorite Episodes: Anything with Q and/or Data as stars.
Coolest Character: Q
Most uncool Character: Wesley Crusher