Get Fired Up: April '11

Hi Monsters! This is my first addition to "Here There Be Dragons" or some such nonsense. It's something I do regularly on my own blog, popramblings.com. Enjoy or not. You can blame the other monsters who let me in.

I skipped April Fool's this year. COMPLETELY. Didn't prank anyone. I gave up pranks for Lent. It's a continuing tradition where I give up something I rarely do so I can feel better about myself. But what I could never give up is telling you what to watch, hear, and love this month.

MOVIES

Your Highness- April 8th- Danny McBride stars as a lazy prince who goes on a quest with his brother (James Franco) and a bow-wielding badass (Natalie Portman) to save his brother's bride. The Red Band Trailer had me cracking up. I've been a big fan of Danny McBride since I first saw him. I think he just gets me. And his frequent partner David Gordon Green gets a lot of love from Pineapple Express and Eastbound and Down, two of the funniest things of the last 5 years.

Also this month: Scream 4, Source Code, Hanna, Fast Five

MUSIC

Foo Fighters- Wasting Light-April 12th- I'm a huge Foo fan. And here they are again. I like "Rope" so far. If that's a taste of what's to come, we could be in for a return to form for Foo Fighters. It sounds like Grohl's time with Them Crooked Vultures has brought him back to RockTown where he was once mayor. And I can never not love them because they gave me "Everlong." Welcome back, keep saving the world by fighting Foo. Hear it now!

Also in your ears: Panda Bear's Tomboy, TV on the Radio's Nine Types of Light

TV

The Killing, AMC- Sundays at 10pm- This show premiered last Sunday (I'm late!). But the first 2-hour episode was quite good. Created a nice atmosphere of spooky mystery. It's going to be compared a lot to the masterpiece that is Twin Peaks, but you can expect a little less kookiness and a little more Danishness. The show is a remake of a Danish show. It looks like it's going to be pretty strong and should be another example of AMC's creative dominance in basic cable.

Also this month: HBO's Game of Thrones, NBC's Friday Night Lights Season 5, Bravo's Top Chef Masters

It's a realllllly good month. Especially strong in TV. One thing I didn't mention, but would be remiss to not point out is that FX's crime show Justified is having probably the best season of any show this season and you should probably all watch it. You won't be completely lost if you start with this season. You'll miss some of the complexity in the relationships, but you'll still get one of the best hours of television you can imagine on basic cable. Timothy Olyphant just wins. It's something I could never give up for Lent. What are you looking forward to this month?