Friday five

I think today's post is what you'd call somewhat conceptual. 

Or maybe not.

Anyhoo...

Anytime anyone talks about Muse somebody else is there to mention how many other bands they sound like.

And it's true. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Well today I was listening to Soldier's Poem for the tenth time (as you do) when it struck me that the song reminded me of exactly five other songs.

The first song it sounds like is Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis. The way it starts, at 0:55, is pretty much a dead ringer for the beginning of The King's classic. But if you don't believe me, take a listen for yourself.

I couldn't help falling in love with Soldier's Poem the very first time I heard it and now I know why.  

E.A.P.

The second song Soldier's Poem sounds like is Everybody Hurts, by R.E.M. I can't pinpoint an exact moment in the song but I'd say the overall melodies are pretty similar. Take a listen.

The third melody Soldier's Poem mimics is Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin's (or to you non-Poles, Frederic Chopin's) Nocturnes. Give it a go from 5 minutes on. Do you hear it or is it just me?

It think it has something to do with the waltz vibe.

Though Soldier's Poem also has a barbershop feel.

But on to the fourth similarly sounding song which is, of course, Ave Maria by Franz Schubert. I say of course because I picked that one out the first time I listened to it, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

Here's my bro Zach Galifianakis singing Ave Maria. Because, as Bradley Cooper says, "he's got the voice of an angel."

If you need to go back to Soldier's Poem to compare I'd say the first sound alike clocks in at around 2:17.

The last and fifth song Soldier's Poem reminds me of is Bohemian Rhapsody, by Queen. You don't hear the similarity as much in the live version, as opposed to the studio one, but "the moment" happens at 2:30.

And here's a little Queen.

It's only fitting since I started off with a King.

Between two ferns

Contrary to what its title implies, this post is not another ode to nature.

It's an ode to Zach Galifianakis. 

Between Two Ferns is the name of an internet comedy series Galifianakis hosts on funnyordie.com, a "comedy video website that combines user-generated content with original, exclusive content." It's called Between Two Ferns because he basically interviews celebrities positioned between two ferns.

Like this.

Some of the funniest, and most popular, interviews Galifianakis has conducted (firmly nestled between two ferns) include ones with Jennifer Aniston and Tila Tequila, Sean Penn, Jon Stewart, Charlize Theron and, as pictured above, Steve Carell. He also interviewed Jon Hamm (ahem) among many others.

Who am I kidding. They're all hilarious!

The reason I decided to write about Galifianakis today, even though I think of this nearly every day and literally laugh out loud...

... is because I came across the coolest story about him and the lovely lady he took to The Hangover III premiere.

Her name is Mimi Haist and she is an 87-year-old woman who is now homeless but used to know Galifianakis when he was a down and out comic who laundered his clothes at the laundromat she volunteered at.

But back to Zach.

I first came across the little bundle of joy (who is often compared to a garden gnome) when I watched The Hangover (way, way, way after it came out) at home in Montreal with my beau.

You know those moments when you catch yourself being really happy. That was one of them.

Since then, I've been a fan of pretty much everything he does.

Including being a philanthrope instead of a misanthrope. 

Word.

Are you there Chelsea? It's me, Ursula

So I made - or rather, kindly asked - my beau to add the E! network to our (lengthy) list of channels so that I might be able to watch my new girl crush, Chelsea Handler, on a nightly basis. For those of you living in a cave (kidding), Chelsea (we're on a first-name basis now) hosts a half-hour, night-time entertainment show called Chelsea Lately and is the only woman, other than Joan Rivers, who has ever done so.

CL has become my touch point. In addition to watching it dare I say religiously I now also watch her half-hour... ummm... docu-drama (ha!) After Lately which airs, ironically enough, BEFORE Chelsea Lately on Monday nights.

Not satisfied with my daily Chelsea intake, I have also been known to read her books, listen to her radio interviews (with Howard Stern, for example) and watch her interviews, with David Letterman (the one where she infamously called him a small man), Oprah Winfrey and even Katie Couric.

Zach Galifianakis should definitely get her between two ferns if he hasn't already done so. 

I predict that Chelsea is going to give the usual night-time boys club a run for its money and take over for Jimmy Fallon, after he takes over for Jay Leno. Mark my words. 

Maybe. 

PS. Love the new vampy lipstick.

PPS. If you ever need another nugget, I'm available.