New Season Of That Metal Show Premiers With Another Guy You've Never Heard Of

Get ready for another exciting season of That Metal Show!

Yes, VH1 Classic's last remaining piece of original programming limps along with a new season. And what better way to kick off the show's 13th season (are we keeping track of this count?) than by featuring a dude from a band that you've probably never heard of, because they suck balls.

But seriously, Five Finger Death Punch is pretty big in my hometown-but they ain't nothin' compared to the country stars like Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan (two dudes that I've never heard a lick of either) because those dudes manage to sell out 10,000 seat arenas in this state, even when they hit one after another while the bros in FFDP can only half-fill the 7,500 seater here in town.

In other words, Five Finger Death Punch and their ilk ain't exactly making America return to a heavy metal parking lot.

Ultimately, my continued issues with the show has always been the co-hosts Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson, who bog down the proceedings with their pointless banter and consistently stale "bits." The continual ribbing they provide host and UFO freak Eddie Trunk resembles the same mean spirited dudes that used to feed on metalheads for not fitting in, rather than anything closely resembling the spirit of the heavy metal populous, regardless of what t-shirts they're wearing.

Another tired trend that these two mouthbreathers (and Trunk is complicit in this too) continue to spout is to knock off any consideration of having new metal bands appear on the show. I've lost track of how many times I've heard "It's called VH1 Classic, so go somewhere else to hear about new metal bands!" from the mouths of these guys, getting defensive over the notion that someone wanted to see Mastodon or any other artist that is forging the genre beyond the cookie-cutter metal acts that That Metal Show clearly caters to.

I mean Five Finger Death Punch? How is a band named after a finishing move from Kill Bill accepted as VH1 Classic material? So shit or get off the pot motherfuckers! If you're going to hold firm to your self-righteous bullshit of only featuring "classic" metal and hard rock acts, then lose Five Finger Death Punch, Stone Sour (and any band featuring Corey Taylor, for that matter), Avenged Sevenfold and replace those fuckers with the ratings bonanza that is the dude from Helix, Carmine Appice on his days with Buddy Holly and the Crickets and Blue Oyster Cult talking about where to find the best Comfort Inns with a free breakfast buffet.

So the guy from Five Finger Death Punch is gonna be on, and he's got a solo record coming out, and yada yada yada.

(New York, NY) - Heavy metal and hard rock fans worldwide can tune in to the inaugural episode of season 13 of VH1 Classics' That Metal Show this Saturday, January 18th at 11:00PM, EST/8:00PM, PST to catch Five Finger Death Punch axeman Jason Hook as the featured guitarist.

"I made this one in the computer room of my condo. Hope you like it."

Hook will appear throughout the entire episode, bringing his signature showmanship and blistering riffs to the show that caters to all things hard rock and heavy metal. As lead guitarist for the wildly successful Five Finger Death Punch, Jason Hook is currently touring the globe in support of the band's latest series of releases, The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell, Volumes 1 and 2. Released late last year, both albums debuted at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart, respectively.

In between the band's extensive touring schedule, Jason Hook is writing and recording his second solo album, which is set for release this Spring. As a member of the multi-platinum hard rock/metal outfit Five Finger Death Punch, Jason Hook has established himself as a highly respected guitarist, garnering coverage in all hard rock, metal and player publications.

Although he may be best known for his role in Five Finger Death Punch, Hook is also an exceptionally skilled studio and touring musician who has played with the likes of such diverse artists as Alice Cooper, Vince Neil and more. Jason Hook's forthcoming second solo release, is highly-anticipated by both fans and critics and will offer a more diverse look at his talents. Jason's first solo record, Safety Dunce, won an L.A. Music Award for "Best Instrumental Record."

The Edie Adams Television Collection Gets Release Date

Ernie Kovacs was the man.

But then again, his wife Edie Adams had a big-ass pair of trousers too.

Kovacs tirelessly wooed Adams until she finally relented and said yet.

She was quite a catch, and he knew it.

He died in a car wreck on the way home from Adams' baby shower. The two took separate vehicles.

After his passing, she continued to produce television specials, which have now been compiled in a very detailed box set.

Press:

More than 50 years after it premiered on the ABC network, the variety shows Here's Edie and The Edie Adams Show are set for release on DVD and digital formats. This is the first time either television show has been seen in any format since its original broadcast more than a half a century ago.

Produced and Distributed via MVD Entertainment Group in association with Ediad Productions, Here's Edie: The Edie Adams Television Collection is set for release in stores across North America and Internationally on November 19, 2013.

The 'wow' factor of this box set resides in the eclectic guest stars Edie Adams was personally able to secure for the show. Jazz fans will be able to see, rare performance footage of giants, such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Stan Getz, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman and Al Hirt, among others. Popular vocalists include Sammy Davis Jr., Bobby Darin and Johnny Mathis and more.

Comedians include Bob Hope, Rowan & Martin, Soupy Sales along with Buddy Hackett, Dick Shawn and Terry-Thomas who co-starred with Adams in the classic motion-picture It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963).

Classical music fans can look forward to performances of Andrew Previn, Lauritz Melchoir and Laurindo Almeida. Additional guests include Allan Sherman, Spike Jones, Peter Falk, Sir Michael Redgrave, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Buddy Hackett and more.

Unlike any variety show before or since, Here's Edie The Edie Adams Television Collection is a tour-de-force for a female entertainer in the early-1960's. After the sudden passing of her husband Ernie Kovacs in January 1962, Adams forged ahead with her own headlining show, showcasing her many talents.

Adams hosts, sings, dances, acts, does comedy, takes an uncredited role of costumer Enke and also produces her own show. While much has been said of Adams' preservation efforts of the Ernie Kovacs archive, she also left behind a stunning body of her own work that survives due only to her indefatigable preservation efforts.

This 12-hour, four DVD set features a new digital transfer from original 2-inch videotapes of the entire 1962-64 run of 21 episodes (with her famed Muriel Cigar commercials intact) plus extensive bonus footage.

This material includes rarely seen Adams musical numbers from numerous Ernie Kovacs shows of the 1950's with introductions from Kovacs himself. Other bonus features include a set of commercial promos by Adams and another Mad World co-star Sid Caesar (whose The Sid Caesar Show alternated weeks with Edie's shows), a Muriel Cigars promotional film and more.

Also included is a lush 16-page booklet packed with rare photos from the family archive, an essay from Edie's son Joshua Mills and a show-by-show rundown from Ernie Kovacs and Edie Adams curator and DVD co-Producer Ben Model.

Directors for Adams shows included Barry Shear and Joe Behar (who also directed many episodes of Ernie Kovacs's shows) as well as Steve Binder (The T.A.M.I Show, Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special), which helped forge each episode as a unique program unto itself. Conceptualized by Adams, her shows were not only themed but also taped in-studio as well as on location. This includes entire episodes shot in a Las Vegas hotel/casino nightclub, another on the streets of London, one shot entirely in the sparse Nevada desert and another in New York City to accommodate her busy schedule.


Here's Edie: The Edie Adams Television Collection

DISC ONE 

*Here's Edie Pilot Airdates: April 9, 1962, May 26, 1963 (as Special #7)
Guests: Dick Shawn, André Previn
*Special #1-"New York" Airdate: October 23, 1962
Guests: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, Peter Falk, the Claremont String Quartet
*Special #2-"London" Airdate: December 13, 1962
Guests: Sir Michael Redgrave, the Piccadilly Buskers, the Grenadier Guards, the Third Air Force Band, and the children of London. 
*Special #3-"Bossa Nova" Airdate: January 20, 1963
Guests: Stan Getz, Laurindo Almeida, the Roger Wagner Chorale, Jerry Fielding and His Orchestra (plus cameos by Don Rickles and Cesar Romero)
 *Special #4-"Las Vegas" Airdate: February 26, 1963
Guests: Charlie Barnet, The Eligibles, the Earl Barton Dancers, Jerry Fielding and His Orchestra, Eddie Fisher
*Special #5 -"Western" Airdate: March 16, 1963
Guests: Hoagy Carmichael, Rowan & Martin, Hank Henry, the Homer Garrett Dancers, The Eligibles, Jerry Fielding and His Orchestra.

DISC TWO 

 Here's Edie (contd.)

*Special #6-"Love" Airdate: April 19, 1963
 Guests: Buddy Hackett, The United Nations Children's Choir, Jerry Fielding and His Orchestra
*Special #8 -"Bob Hope" Airdate: June 18, 1963
  Guests: Bob Hope, Lionel Hampton and His Orchestra, The United Nations Children's Choir, Jerry Fielding and His Orchestra The Edie Adams Show (After the show returned from a summer break, it was given a new title.)

*Special #1 Airdate: September 26, 1963
  Guests: Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eddie Sauter, Stan Getz 
*Special #2 Airdate: October 10, 1963
  Guests: Louis Nye, Maury Wills
*Special #3 Airdate: October 24, 1963
  Guests: Al Hirt, Nancy Wilson

EXTRA -
Sid Caesar and Edie Adams promos
Song performances from Ernie Kovacs shows:
"Would I Love You (Love You, Love You)"- Ernie in Kovacsland, July 6, 1951
"My Funny Valentine" - Ernie in Kovacsland, August 23, 1951
" 'S Wonderful" - Kovacs on the Corner, January 1952
"I Feel a Song Coming On" - Kovacs Unlimited, May 28, 1952
"Mississippi Mud" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, January 4, 1956
Marilyn sings "Ballad of Davy Crockett" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, January 4, 1956
"Paradise" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, January 23, 1956
"Get Happy" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, January 26, 1956
"A Sunday Kind of Love" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, January 30, 1956

DISC THREE

The Edie Adams Show (contd.)

*Special #4 Airdate: November 7, 1963
Guests: Allan Sherman, The United Nations Children's Choir; plus regulars George Furth, Don Chastain, Peter Hanley
*Special #5 Airdate: November 21, 1963
Guests: Don Chastain, John Hendricks, Lauritz Melchior, Count Basie and His Band; plus George Furth *Special #6 Airdate: December 5, 1963
Guests: Sammy Davis Jr., Mitzi McCall & Charlie Brill; plus Don Chastain, Peter Hanley 
*Special #7 Airdate: December 19, 1963
 Guests: Rowan & Martin, André Previn; plus Don Chastain, Peter Hanley
*Special #8 Airdate: January 2, 1964 
Guests: Pete Fountain, Cliff Norton; plus Don Chastain, Peter Hanley

EXTRAS -

Song performances from Ernie Kovacs shows:
"Everything I Have Is Yours" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, April 12, 1956
"Dancing on the Ceiling" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, April 17, 1956
"Chicago" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, April 20, 1956
"I Could Have Danced All Night" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, April 26, 1956
"Moritat" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, May 8, 1956 
"Honey Bun" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, May 17, 1956
"Summertime" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, June 12, 1956

DISC FOUR

The Edie Adams Show (contd.)

*Special #9 Airdate: January 16, 1964
Guests: Terry-Thomas, Spike Jones,
*Special #10 Airdate: February 6, 1964
Guest: Bobby Darin
*Special #11 Airdate: February 20, 1964
Guests: Woody Herman and His Band, Jack Sheldon, Mitzi McCall & Charlie Brill
*Special #12 Airdate: March 5, 1964
Guests: John Raitt, Louis Nye, Charlie Byrd, Mitzi McCall & Charlie Brill
*Special #13 Airdate: March 18, 1964
Guests: Johnny Mathis, Soupy Sales, Alan Sues 

EXTRAS -

Song performances from Ernie Kovacs shows:
"To Keep My Love Alive" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, June 27, 1956
"Take Me in Your Arms" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, July 24, 1956
Medley: "Lullaby of Broadway" & "42nd Street" - The Ernie Kovacs Show, August 27, 1956
Muriel promotional film (1965)

Television - Television

The reality is that Marquee Moon is such a perfect specimen, one of the most unquestionably brilliant debut albums in rock history, that anything in its wake is bound to pale in comparison.

And when you examine everything in Television’s wake, you’ll see that their first album was the culmination of the band’s years of woodshedding and cherry picking their way through only the best material.

The follow up, Adventure, compiles both the also-rans of their debut, but also with it the stench of a band splintering from all of the unmet expectations. It’s no wonder that guitarists Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd delivered better debut solo albums than Adventure, and it also created a bit of hesitation when it was announced in 1992 that Television would re-form after more than a decade of inactivity.

It was very clear that the band was taking advantage of the chaotic state of music left in Nevermind’s wake. Strange, as the New York quartet were miles away-literally and figuratively-from the essence of those NW Big Muffs who promoted substance over style.

Let’s not forget that Television had a very keen sense of style, and the band’s resulting entry in the land of grunge is a stylish reminder of NYC’s ability to slay with guitar tones devoid of distortion.

A quick spin of “Call Mr. Lee,” Television’s emphasis track upon release, shows an ageless volley between two guitar greats and the results make the entire record worth the price of admission.

The song is a nervy jem, but it’s the solos that make the entire song transcendent. Lloyd and Verlaine trade off Fender strangling riff in the record’s most “showy” moments, but your jaw will drop at the results as they are just as colorful at some of the best moments of the solo on the title track of their debut.

Elsewhere, the riffs are subtle yet complex. Tones seem to rue the day on Television, with “No Glamour For Willi” offering at least a half-dozen different tones throughout the course of five minutes. It’s like the fellas knew this reunion job would be brief, so they set a course to document every single guitar tone they conjured up during the proceedings.

It’s Verlaine-lead, so Television has the feel of a very inspired solo record, with maybe just a tad more strut during the set’s bolder moments (“Beauty Trip” and “In World”).

The ones that take the longest to get a grip on are the kool kat beat vibe that Verlaine dishes on such tracks as “Rhyme” and the Pere Ubu tribute, “Mars.” But the more you listen, the more you figure out that even at their most pretensious this band continues to sound like nobody else, and Television became a worthy distraction back in ’92.

Twenty years later-and still the band’s final statement-it’s worth another distraction. What reminded me was a visit to a record store and noticing that Television had been reissued on vinyl.

I resisted my impulse to purchase another copy, particularly since I hadn’t listened to Television since it was first release. I just knew that a song like “Call Mr. Lee” had to sound awesome through those warm analog vibrations.

So a few spins of the colder, digital kind were in order, and with each one, new patterns and tones emerged. The simple truth is that I became infatuated with Television’s beat cool and guitar heroics. 

The album has aged well, and while it may not have exactly serve what this record was intended to be-a sales bump from grunge’s strange ability to make a few hits-it did end the band on a better note than Adventure and it managed to make me miss Television a bit more when they signed off again.