I actually liked the movie itself OK. I just wished it had spent a little more of its energy on being actually funny (which a lot of it was!) rather than, you know, figuring out how to get its characters to dance.

Ironically, though, I think they originally were worked into cartoons as a sop to adults, even though in the process they sort of trained kids to want/expect them.

Central NY what what! I'm originally from upstate, north of Albany. And I have family in Rochester. Which I realize is western NY, but still, I feel kinship with people from non-NYC parts, even though that's where I hang my hat now. And you saw them in the front row and with Waxahatchee opening! That rules; I love…

I wrote this well before the Mariah Carey thing.

At least that's an actual joke.

I wonder if it's the stop-motion on that one that bothers me less (though I did have the thought when I first saw this: "This movie was wonderful but isn't this just a handcrafted version of the dance party ending I hate?"). I know it's not "easy" to computer-animate dancing animals, but you can make them do whatever…

I like the song, but they play the song earlier in the movie, so I didn't really need to hear a reprise. And I feel like the cutaway to the bad guy character somewhere else while the song still plays is pretty standard. It doesn't ruin the movie by any means, but I did find it disappointing rather than delightful.

I have seen This Is The End and while I didn't LOVE that ending, I stand by "it rarely feels quite as pandering." There's something different about seeing Seth Rogen and company actually have to dance awkwardly that makes it actually less embarrassingly pandering than making Gru suddenly bust a move.

I bring up Moana to say that it's come back around a bit — while today, that movie is widely considered vastly better than the other two (because it is! I liked it a lot), back in 2001 the hacky stuff that Sing does was considered more cutting-edge and adult than those lame Disney musicals.

I actually kind of like "All Star" but it's still funny to me how Shrek hitched its wagon to Smash Mouth, or vice versa, I can't even tell anymore.

I have a kid and I'm sure she'll enjoy dance party endings when she's old enough to watch movies and that doesn't make them any better.

Just to be clear, I *love* TMBG and they will always be the coolest to me. I just don't think they're really a badge of hipster cool the way a lot of newer/younger/less genuinely nerdy bands are.

ahahahaha my daughter JUST got that remote control toy for Christmas.

Yes! I have a cat shirt myself and also the flower shirt. I <3 S-K. I preordered the record from Sub Pop rather than the band, foolishly, so I'm just getting the LP rather than the fancy band-site package. I love that stuff, though. So jealous of anyone who got to see them do their NYE show in SF last week.

Not a huge Friends fan but I kinda get where your one-year-old is coming from here. ;)

I'm not! I'm actually not a big Beach Boys guy at all. BUT, that said, what value I find in their stuff, yeah, is probably because of Wilson. The best 3-4 songs off Pet Sounds are pretty amazing. "Kokomo" just reminds me of the Full House Beach Boys.

UM, excuse me, I BEG TO DIFFER: Billy Joel's Greatest Hits Vol. 2 isn't available as a stand-alone album. It's packaged as Greatest Hits Volumes 1 & 2 (one cassette, or two CDs). ::pushes glasses up nose::

Your 4-year-old and I have that (his favorite quote) in common. Now how long until he's super into "Common People"? ;)

Also HAIM opened up for her on a bunch of dates last year!!

The Sleater-Kinney shirt has a cat on it. My daughter does not understand a lot about the world, but she understands cats.