90210 and the New Kids on the Block both make their comeback on the same day? I feel young again! Reviews for the New Kids album are…ok. Newsday says: Not only does the Boston quintet’s first new album in 14 years surpass the usual cobbled-together-so-we-can-tour reunion record, it is actually the best album of their multiplatinum career. Woo-hoo! I knew it! I knew it would be great! But wait, Radar isn’t so sure: It’s mature, we suppose, and it continues throughout the album, but it only succeeds in making things uneasily skeezy…In fact, it’s almost all voyeurism and sad attempts at acting horny! Truth be told, I kind of like the Summertime song (above). No seriously, it’s not that bad. Oh, and get this: they recently slammed the Backstreet Boys! “Backstreet’s records sound the same as before – their music didn’t evolve like ours has,” said Danny. Oh boy, I hope this doesn’t turn into a Biggie Smallz-2Pac situation, but I’m afraid that’s just where this is heading.

Heading down to the Eastern Shore for a long weekend of sitting on the couch and watching college football with my homeboys. A few interesting quizzo notes before I depart: New record set last night for lowest winning score ever, as Bad Parenting won with a 59 at the Good Dog. In all fairness though, last night’s quiz was one of my toughest ever. The Jams have now won 7 in a row, and the Bounty is up to $30 on Wednesday night. Another Bounty offered: The Sofa Kingdom won their 5th in a row last night, so there will be a $20 Bounty on their heads on Tuesday. In other news, I could be broke by the end of next week. Anyways, been an interesting week on the website. Here are a few highlights:

• Polls for best looking members of 90210, male and female.
• Weather or Not unveils their new Myspace page and their latest video.
• How good will the Eagles be this year?
• An introduction to my favorite teacher.

The 50/50 round last night was Beethoven or Mozart, and one of the questions was “Which one was rumored to be black?” The answer is Beethoven. This from africawithin.com: Frau Fisher, a close friend of Beethoven, described him with “blackish-brown complexion.” Frederick Hertz, German anthropologist, used these terms to describe him: “Negroid traits, dark skin, flat, thick nose.”

Emil Ludwig, in his book “Beethoven,” says: “His face reveals no trace of the German. He was so dark that people dubbed him Spagnol [dark-skinned].” Fanny Giannatasio del Rio, in her book “An Unrequited Love: An Episode in the Life of Beethoven,” wrote “His somewhat flat broad nose and rather wide mouth, his small piercing eyes and swarthy [dark] complexion, pockmarked into the bargain, gave him a strong resemblance to a mulatto.”

So was he black? The Straight Dope says that the evidence is extremely thin.

Our boy Brandon Walsh turns 39 today, but while reading about him I came across this depressing note on wikipedia: Priestley is a big fan of the band Barenaked Ladies and went to many of their California concerts in the early to mid-1990s. He eventually met the band and in his desire to help them succeed, suggested that he direct the music video for “The Old Apartment”, and used his fame to persuade American stations to air it. He did just that, and also invited the band to play at the “Peach Pit After Dark” on an episode of 90210. Lead singer, Ed Robertson, continues to cite him as being instrumental in their American success.

I HATE the Barenaked Ladies and will never forgive Jason Priestley for making them popular. I hope your birthday sucks.
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