Body Count Debuts ‘Point The Finger’ Video

Courtesy: Red Distribution/Century Media Records

Body Count is taking on the issue of police shootings in its latest single and video.

The band debuted the video for its single ‘Point The Finger‘ Tuesday.  The song is featured on the band’s album Carnivore, which was released in March through Century Media Records.

The single’s video features the band’s members and special guest vocalist Riley Gale (Power Trip) recording their respective parts for the song from their homes as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The song’s arrangement is a heavy, hardcore style presentation for which Body Count has come to be known over the years. The song’s lyrical theme takes on the controversy of police shooting citizens, arguing along the way that the shootings are unjustified and are murderous.  Front man Ice-T goes so far as to call the law enforcement community a gang in itself, saying, “The f****** badge is the biggest gang.”

He adds in the song’s chorus, “They shoot first/And ask questions last/And then they point the finger at you,” making a clear statement about his feelings about police actions.  As the song nears its end, Ice-T additionally asks, “How may more innocent people and kids gotta get killed by these police, man?/And then it’s always the victim’s fault/Such f****** b******.”

This song is not the first time that Ice-T has taken on the law enforcement community.  He rose to fame with Body Count in 1992 with the song ‘Cop Killer,’ which was itself another song about police brutality, much as with this song.  The song brought to the fore, the issue of censorship in music while also bringing increased attention to the hot-button topic.

Carnivore is available now on a variety of platforms, all of which are noted below.  It is also available to stream and download here.

 

• Ltd. Deluxe 2CD Box Set (incl. bonus tracks, beanie, metallic logo pin, poster & instrumental CD)
• Ltd. CD Digipak
• Ltd. Gatefold LP+CD & LP-Booklet & Poster (incl. bonus track; various colored variants)

 

Carnivore‘s track listing is noted below.

 

Carnivore Tracklist:

1. Carnivore
2. Point The Finger (feat. Riley Gale)
3. Bum – Rush
4. Ace Of Spades
5. Another Level (feat. Jamey Jasta)
6. Colors – 2020
7. No Remorse
8. When I’m Gone (feat. Amy Lee)
9. Thee Critical Beatdown
10. The Hate Is Real
11. 6 In Tha Morning – 2020 – Unreleased Demo*
12. No Lives Matter – Live in Australia 2017**
13. Black Hoodie – Live in Australia 2017**

(*) Bonus Track (available on Ltd. LP and Ltd. 2CD Box Set)
(**) Bonus Track (only available on 2CD Box Set)

 

More information on Body Count’s new single and video is available along with all of the group’s latest news at:

 

Website: http://www.bodycountband.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bodycountofficial

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BodyCountBand

 

To keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Tiny Toons’ Final Set A Lackluster End To A Classic Cartoon Series

Courtesy: Warner Brothers Home Video

Tiny Toon Adventures Vol. 4: Looney Links! Is allegedly the final installment of director Steven Spielberg’s hit Fox Kids cartoon franchise.  If this is indeed the final installment of the series, then it certainly is not the best way to end things.  While most of this set is presented in its entirety, there is one glaring problem with the set.  That issue comes in the episode, “Weekday Afternoon Live.” The episode in question actually splices the final minutes of the “Toon TV” in place of the final segment that aired in “Weekday Afternoon Live” in its original broadcast.  This is not like Warner Home Video to let such an error occur in its home releases.  This critic’s copy of Volume Four is not the only one that has done this either.  According to others who have purchased the set, they too have had the same thing happen to them.  That one major blunder aside, the remainder of the set will still bring enjoyment to long-time fans of this modern classic cartoon.

This new (and allegedly final) installment of Tiny Toon Adventures offers more than its share of laughs, poking fun at pop culture once again and even some former presidents.  This time around, Buster, Babs, and company take another stab at Batman (and director Tim Burton).  They also go after one of the biggest censorship groups of the time, the Parents Music Resource Council (PMRC).  Only instead of dealing with music, Buster and Babs have to face off certain parties that want to censor cartoons.  Long-time fans will recognize the episode “Toon TV.”  That’s because it’s quite similar to a previous episode from Season One titled, “Tiny Toons Music Television.”  It’s basically more music video spoofs.  This time, the Tiny Toons gang goes even further back in time, covering hits from The Coasters, The Contours, and Shirley Ellis and Lincoln Chase.  They even cover Tchaikovsky’s famed ‘Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies’ in this episode.  Of course, this is just a sample of what audiences can expect from this final collection of episodes.  Buster and Babs pay tribute once more to the golden days of animation by trying to save a group of “two-Tone” toons from an evil executive.  There is much more to enjoy from this final portion of the show’s final season.  But as noted already, the episodes contained in this final series of episodes aren’t entirely that original, thus making it less enjoyable than the series’ first two seasons.

For the seemingly decreased sense of originality in these final episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures and the problematic error created in ‘Weekday Afternoon Live’, there is at least one equally noticeable positive to this set.  That positive is an episode the directly addresses the problem of bullying.  To be more specific, it presents the situation in which Shirley The Loon is bullied by her classmates at her ballet class.  Upon telling Babs about the harassment from her swan classmates, Babs vows to get even with them, which she indeed does.  Of course getting even isn’t what people who have been bullied should do.  This is by no means the message.  But it does in its own way, go after bullies.  At the same time, it re-tells the story of The Ugly Duckling.  So in essence, it’s actually a doubly enjoyable episode for this.

The one major sequencing problem evident with Tiny Toon Adventures Volume 4: Looney Links! is something that will continue to plague this set unless the people at Warner Home Video make the effort to alleviate this issue.  Luckily, it does have its positives as noted already.  Looking at this set from the perspective of its packaging, the people charged with assembling this set at least got that right.  As with so many multi-disc sets being released now, WHV has released this final installment in a standard single disc case with an insert.  The insert included allows for the set’s first disc to be placed in its own spot, thus protecting the disc from scratching and, in turn, preserving the disc (along with the second disc) to be preserved much longer.  So it is for that reason, and for the laughs offered throughout this collection, that it is worthy of at least some praise.  But the massive error of having the wrong episode spliced into the end of another and the rehashed previous episodes will make any long-time fan of Tiny Toon Adventures take notice that this set is not perfect.  It is far from it by chance because of these issues.  Despite that, it is still a good addition to the collection of any Tiny Toons Adventures fan.  With any luck, Warner Brothers and Warner Home Video will take notice of all the complaints from fans, and re-issue this set as it should be presented.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.