Off Day Guide: April 18

The Marlins are off, clearing your viewing schedule for tonight's Heat playoff tilt.

TV

• NBA Playoffs, Sixers at Heat, Game 2 (7pm, TNT): You don't really think Dwyane Wade will miss a playoff game because of a migraine, do you?
• Dancing With the Stars (8pm, ABC): There's a good chance your mom loves this show. 
• Chuck (8pm, NBC): This show is supposed to have a cult following, but I've never met anyone who watches it, and I have a lot of nerdy friends. I call bullshit on the secret society of Chuck watchers. Chuck is the Michael Bolton of NBC shows.
• It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (9pm, Comedy Central): The 9:00 episode (Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life), features surprisingly hilarious cameos from Sinbad and Rob Thomas. Ted and I watched a lot of Sinbad standup specials on Comedy Central in the mid-1990s. We both kinda miss him.

Book Recommendation

I'm about halfway through Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, and it has been a pretty good read so far. Chabon turns many a pretty phrase, and his depiction of that post-college pause, when grads are just shuffling through life before beginning their next phase, hits home with me at least. There is a 2007 film adaptation available on DVD, but you should probably avoid it, as it stars Nick Nolte.

Culture

The indie-pop band Cults have been darlings of the blog world for awhile, and their debut album finally drops on June 7. I'm quite looking forward to it. Last week they debuted a video for the opening track of the album, Abducted (below). For now you can sample their work at Hype Machine, and also check out their 2010 Daytrotter session.

Also, here's their video for Go Outside:

MTV Shows