Last month we looked at Michael McDonald’s surprising pop culture ubiquity. Since his tour partners Steely Dan got so much mileage out of that letter to Luke Wilson, the blue-eyed soulman’s found his own Hollywood beef.

In The 40 Year Old Virgin, Paul Rudd’s character is driven nuts by his electronics store’s endless loop of McDonald’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Last week at his Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino concert in Florida, McDonald dedicated the song to Paul Rudd!

Don’t you love this nonsense of Yacht Rockers and Hollywood stars sending messages to each other? I’m still waiting for Christopher Cross to publicly scold Firecrotch for excessive partying.

As for Rudd, he recently told The AV Club just how hip his music taste is. The actor put his iPod on shuffle (no cheating!) and revealed the contents. “These are all so hip that it sounds like I am skipping some, but I’m really not,” says Rudd. “I promise you.”

“So You’ll Aim Toward The Sky,” Grandaddy

Paul Rudd: I don’t know. You know, I like that record a lot. I just skipped to the next one.

“Camera,” R.E.M.

PR: This is off of Reckoning, which I think is a great record, and a very important record in my development. I would say that Reckoning was the first record that came out that started getting me off of synth-pop and into jangly guitars? which is an important move that everyone has to make.

“I’ve Got New York,” The 6ths

PR: This is one of Stephin Merritt’s offshoot bands?they have two records? Maybe they have three, I don’t know. But I love what they do. The first record that The 6ths made was called [hilariously overpronouncing the “s”] Wasps’ Nests, and the second one is called Hyacinths And Thistles. All those “ths.”



“Norwegian Wood,” The Beatles

PR: I’m glad that some good shit is coming up and it makes me sound cool. [Laughs.] I swear to God I haven’t skipped.

“I Will Bury You In Time,” Jeff Mangum

PR: Live At Jittery Joe’s. Their live record. They are a great band.

“In A Little While,” U2

PR: I think they’re a great band. I always really liked them a lot. I was never like, “Oh my God!” but I was really into Unforgettable Fire and Joshua Tree. I would say that was probably the height of my U2 liking?and actually, Achtung Baby was really brilliant.

“World Where You Live,” Crowded House

PR: Neil Finn is amazing. Great underrated band.

“I Turn Around,” Elvis Costello

PR: These are all so hip that it sounds like I am skipping some, but I’m really not. I promise you.

More here. Paul Rudd = so more scene.