|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Camera Obscura, Lucero, Frightened Rabbit, Basilisk |
|
Monday, October 19, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
CAMERA OBSCURA stay with the retro for "The Sweetest Thing." LUCERO played the World Cafe on Friday; you can stream the gig on demand via NPR. MOBY, Live in Berlin, also courtesy of NPR. RAIN MACHINE, a side effort by TV on the Radio's Kip Taylor, stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set streaming via MPR. DAVID BAZAN did a mini-set for the World Cafe, now streaming via NPR. FRIGHTENED RABBIT and a flashlight-wielding mob "Swim Until You Can't See Land." DEVENDRA BANHART talks to The Observer about his new album, how the Butthole Surfers are like German conceptual artist Joseph Beuys, and more... LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III gets a meaty profile from PopMatters, connected to his new double-disc set, High Wide and Handsome-the Charlie Poole Project. FLAMING LIPS frontman Wayne Coyne rips Arcade Fire again, this time in The Independent. But he also talks plenty about the new album, its guest stars, and more... PETER HOOK (Joy Division, New Order) has written a book on The Hacienda; The Independent has an excerpt. WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Where the Wild Things Are? Atop your local cinema, with 32.5 million dollars. Is that enough to make the books long and winding road to the big screen profitable? That may depend on whether the budget was 80 million or 100 million. But we don't get another family film until the mo-cap version of A Christmas Carol, which helps. Law Abiding Citizen debuted at No.2, with 21.3 million, which is at the high end of the tracking estimates, and not so hot for a 50 million budget in this genre. Paranormal Activity moves up to No.3 with 20.2 million; it has now made 33.3 million against a production cost of... eleven thousnad dollars. Couple's Retreat drops from first to fourth, making another 18 million and is now in striking distance of breaking even on its 70 million budget. But that 48 percent drop is big for a comedy. The debut of The Stepfather rounds out the Top Five, with 12.3 million against a 20 million budget. Below the fold, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs breaks the 100 million mark, good news in light of the competition from the Wild Things and Toy Stories (which landed in eighth place). Overall, this weekend was up big over the same frame in 2008. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE: I wanted to love this, and ended up liking it a lot. Adapting a book with nine sentences into a full-length feature is the sort of tastks that explains on its face why this movie took so long to be made. Spike Jonze (and screenwriter Dave Eggars) do about as well as possibly could be expected with this sort of stretch, fashioning a tale that captures the mood of the Maurice Sendak classic, while layering it with the dark moments of the secret lives of children (tonally reminiscent of some of the creepiest flashbacks in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). It's sort of a po-mo version of the Wizard of Oz, in its way. It may be a bit dark, and insufficiently action-driven, for younger kids... but maybe I'm wrong. After all, everyone thought the book would not connect with younger kids when it was released, and we all see how that turned out. KATE HUDSON pressuring A-ROD for a proposal? LINDSAY LOHAN got slapped with an extra year of probation, and got a stern lecture from the judge in her DUI case. Her stage mother would like her ex-con father to stop claiming that Li-Lo is abusing prescription drugs. ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but the prelimary hearing for those charged with providing her drugs began with a bang, as Smith's security guard described watching her slurp the powerful sedative chloral hydrate from a baby bottle. RENEE ZELLEWEGER and BRADLEY COOPER: Together again. ROMAN POLANSKI, facing extradition to the US in his rape case, has been moved from a Swiss jail for "medical treatment." SPIDER-MAN 4 will go back to basics, according to director Sam Raimi. JON FAVREAU will not direct The Avengers, but will ahve input into the projected Marvel mega-movie. IRAN: A Sunni resistance movement took credit for killing two senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps commanders and 27 other officers in a suicide attack in southeastern Iran. PAKISTAN: The military has started the South Waziristan offensive and claimed to have taken control of two towns; 30 Taliban fighters and 12 soldiers have been reported killed. AFGHANISTAN: General McChrystal's Long War. How much time does he have? THE BASILISK LIZARD: Let's go to the super slo-mo video. A BLACK BEAR shops for beer in the land of sky blue waters. DOLPHINS play soccer with Jellyfish. GATOR MEAT, ready to be shipped at the end of hunting season in FL: "Anytime the plant is smelly, that's a good thing." A FLORIDA MANATEE is stuck near an oil refinery in New Jersey where plunging temperatures and a lack of food are endangering his life. A POLICE DOG made six arrests in one night in Winnipeg.
|
|
|
3275 Reads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Motown, Classic Punk, Wye Oak, Cutout Bin, Skunk Whisperer |
|
Friday, October 16, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE: ... with THE SOUND OF MOTOWN! This Ready Steady Go! special from 1965 kicks off with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles singing "Ooo Baby Baby," Dusty Springfield joined by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas on "Wishin And Hopin'," and The Temptations singing "It's Growing." Martha Reeves and The Vandellas join Dusty Springfield for "Can't Hear You No More" followed by The Supremes singing "Stop! In The Name Of Love," The Temptations singing "My Girl," and Martha Reeves and The Vandellas returning for "Dancing In The Street," the Supremes with "Shake," and Martha Reeves and The Vandellas with "Nowhere To Run," then a medley with The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas and Dusty Springfield, continuing with Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Supremes and all performers joining in on "Mickey's Monkey," all backed by the Earl Van Dyke Sextet. BONUS: Stevie Wonder wails through "Kiss Me Baby," plus prior RSG appearances by Marvin Gaye syncing "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" and "Can I Get A Witness." THE TEN BEST CLASSIC PUNK SONGS, as voted by AOL Radio listeners, with embedded audio. WYE OAK stopped by KUT's Studio 1A for a session streaming via NPR. MOBY guest DJs at The Current, including every thing from the Flamingos, to John Lee Hooker to Joy Division. THE FLATLANDERS - Butch Hancock, Joe Ely and Jimmie Dale Gilmore - played a Mountain Stage set streaming on demand via NPR. THE RAVEONETTES: Sune Rose Wagner talks to the National Post about the new topics on the band's new album, as good an excuse as any to link the video for "Last Dance." GRANT HART: The Hüsker Dü legend talks to Minnesota Daily about that band, and his first solo LP in 10 years. THE FLAMING LIPS: Wayne Coyne talks to ClashMusic, starting with his brush with death. KINGS OF CONVENIENCE talk to Prefix about what they've been working on during their lengthy breaks, their take on music piracy, and why "I Love You" is the ultimate declaration of dependence. CUTOUT BIN: From ELO to Sly and the Family Stone, from Lou Reed to the George Baker Selection, from Arcade Fire to Dionne Warwick, plus Blondie, The Heavy, the Byrds, Fountains of Wayne and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM. NOW SHOWING: This weekend's wide releases are Where The Wild Things Are, which is currently scoring 70 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, pluse two thrillers -- Law Abiding Citizen, currently scoring 12 percent, and The Stepfather, which was not screened for critics. TINA FEY, the 24-year-old virgin. JENNIFER ANISTON and JOHN MAYER: Back on? Well, at least he's eminently quotable. MADONNA reviews her career and family matters in the latest issue of Rolling Stone. AVRIL LAVIGNE officially filed for divorce and asked the court to deny spousal support to estranged husband Deryck Whibley. LINDSAY LOHAN: The judge in her DUI case has ordered her to appear personally today for her progress report. Allegedly, the concern is that she's flunking alcohol ed -- which seems odd, given her level of experience. JESSICA SIMPSON: Burger King and Fox have apologized for an Oct. 11 NFL Sunday skit that mocked the pneumatic blonde's weight. KEANU REEVES has learned he's not the father of a Canadian woman's kids. EIGHT TV ACTRESSES Who Should Never Sing Again. THE BIG CHILL: Where are they now? (I thought they stayed in that kitchen.) TERROR in the USA: The airport shuttle driver accused of plotting a bombing in NYC had contacts with al Qaeda that went nearly all the way to the top. IRAQ: Peter Galbraith, a former American diplomat who has been among the most forceful advocates for Iraqi Kurds to retain control over the oil in their region, acknowledged yesterday that he has had business dealings involving oil companies in Iraqi Kurdistan since 2004. Ironically, Galbraith was recently dismissed by the UN in Afghanistan after refusing to take part in what he called "a cover-up" of fraud in the Afghan election. THE SKUNK WHISPERER RETURNS! Let's go to the video. WHEN CHIMPS ATTACK: An attorney representing the owner of a chimpanzee that mauled and blinded a woman is calling the attack a work-related incident and said her family's case should be treated like a workers' compensation claim. WHEN ELK ATTACK: A woman in western Sweden is recovering after being bowled over by an elk early on Wednesday morning while she was out walking her dog. WHEN DEER HIT THE GRIDIRON: A boy in Ohio was playing football with friends over the weekend and was tackled by a deer. THEIVES who stole a handful of incredibly rare goat-sheep were left red-faced today - when police said they would be stuck with them forever.
|
|
|
3297 Reads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Farrar+Gibbard, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Monster Cat |
|
Thursday, October 15, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
THE FLAMING LIPS are "Watching the Planets" for Conan. JAY FARRAR and BEN GIBBARD are streaming their album, based on Jack kerouac's Big Sur, via NPR. CASIOTONE for the PAINFULLY ALONE does the four free songs thing for Daytrotter. ALL SONGS CONSIDERED: Tracks from the XX, Vampire Weekend, Alec Ounsworth and more feature in the latest installment of the long-running NPR series. ROSANNE CASH has an interview streaming via Morning Edition. DAVENDRA BANHART premiered an unassuming little video for "Walillamdzi" at the 'Gum. MALCOLM McLAREN: The progenitor of punk talks to the Times of London about the Sex Pistols, his family and his work - with never a word about love. WILCO: Jeff Tweedy talks to The A.V. Club about people's "willingness to share opinions before they're even formed," including those about his hair. SUFJAN STEVENS is having a creative crisis. BON IVER will not be playing for an "indefinite" period of time or at least "until next year." THE JACKSONS are at odds over the inclusion of Michael Jackson's three children in an upcoming A&E reality show about the infamous family. Katherine Jackson says Jacko's kids will not appear on any TV reality show in her lifetime. Jacko is getting a tribute on Dancing With the Stars. CAPTAIN LOU ALBANO, WWF wrestler and manager, is dead at the age of 76. JESSICA SIMPSON speaks publicly about the loss of her dog to a coyote. Our long national nightmare is over. PAM ANDERSON shocked the Hollywood Style Awards over the weekend by recruiting a shy, 9-year-old girl to hold up her risqué dress all night. DR. PHIL: Slapped with another creepy lawsuit. MEGAN FOX will feature in the new Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans campaigns. KRISTEN STEWART and ROBERT PATTINSON: OK! magazine takes pics in their pad. CHRIS PINE (Capt. Kirk 2.0) may play CIA analyst Jack Ryan in the reboot of the franchise based on the Tom Clancy novels. AFGHANISTAN: Gen. McChrystal is asking for up to 80K more American troops even as he warns that rampant government corruption there may prevent victory against the Taliban and al Qaeda. MONSTER CAT: Let's go to the video. RESPECT YOUR PET: When they turn on their human masters, this will be why. BUCKS are riskier to pet than deer. AN ENGLISH FARMER was fined for keeping cows in the dark.
|
|
|
3101 Reads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RIP Dickie Petersen, Swell Season, Beatles, Wavves, 4600 Scorpions |
|
Wednesday, October 14, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
DICKIE PETERSEN, bassist/vocalist and founding member of the proto-punk-psych-metal combo Blue Cheer, passed away Monday morning in Germany, apparently from infection following cancer surgery. He was 61. Blue Cheer was best known for its cover of "Summertime Blues," but here's two hours featuring the band from KSFU. THE SWELL SEASON is advance streaming their Strict Joy album via NPR. THE BEATLES: Listen to "Come Together" deconstructed as part of a BBC show on the Fab Four remasters. Waxy has that track, plus deconstructions of "A Day in the Life" and "She's Leaving Home" available for download. WAVVES is profiled by the Arizona Republic, with a streaming playlist. URBAN OUTFITTERS has a free mix to stream and download, featuring Girls, El Perro del Mar, The XX, White Denim, the Spinto Band, Edward Sharpe, Islands and more... PHOENIX recently played "Girlfriend" for Craig Ferguson. TITUS ANDRONICUS singer-guitarist Patrick Stickles chatted with The A.V. Club about NPR bands who people think of as being indie-rock, misconceptions and perceptions, and how to turn all that on its head. BUILT TO SPILL's Doug Martsch talks to the Boston Herald about the artistic laissez-faire approach that works for the band. THE DODOS: Meric Long talks to Greg Kot about moving to a more melodic approach on the band's new LP. WILCO bassist John Stirratt talks to the National Post about being the other founding member of the band. JANUARY JONES (Mad Men) does a cover story and photo spread for GQ. MICHAEL JACKSON's posthumously-released song, "This Is It," was co-written by Paul Anka... and he's miffed at not getting credit. He'll end up getting paid. DAVE LETTERMAN: Quinnipiac University says it will tell staff in charge of placing interns to be extra careful when sending students to the studio to work for him. JON GOSSELIN, fading reality star, has been ordered to return 180K of the funds he withdrew from his joint bank account with Kate in violation of an arbitrator's order. CHRISTIE BRINKLEY and ex PETER COOK have reportedly been discussing a proposed settlement over details of their divorce. ANNA NICOLE SMITH IS STILL DEAD, but the trial of people accused of feeding her drugs may put her baby daddy in a bind. LINDSAY LOHAN may have walked off with borrowed one-of-a-kind accessories from Paris. ZACH BRAFF: Rumors of his death are greatly exaggerated. IAN McKELLEN talks to Empire about The Hobbit and Magneto. IRAN: Russia is already backing away from supporting new sanctions against the Islamic thugocracy's nuclear program. Shocka. AFGHANISTAN: Recruits to the Afghan Army are being rushed into combat with a barely acceptable level of training, according to senior British officers closely involved in the program. PET HOARDING: A Thai man lives with 4600 scorpions. RARE VEGETARIAN SPIDER discovered in Central America. THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Militant rodents again steal flags from veterans' graves. WILD STALLIONS fight in the heart of the English countryside. FAUX FISH confuse visitors to London's Sea Life aquarium, in a classic bait-and-switch tactic.
|
|
|
3295 Reads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
New Releases, Decemberists, Joe Henry, Steve Earle, Scaredy Cat |
|
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 - 08:00 AM Posted by: Karl
THE DECEMBERISTS have released an animated video for "The Rake's Song," created and directed by art students in Moscow, complete with refs to Russian folklore. NEW RELEASES: School of Seven Bells, Josh Rouse, Erin McKeon, the Blakes and more are streaming in full this week via Spinner. JOE HENRY stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set streaming via KCRW. STEVE EARLE stopped by Morning Becomes Eclectic for a chat and mini-set streaming via KCRW. CHRIS WALLA and J. ROBBINS write a song in two days, having never even met before they stepped into NPR's performance studio. REGINA SPEKTOR played "Eet" and "The Calculation" live in NYC on Saturday night. FANFARLO drummer Amos Memon tells the Yorkshire Evening Post and bassist Justin Finch tells Wales Online that they can't wait to get back to the US of A. (Thx, Chromewaves.) GLEN HANSARD (The Frames, The Swell Season) talks to Billboard about the latter's upcoming Swift Joy LP, "which sounds more like Van Morrison than the delicately melancholy acoustic songs that first made the duo famous." OKKERVIL RIVER: Will Scheff talks to the Golden Gate X-Press about life on tour and his experience playing at this year's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival. AMY MILLAN talks to NOW about keeping the wheels turning, and waiting for the right stories to present themselves. TOY STORY 3 now has a trailer online. OPRAH WINFREY is sued for sex discrimination in a mile-high scandal. MICHAEL JACKSON's mother will benefit from, but not inherit, any of Jacko's estate. BILL HADER and his wife welcome a daughter, their first. ANGELINA JOLIE may take over for Charlize Theron on The Tourist. CHRISTINA HENDRICKS (Mad Men) married fiancé Geoffrey Arend at Il Buco restaurant in New York on Sunday. X-MEN: Bryan Singer says he's interested in making another installment and has discussed the possibility with Twentieth Century Fox. And after Superman Returns and Valkyrie, who is surprised by that? THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX was directed by e-mail? NORTH KOREA fired five short-range missiles off its east coast on Monday, news reports said, even as South Korea proposed working-level talks with its communist neighbor. AFGHANISTAN: The Obama administration is considering outbidding the Taliban to persuade Afghan villagers to lay down arms. Meanwhile, Mullah Omar is mounting a comeback of sorts. CONAN the SCAREDY CAT: What's he afraid of? A PLUCKY PIGEON has visited a Kingston golf club every day without fail since his friend, a pro at the club, nursed him back to health back in May. A GAZA ZOO has got around animal import restrictions by dyeing stripes on donkeys to make 'zebras'. A WEINER DOG who was paralyzed has taken his first steps after pioneering treatment by scientists at Cambridge University.
|
|
|
3047 Reads |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|