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New Okkervil River and Foo Fighters, Tegan & Sara, Catnapping   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Monday, August 06, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

1990s add allusions to A Hard Day's Night bring their raw, garage-y rock in the clip for "You're Supposed to be My Friend."

PATTIE BOYD reveals intimate details of her emotionally fraught love triangle with George Harrison and Eric Clapton -- which inspired the latter to pen "Layla" (she also inspired Harrison's song "Something")  -- in her new book, Wonderful Today.  There are links to excerpts from the book and a video interview at the link.  There's more at the Sydney Morning Herald.

OKKERVIL RIVER:  The Stage Names LP is due tomorrow, but you can stream it all now.

THE EAGLES are planning to take flight with a long-awaited new album and a tour, according to Joe "The Bomber" Walsh, who says he made sure the band's first full-length studio set since "The Long Run" in 1979 isn't "too ballad-y."

THE FOO FIGHTERS:  The first single from the upcoming sixth LP Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace is called "The Pretender."

THE FORTUNES play their big hit, "You've Got Your Troubles" at the 1966 NME poll-winners concert.

STEVIE WONDER announced he will launch his first US tour in more than 20 years on August 23rd during an impromptu concert at a public park in the business district of Century City.

TEGAN & SARA played a gig for WXPN and World Café last Friday you can stream on demand from NPR.

AMY WINEHOUSE makes the front cover of American Vogue for September -- traditionally the highest-selling issue of the year.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  After spilling all the details of their break-up in a series of interviews and calling the supposedly sober supermodel a "nasty old rag," the troubled singer has penned "A Song For Kate" in a last-ditch attempt to win her back.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:  Jason Bourne was unstoppable at the box office, taking in over 70 million -- the biggest August movie opening in history.  The Bourne Ultimatum is also the most expensive of the series, with a budget estmated between 110-125 million, but Bourne should be in the black when the flick opens worldwide next weekend.  The Simpsons Movie dropped almost 66 percent to make 25.6 million -- but has already made 236 million worldwide on a 75 million production budget.  Underdog debuted in third place with 12 million.  I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry took in another 10.5 million and will almost certainly turn a profit, despite an $85 million budget.  Hairspray rounds out the Top Five with 9.3 million.  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix also came in with roughly 9.3 million -- it has made about 260 million in the US and shouyld finish just behind Goblet of Fire when all is said and done.  No Reservations slid into the seventh slot with 6.6 million.  Transformers made another 6 million in the US -- it has taken in 545 million worldwide on a 150 million production budget.  Andy Samberg's Hot Rod debuted in ninth place with 5 million, just ahead of the debut of Bratz, which made 4.3 million.

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, btw, has about 4000 edits -- to reflect the disorientation of its protagonist.

THE SIMSPONS model haute couture with a cartoon Linda Evangelista in the August issue of Harper's Bazaar.  Pics at the link.

VING RHAMES:  Did his dogs maul his caretaker to death?  Or did the caretaker have a heart attack running for his life after a confrontation with the dogs?  Either way, the dogs have been taken into custody.

THANDIE NEWTON discloses she suffered from bulimia in her early 20s.

LINDSAY LOHAN, contra to reports that she was back in rehab, is holed up at mom Dina's place on Long Island.  So she has had the chance to read the interview she gave Elle magazine 36 hours before her arrest, proclaiming she would never drive drunk.   And a chance to read that Louis Vuitton will no longer even lend her clothes because she walked off with a number of items after a photo shoot (also for Elle).  She is rumored to have a photographer spying on sometime bf Callum Best.

BRADGELINA cancelled a family holiday to Lake Mohawk, NJ, further fuelling speculation of a rift.  Pitt's rep denies the rumors.

REESE WITHERSPOON & RYAN PHILIPPE have been spotted shopping, jogging and lunching together in L.A., fuelling speculation of a reconciliation.  Philippe's rep denies it.

MADONNA has lawyers fighting to stop the publication of love letters and intimate photographs as she tries to make her adoption of a Malawian baby permanent.  Madge's controversial adoption of an African baby may collapse amid accusations that the child welfare expert overseeing it has become too close to the case.

SEAN PENN had a love-in with Venezuelan Pres. Hugo Chavez.  Cuban-born actress Maria Conchita Alonso, who grew up in Venezuela, said Penn is lending support to a "totalitarian" leader who wants increasing control of society - a charge Chavez denies, despite having recently shut down TV stations critical of Chavez.  I guess Penn defends free speech only when it is not attacking nascent dictators.

JESSICA BIEL was reportedly caught canoodling with ex-bf Chris Evans (a/k/a/ the Human Torch) while attending a wedding reception last Saturday, according to the ever-reliable Star Magazine.  Evans rep states the two are "just friends."

ISLAMISM in the UK:  The British branch of a world-wide radical Islamist group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, held a conference in London on Saturday, in which speakers called for the overthrow of Muslim governments and their replacement with a single Islamic state, known as the caliphate.  As many as one in 11 British Muslims agree with and proactively support terrorism, a Government adviser has warned police.  Haras Rafiq also told officers at Scotland Yard that up to 20 percent of the Muslim population "sympathise" with militants, while stopping short of being prepared to "blow themselves up."  Meanwhile, a teacher near the home of three of the 7/7 bombers had ten-year-olds copying Allah is the greatest" and "I bear witness that there is no God but Allah" as a hand-writing exercise.

IRAN:  Iranian police detained more than 200 people and seized alcohol and drugs in a raid on a "satanic" underground rock concert, media in the conservative Islamic state reported on Saturday.

AFGHANISTAN:  British military commanders believe they have turned a significant corner, pushing the Taliban back  in Afghanistan's most dangerous province, while popular support for the insurgents is eroding.

IRAQ:  Haythem Sabah al-Badri, who was reputed to be the leader of AQI in Salahuddin province and who planned the bombing of Al Askari mosque in Samarra earlier this summer has been killed in an air raid, the US military announced Saturday.  The US military has launched a new air campaign against militant safe havens and weapons smugglers south of Baghdad as it seeks to choke the flow of bombs and weapons reaching the capital.  Photos purport to show a parade by the "Islamic State of Iraq" in Baqubah, but it seems unlikely, given that the US is transtioning to "hold" status there.  Wesley Morgan blogs his embed in Northern Babil, where he ran into Michael Gordon of the NYT.  The Marines are sectioning Fallujah and building joint command centers, following the pattern set in other cities.  Michael Yon, who has spent roughly a 1½ years on the battlefields of Iraq since Dec. 2004, writes in the NYDN that "Anyone who says Al Qaeda is not one of the primary problems in Iraq is simply ignorant of the facts."

IRAQI POLITICS in the MEDIA:  The Washington Post and the L.A. Times -- among others -- are writing a lot about sectarian distrust and political stagnation crippling the Iraqi gov't.  Nibras Kazimi, who once directed the Research Bureau of the Iraqi National Congress and helped establish the Higher National Commission for De-Ba'athification, suggests that Sunni parties have left the gov't because the insurgency is losing, which is emboldening the Shiites to play political hardball.  He also suggests that the hard-line Sunni leaders who got elected to oppose Shiite hegemony are being replaced with new faces that are accepting the new realities of Iraq and can work with the ascendant Shiites.  Meanwhile, amid the sectarian violence, a new poll shows a dramatic swing in popular support for secular political rule over the past year.

IRAQ and the MEDIA:  Col. Steven Boylan, Public Affairs Officer for General David Petraeus, announced that the Army's investigation into the allegations made by Scott Thomas Beauchamp as "Baghdad Diarist" for The New Republic found the allegations to be false; "members of Thomas' platoon and company were all interviewed and no one could substantiate his claims."  It also appears that TNR left out statements it obtained from the Army in its statement purporting to corroborate PFC Beauchamp's stories.

A TWO-LEGGED DOG that can fetch and play with the best of them is looking for a good home.

THE "BEAST OF DARTMOOR," which stoked rumours that the moor is haunted by a pack of spectral dogs known as the Hounds of Hell, turns out to be a two-year-old Newfoundland called Troy.

MANUEL the CHIHUAHUA rescued a disoriented beaver from the waters off Vancouver's Stanley Park.  Who wouldn't?

THE SQUIRREL THREAT:  A Canadian Bible camp is defending a counsellor who skinned, roasted and then ate a squirrel in front of a group of boys.

A CATNAPPING rocks the town of Westmere in New Zealand.

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Sonic Youth, Rascals, Mark Olson, Cutout Bin, Spider-Cat   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Friday, August 03, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

THE WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with SONIC YOUTH!  Here's a gig recorded for German TV in Dusseldorf, circa April 1996, with "Teenage Riot"; "Bull In The Heather"; "Starfield Road"; "Washing Machine"; "Junkie's Promise"; "Saucer-Like"; "Becuz"; "Sugar Kane"; "Skip Tracer"; "Skink"; and "The Diamond Sea" (Part 1, Part 2Part 3).

THE B-52s:  Cindy Wilson does the Mom thing while Atlanta's Creative Looafing listens to what "could very well become the band's best-received album of its career - if it's properly promoted and heard." 

ALL SONGS CONSIDERED:  Okkervil River, Architecture In Helsinki, John Vanderslice and more are featured on the latest edition of the NPR favorite.

SMASHING PUMPKINS posted "a day in the life" of the band with a series of Tubed clips, including Billy Corgan writing a song performed at the gig that night.

LOLLAPALOOZA:  I'm skipping it this year, but I might stream some sets this weekend from AT&T's Blueroom.  Shows Fri-Sun start streaming at 12:30 CDT.

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL INDIE ROCK:  Pitchfork has the tracklisting.

SEEN YOUR VIDEO:  It's been more than a year, so I'm re-linking The Rascals covering "Mickey's Monkey," just because it's exhilarating.

THE 50 GREATEST ROCK DUMMERS, according to the oft-idiosyncratic Stylus magazine.

PINK FLOYD:  In honor of the life and work of filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni, An Aquarium Drunkard has posted a batch of tracks from the bootleg Zabriskie Point sessions.  You can jukebox 'em via the ol' HM.

MARK OLSON:  The former Jayhawk has an interview plus live cuts at the World Cafe, streaming now at NPR.

NEW PORNOGRAHERS frontman A.C. Newman talks about the upcoming LP and changing perceptions of bandmate Neko Case.

THE CUTOUT BIN:  This Friday's fortuitous finds on the ol' HM are:  Sonic Youth - Theme From The Simpsons; Dave Edmunds - Here Comes The Weekend; The Undertones - Here Comes The Summer; The Go-Go's - Vacation; VietNam - Summer In The City; Translator - Everywhere That I'm Not; The Housemartins - Happy Hour; I'm from Barcelona - We're From Barcelona; Guided By Voices - Game Of Pricks; The Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn'tve?); Arctic Monkeys - Baby I'm Yours; Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation; The Beatles - Hey Bulldog; The Temptations - Psychedelic Shack; Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I'm Not Gonna Cry; The Commodores - Brick House; Wild Cherry - Play That Funky Music; Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay; Sam & Dave - Soothe Me; Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning; The Doobie Brothers - Black Water; The Thrills - Big Sur; Little Feat - Fat Man In The Bath Tub; Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Woodstock; Foghat - I Just Want To Make Love To You; Scorpions - Rock You Like A Hurricane; Foo Fighters - I Feel Free (Cream); Led Zeppelin - Rock And Roll; Christopher Walken - More Cowbell; Apollo 440 - Don't Fear the Reaper (BOC); and Styx - Mr. Roboto.

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM:  Defying the usual law of sequels, I liked the Bourne Supremacy better than the Bourne Identity.  I like the Bourne Ultimatum best of all, for most of the same reasons (but would recommend seeing the first two first).  Plenty of action, though none too over-the-top for the tone of the series.  Plenty of suspense.  Matt Damon gets to bring even more MacGuyver to his role (and is rougher on his wheels than James Bond), David Strathairn makes a great new foil and Julia Stiles finally gets some action.  Probably the best of the summer's threequels.  My other observations would be spoiler-y, so I'll leave it at "recommended."

NOW SHOWING:  In addition to The Bourne Ultimatum, which is currently scoring an impressive 93 percent on the ol' Tomatometer, this weekend's wide releases include the live-action Underdog, which was not screened for critics, suggesting they ruined one of my childhood faves; SNL wunderkind Andy Samberg's Hot Rod, which is scoring a meager 35 percent; and the live-action doll adaptation Bratz, which is currently scoring 9 percent.

SISKEL & EBERT & ROEPER:  You can watch over 5000 duelling reviews in the new Balcony Archive.

ELTON JOHN would like to shut down the Internet for five years, claiming that it's hampering creativity.  He also claims that "In the early Seventies there were at least ten albums released every week that were fantastic," which is a nice anti-drugs PSA of sorts.

PRINCE is in negotiations to have a luxury five-bedroom home built for him within the grounds of London's O2 Arena, formerly the Millennium Dome.  The opening of his 21-night stand at the Dome, which included a swipe at Madonna, got a rave review in the NME.

MARILYN MANSON is getting slapped with a lawsuit by his ex-keyboardist claiming the goth-the rocker squandered their band's earnings on "sick and disturbing purchases of Nazi memorabilia and taxidermy (including the skeleton of a young Chinese girl)."  Speaking of exes, Manson's ex-whife Dita Von Teese tells RadarOnline that she was disappointed Manson spoke about the end of their marriage dating 19-year-old actress Evan Rachel Wood while doing press for his new album:  "I don't think it was the press. It was a matter of, ‘Hey, maybe you shouldn't drink absinthe and do cocaine and do interviews all at the same time.' ... It was drinking and interviewing."

BRITNEY SPEARS:  It's a red flag when the usually fluffy US Weekly starts asking psychologists whether the pop tart is bipolar.

LINDSAY LOHAN:  The paparazzi at Splash News have catalogued Li-Lo's catty attacks on Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Simpson, Sienna Miller, Kiera Knightley, and Jessica Biel.  Meanwhile, enabling mom Dina is being sued for fraud in Las Vegas by businessman Antonio Almeida, who claims she failed to return 400K he lent her four years ago to kick-start Lindsay's music career.

TOM-KAT reportedly want to do a racy photoshoot, "together in the shower, dripping wet and covered by nothing but steam."  Apparently, the couch-jumping instinct has not left Cruise.

REESE WITHERSPOON is set to become an Avon Lady... sorta.

PAUL RUDD talks to MTV about kissing Jessica Alba for money, fantasy baseball and singing.  And that's a pretty good excuse to re-link Rudd and Wet Hot American Summer director David Wain singing Boston's "More Than A Feeling," with Of Montreal backing up the karaoke madness.

BATMAN, ROBIN, SUPERMAN & SPIDER-MAN had to be rescued when the Batmobile lost a wheel.  The Joker got away.

THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY SCOUTING JAMBOREE is going without burgers and sausages -- so as not to offend any religious faiths... though the Daily Mail is silent about which faiths might be offended, natch.  Plus, no campfires.

GWEN STEFANI has ditched her revealing concert costumes after protests from Muslim students in Malaysia.

PAKISTAN:  Almost two-thirds of respondents say Pres. Musharraf should quit, according to a new poll poll by the International Republican Institute, a Washington-based group that has Republican lawmakers and officials among its directors and senior staff.

IRAN:  Two more criminals have been publicly hanged as children looked on and people took pictures.  Graphic pics at the link.  Meanwhile, Iran's reformist former president, Mohammad Khatami, has suffered a blow to his political standing by being pictured apparently shaking hands with women in breach of Islamic convention.  The horror!

IRAQ:  A member in the Iraqi National List said that his bloc is considering withdrawing from the Iraqi government.  According to Khalaf al-Alian -- a leader of the just-withdrawn Iraqi Accordance Front -- Prime Minister al-Maliki has two choices: to form a government of independent technocrats or to step down in favor of a more qualified person.  Iraqi troops killed a local Al-Qaeda warlord and US soldiers arrested two of the extremist network's chieftains.  The Army is now deploying robots armed with M249 machine guns; video at the link.  The reunited Spice Girls may hit Baghdad -- where is Amnesty International now?

IRAQ in the MEDIA:  TNR posted purported confirmation of the "Baghdad Diarist" before going on vacation.  Unfortunately, there's less corroboration there than meets the eye.  TNR addresses only the article titled "Shock Troops."  None of the problems in PFC Beauchamp's other stories are addressed at all.  Most of the purported corroboration comes from other anonymous soldiers, and it's unclear who is confirming what.  The methods of killing dogs described in "Shock Troops" are not the method described by the "corroborating" soldier (and other sources) in the new statement.  PFC Beauchamp wrote about what was "clearly a Saddam-era dumping ground of some sort," but the new TNR statement seems to agree with The Weekly Standard that it was a children's cemetery (without admitting the apparent embellishment).  TNR has someone confirm that someone else wore a piece of skull, but no mention of it being worn for days, even on a mission, with a 4-5 lb. helmet pressing it into his own skull.  And TNR discloses that the first story in "Shock Troops" -- about Beauchamp and a friend mocking a woman with a severely scarred face -- now supposedly happened in Kuwait, prior to the unit's arrival in Iraq.  The thesis of "Shock Troops" was that "That is how war works: It degrades every part of you, and your sense of humor is no exception."  But it turns out that -- if this latest version of his stories is true -- Beauchamp and his friend were "degraded" before they ever saw a day of combat.

SPIDER-CAT is fairly amusing, but admittedly moreso if you've seen The Simpsons Movie.

HOW MUCH IS THAT DOGGY IN THE WINDOW?  A mere £250,000.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT:  A Finnish squirrel who has taken to shoplifting chocolate eggs from a grocery store.  The furry varmint is a repeat offender, going into the store in Jyvaskyla at least twice a day to steal the treats.

...AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT:  A seven-legged lamb.  Gonna need a bigger tub of mint jelly.

A CLEVER CAPUCHIN MONKEY has unlocked his pen and escaped from the Tupelo Buffalo Park and Zoo.

DOG SHOOTS MAN in the back.  Some best friend he turned out to be.

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New Kevin Drew, Jose Gonzalez and SFA, Duckies   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Thursday, August 02, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

THE MPLS BRIDGE DISASTER: I doubt many missed it, though James Lileks can hook you up if you did.  Pate has a fair contingent in Minnesota, including bassist Mike Kelly.  They and their loved ones are in our thoughts, with hope that none were involved in this tragedy.  I would add that the stories of people at the scene -- including people directly involved in the collapse -- immediately turning to help others help us keep our faith in humanity at times of crisis.

KEVIN DREW of Broken Social Scene releases his first solo video for "Backed Out On The..." with help from J Mascis of Dinosaur, Jr., Joules Scott Key of Metric, seven mirrors, one disco ball, four lights, one bottle of rum, three bottles of tequila, 62 beers, four crew, and 17 people.  He has also posted an exclusive B-Side at HisSpace.

JOHN VANDERSLICE makes the latest stop on his live video tour of blog love at MKOB with "Time To Go."

FAMOUS SONGS re-written as limericks.  Plenty in the comments at the link also.

JOSE GONZALEZ has two new tracks, "Down the Line" and "Killing for Love," streaming at HisSpace.

GOGOL BORDELLO frontman Eugene Hütz promises Harp magazine that the band is "always gonna be this drunk, galloping Eastern European horse of grotesque and dark humor."

STEVIE WONDER is known for singing, playing the keyboards and the harmonica -- but watch him on the drums!

SUPER FURRY ANIMALS have released "Run Away" as a promo track from the upcoming Hey, Venus! LP.  It has that 60s girl-group sound for which I'm always a sucker.  Except sung by Welsh dudes.

THE NATIONAL: Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner talk to PopMatters about the nine year road to overnight success.

MOVING DAY:  Matt at YANP posted a mini-mix for moving into his college housing.  You can jukebox it on the ol' HM.

PEARL JAM:  Heather Browne is streaming "a loose assemblage of demo versions and rough mixes of Pearl Jam songs from over the years, with the occasional live cut tossed in."

THE PHIL SPECTOR TRIAL:  Defense attorneys in the pop producer's murder trial have abruptly decided to rest their case.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  The troubled singer denies cheating on the supposedly sober supermodel (much) and says he left her, as the relationship "became like the Vietnam war."  Moss is planning to jet off for a chilled out holiday in Marbella with 20 friends.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  There's a new round-up of trashtastic behavior -- including the pop tart trying to get her 22-month-old son's teeth whitened -- at US Weekly.

NICOLE RICHIE confirmed to Diane Sawyer that she's four months pregnant by Good Charlotte singer Joel Madden.

UMA THURMAN has been caught canoodling with handsome Swiss banker Arky Busson, who was Elle Macpherson's man for many years and the father of her two kids.

McGOSLING:  Are Rachel McAdams and her Notebook Costar Ryan Gosling finally engaged?  That would be crazy delicious.

TOM-KAT UPDATE:  A second man has been arrested in the alleged extortion plot involving stolen pictures of the Tom-Kat wedding, according to the FBI.

JESSICA SIMPSON:  Is her next movie going straight to DVD in the US?  "The movie is absolutely horrible," says a source. "It's just a bomb, mainly because of Jessica's acting."  Shocka!

ADRIAN GRENIER:  Life imitates HBO as the Entourage star is mobbed by groupies in the VIP section of Star Room in East Hampton.

HEROES:  Save the Cheerleader... from sticking her hands in her pants.

MADONNA was caught spending almost two hours at the Harlem headquarters of President Bill Clinton's charitable foundation.  But don't leap to any conclusions... the Clinton Foundation has been the biggest single donor to Madonna's Raising Malawi effort.

ALEC BALDWIN explains how the next President should handle Iraq -- first withdraw, then attack.

BRADGELINA:  Pitt reportedly begs Jolie to get help for her dwindling weight, according to the ever-reliable Star magazine.  The equally reliable Life & Style Weekly out this week claims the pair are so much on edge that Jolie drenched Brad Pitt with a glass of wine over the 2008 presidential campaign in the US.  And that was before Sen. Barack Obama started talking about invading Pakistan.

PAKISTAN:  Al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al Libi joins rival Ayman al Zawahiri in calling for the overthrow of Pres. Musharraf.  The hottest movie in the country, "In the Name of God," is a fantastical tale that warns its audience of the threat of Islamic radicalism to Pakistanis.

IRAN sentenced two Kurdish journalists to death "on the charge of Moharebeh," a term used in Iran's Sharia law to describe a major crime against the religion and the Islamic state... but not decribed specifically in this case.  The sudden death of a key ayatollah creates an opening for moderate reformers to regain some influence.  Meanwhile, Pres. Ahmadinejad said on Monday that defeat is meaningless for those believing in martyrdom.

IRAQ:  The chief of Iraqi army staff submitted his resignation, but the Iraqi Prime Minister and Armed forces Command-in-Chief rejected it, according to a Kurdish legislator.  The state minister for security affairs says Iranians are helping insurgents obtain better weapons and training.  Iraqi army Lt. Col. Abdulkhaliq Hamed says "there should be no type of any withdrawal" by the US from northern Iraq.  Col. Stephen Twitty, the commander of US and Iraqi forces in the region, said attacks in Nineveh province have gone from 18 a day in December to seven to nine attacks now.  Sec. of State Condoleezza Rice and SecDef Robert M. Gates are coupling the military assistance package for Arab allies with a public request for Arab leaders to do more to back the Shiite-led government in Iraq. The Saudi foreign minister said that his country was considering upgrading its diplomatic ties with Iraq, but rebuffed calls from the Bush Admin. to do more to halt Saudis from crossing the border to join the insurgency.

ABANDONED DUCKLINGS found battling against waves after being washed out to sea are being nursed back to health in a teacup.  More awww...some pics at the link.

A MACAQUE MONKEY -- normally found in Afghanistan, India, Thailand, southern China and Florida -- was found in a garden in Beaminster, Dorset.

WOULD YOU LIKE A FROG with your salad?

SPIDER-NEWS:  Judy Reardon found a Black Widow in box of grapes she bought from Costco in Coon Rapids, MN last week.  Julie and Peter Gillett a massive venomous tarantula running around their English garden (pic at the link).  Male wasp spiders have an interesting way of putting off rival suitors.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT:  The rodents are increasing their operational tempo at the U of Central Florida.

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Vanderslice, Dylan, Fairport, Lemonheads, Tall Horses   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Wednesday, August 01, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

JOHN VANDERSLICE makes the third and fourth stops on his tour of blog love, giving live takes of "The Tower" to Brooklyn Vegan and "The Parade" to YANP.

NEW ORDER:  Departing bassist Peter Hook seems to be threatening court action against the others on HisSpace.  Bizzare Love Triangle, anyone?

BOB DYLAN:  Sony wants your opinion on Mark Ronson's "re-version" of "Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine)" before it's sent to radio stations.

THE DITTY BOPS, who last year raised an environmental flag by doing their entire coast-to-coast tour via bicycle, talk to the San Francisco Chronicle about their new Farm Tour and their plastic outfits.

FIERY FURNACES:  At Fluxblog, Matthew Perpetua has early impressions of the upcoming Widow City album, noting in part that "The Who-isms of the previous Fiery Furnaces albums seem to have been replaced by nods to Led Zeppelin..."  he also posted "Navy Nurse" from the LP.

FAIRPORT CONVENTION cover The Merry Go Round's  "Time Will Show The Wiser" in a rare 1967 TV gig with original vocalist Judy Dyble.

THE METRO (f/k/a Caberet Metro):  Chicago suburban paper The Daily Herald marks the venerable club's 25th anniversary with tributes from some of the musicians who have trod its stage.  I have plenty of great bands there -- the dB's, the Replacements, Husker Du, Pate...

LEMONHEADS:  The Jefito blog has posted a collection of Lemonheads and Evan Dando B-sides, soundtrack and tribute-album contributions, collaborations with other artists, live recordings, and other rarities.  Among the tracks are covers of Buddy Holly, Big Star, ABBA and Richard Thompson.  You an jukebox 'em via the ol' HM, though you may have to click a page or two to get to Jul 27.

AIRSTREAM CONVENTION: News about the hipped-up new design for the classic trailer (see the designer interviewed at Dwell) immediately put me in the mood for one of my fave tracks from The Service.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  The troubled singer calls the supposedly sober supermodel a "nasty old rag," but he can't quit her.  Then again, The Libertines may be the only thing Doherty has ever succeeded at quitting.  Moss had a screaming fit, smashed pictures and threw a wine glass at a wall when she heard that Doherty had made a desperate rambling, and very public plea to get her back in his life.

BRITNEY SPEARS:  Fed-Ex may yet fight for full custody of the now-divorced couple's children.  The pop tart's lawyer's has had the current custody order sealed by alleging "criminals ... might target the minor children for financial gain."

ROSIE O'DONNELL has decided that her new target is the seemingly oft-disoriented Paula Abdul.

REESE WITHERSPOON & JAKE GYLLENHAAL supposedly broke-up, but were snapped together outside Jake's Hollywood Hills home.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON, contrary to some circulating reports, will not portray pr0n star Jenna Jameson in the film adaptation of her autobiography.

SEAN PENN reportedly was offering relationship advice outside Skybar at the Shore Club in South Beach.  Nothing like some words of wisdom from someone who allegedly tied first wife Madonna to a chair for several hours one New Year's Eve (allegedly not in a fun way, either).

LINDSAY LOHAN:  Despite the DUI and cocaine charges hanging overhead, her latest movie deal is still on track, according to the film's producer.  So she's not uninsurable... yet.  And having linked to the 911 call from the car Lohan chased, it's only fair to link Lohan's own 911 call.

MICHAELANGELO ANTONIONI, the Italian director whose depiction of alienation made him a symbol of art-house cinema with movies such as Blow-Up and L'Avventura, has died at 94.  Along with Ingmar Bergman, the existentialist director trifecta remains open.  BONUS:  Here's The Yardbirds aping The Who while playing "Stroll On" (a/k/a "Train Kept-a Rollin'") in Blow-Up.

KIRSTEN DUNST:  Her new London pad is a hive of activity.  She has booted rocker bf Johnny Borrell from the place because he's too messy.  And her late night parties are irking her new neighbors.

WOODY ALLEN sparked a prison brawl last week.

IRON MAN:  If studio lawyers beat you to the Comic-Con clip I linked yesterday, and you missed the update, not all is lost.

COMIC-CON, btw, kicked the a$$ of a reporter from the L.A. Times.

HARRY POTTER and the IRANIAN THEOCRACY:  Media close to mullahs in Tehran cannot seem to decide whether the boy wizard angers the Zionist regime or is "a billion-dollar Zionist project" of the global conspiracy.

A GITMO DETAINEE who spends 22 hours each day in an isolation cell is fighting for the right to stay in the notorious internment camp.

GLOBAL PORKING:  A group of British Muslims have opposed plans for a pet food factory to be built as possible pork emissions will violate their religious rights.

PAKISTAN:  Meet the new red mosque... same as the old red mosque.

IRAQ:  So, how's the "surge" going?  The civilian death rate has been reduced by 36 percent since May, while US combat deaths have dropped to an eight month low.  The numbers of arms caches uncovered so far this year is 3,698, up from 2,726 for all of 2006, according to the US military command.  In June, 23000 tips were called in to coalition and Iraqi forces -- four times the number at this point in 2006.  Sunnis in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Amiriya that were with of al-Qaeda last week are now fighting AQ alongside US forces.  The sticking point remains Iraqi politics.  Prime Minister al-Maliki faces a revolt within his party, according to officials in his office and the political party he leads.  The Iraqi paper al-Mada announced that a new round of mediations will be headed by Pres. Talabani, in an attempt to reconcile the Sunni Iraqi Accord Front with the ruling establishment and dissuade it from abandoning the cabinet. With tribal sheiks and insurgent groups joining the US against AQ, it could be that reconciliation may start at the local level.  Adm. Michael G. Mullen, nominated to chair the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Cmte that maintaining current troop levels in Iraq beyond next April would force planners to extend tours of duty beyond 15 months, a decision he said he opposed.

IRAQ in the MEDIA?  Barely.  Congress isn't voting on Iraq, so coverage plummeted, as the policy debate (fourth-biggest story at 4%) was followed by the impact of the war on the homefront (fifth at 3%) and events in Iraq (sixth at 3%).  Indeed, the only outlets where actual "events in Iraq" made the top five stories were online.  Everyone spent much more time on the CNN/YouTube debate that -- despite tons of hype -- did not draw as big an audience as the debate on CNN in New Hampshire in June.

NO SOONER does the presumptive World's Tallest Horse meet the World's Smallest Horse than a challenger appears for the tallest title.  The story does not update us on Thumbelina's charity drive.

BUSCHI the ORANGUTAN is holding his first solo exhibition of his paintings in a zoo in Germany.

PIGEONS are going on the pill in Hollywood.  Can Botox be far behind?

THE SWARM:  Rogue honeybees were rounded up by Canadian mounties after a palace coup this week caused a split in a hive near Ottawa.

KNUT UPDATE:  The polar bear cub whose legendary cuteness doubled attendance at the Berlin Zoo since his debut in March needs to drop a few pounds.

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New Releases, Devendra Banhart, Lennon & McCartney, Great White Update   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

TOM SNYDER, who pioneered the late-late network TV talk show with a personal yet abrasive style and his robust, trademark laugh, has died from complications associated with leukemia. He was 71.  Stereogum can point you to his greatest rock moments (except for John Lennon's final interview) with Johnny Rotten, The Clash, U2, KISS and more.  BONUS:  Snyder with Jerry Garcia and Ken Kesey.

NEW RELEASES:  1990s, Bat for Lashes, Josh Rouse, an Americana comp and more are streaming via Spinner.  Polly Paulusma gets a US release date for Fingers & Thumbs; you can stream partial tracks from her "Media" page.

DON HENLEY takes on a lake-eating monster in east Texas.

DEVENDRA BANHART is streaming two advance tracks from his upcoming LP at HisSpace.

LED ZEPPELIN hits iTunes. Oh, the humanity!

THE WHITE STRIPES hit the beach in the new video for "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do What You're Told)."

REALLY GUILTY PLEASURES:  Blender magazine asked indie musicians for their favorite bad albums.

LENNON & McCARTNEY:  Licorice Pizza has posted the infamous bootleg A Toot and a Snore in ‘74; you can jukebox it via the ol' HM. 

DESERT ISLAND DISCS, PART 2:  Marooned -- a follow-up and homage to Greil Marcus's classic rock 'n' roll book, Stranded -- asks the same question of a new generation: What album would you bring to a desert island, and why?  The albums are essayed by a number of authors, including Mountain Goat John Darnielle.  The Chicago Reader finds Greil Marcus playing the curmudgeon.

PETE DOHERTY-KATE MOSS UPDATE:  Friends say the supposedly sober supermodel is desperately missing the troubled singer, but is determined to move on.  Doherty, meanwhile, has rekindled his relationship with Nadine Ruddy -- the ex Moss had banned him from seeing during their relationship.

BONO & PENELOPE CRUZ, strolling down the beach hand-in-hand in St Tropez, has naturally stirred Gallic gossip.

THE FRENCH HOTEL:  Though E! Entertainment Television has decided not to renew The Simple Life, the reality show in which the heirhead starred with on-and-off pal Nicole Richie, she has landed a role in the big-screen musical Repo! The Genetic Opera.  Her camp is denying reports that her behavior has so appalled her grandfather and head of the Hilton clan, Barron Hilton, that he has cut off her £25 million inheritance.

BRITNEY SPEARS and Kevin Federline have officially divorced.  The custody and spousal support orders are secret... for now.

THE SIMPSONS:  The Best Week Ever blog has posted a list of Simpsons lists, from "Sexiest Ladies of The Simpsons" to the "Top 10 Religious Episodes of The Simpsons."  BONUS:  How a fake word from The Simpsons ended up in a perfectly cromulent string theory paper.

INGMAR BERGMAN, one of the film world's acknowledged greats, was spotted walking with Death on the beach.

JESSICA ALBA dumped Cash Warren because "He wasn't ready for marriage, and Jessica is," says an insider, who thinks they will reconcile.  No more free milk for you, mister!

FAITH HILL would prefer it if you left hubby Tim McGraw's nether regions alone.  Video at the link.

BRADGELINA reportedly are prepared to give up acting and move to Berlin, where they can avoid the paparazzi.  Sure.  Just in case, you better look at the new pics of Jolie as a sexy water demon in Beowulf while you have the chance.

JESSICA BIEL & JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE are avoiding being caught canoodling.  The author wonders when we'll see the official PDA; my guess would be the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

ANGIE EVERHART & JOE PESCI are engaged?  Well, he is a funny guy. (NSFW, natch.)

IRON MAN:  The four minute teaser Jon Favreau & Co. brought to Comic-Con caused the crowd multiple geekgasms.  And the answer to the question is, "Yes. Black. Sabbath."  Hope you see it before the studio lawyers get there!  And here! Or, as a last resort, here.  UPDATE:  Finally, someone got a little clever with titles and tags.

ABU HAMZA, the hook-handed radical Muslim cleric serving seven years for inciting the murder of non-Muslims, may be getting bullied in Britain's in Belmarsh jail.

IRAN:  A reporter for London's Guardian visited Iran's uranium conversion facility in Isfahan and asks the obvious question, "why is the government in such a rush to enrich fuel, when it has no nuclear power plants in which to use it?"

IRAQ:  Prime Minister al-Maliki visited Diyala province, meeting with local political, military and tribal leaders as officials try to capitalize on the momentum of the recent military sweeps through Baquba.  Rep. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), just back from leading a Congressional delegation to Baghdad and Ramadi, said he saw signs of progress and was impressed by Gen. David Petraeus; Rep. McNerney said he still favors a timeline to get troops out of Iraq, but is open to being flexible "in terms of when it might end."  The US military confirmed that the 1920 Revolution Brigades have reconciled with the Iraqi government and the US military.  Blogger Michael J. Totten goes on a night raid in Baghdad: "Most of the time it's so quiet. But it's the quiet of an Alfred Hitchcock movie, not of rural Middle America."  Reconstruction efforts are being hampered by elements of the Iraqi gov't, though the US is also making progress with micro-loan projects.  The L.A. Times has a sobering look at the Iraqi Interior Ministry.  Longtime NYT Baghdad bureau chief John Burns suggests that talk of US withdrawal is impeding political reconciliation.

IRAQ and the MEDIA:  Yesterday, I noted a lame piece on the TNR "Baghdad Diarist" controversy in the Columbia Journalism Review.  The author of the piece is now trying to backpedal, yet still without acknowledging that it was questions raised by Iraq vets that have landed diarist Pvt. Beauchamp in hot water; without them, civiian pro-war bloggers wouldn't have had much to go on.  The author may be compounding his original error -- by e-mailing milblogs that he wasn't writing about them, which naturally raises the question, "Why not?"

UK GREAT WHITE SHARK UPDATE:  The world's greatest shark hunter vows to land the shark spotted off the coast of Cornwall, but -- much to my delight -- added: "The problem with shark-hunting in Britain is no one's really got a big enough boat."  Of course, this means we must go to the video. (NSFW)

THE LITTLE MASTER really wanted no part of a Sri Lankan religious ceremony.

A THUNDERBIRD is terrorizing San Antonio, TX?

AN ABANDONED GATOR was found in a moving pillowcase on a New York beach last weekend.

FROG in your toilet freaking you out?  Could be worse.

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