A preview of next week's Heroes episode said, "Stay tuned for the last Heroes episode of the year!" Um, don't you mean the last episode until this massive immobilizing writer's strike ends? Maybe actors will resort to rehashing reality tv scenarios... The Hills with James Franco and Mila Kunis on FunnyOrDie.com
They get me every time. I'm sitting in front of the tube, unsuspectingly enjoying my favorite television program of choice, then all of a sudden an overly-sentimental 30 second holiday advertisement leaves me pondering life's meaning. Gee, what is the reason for the season? Can money really buy love? There's that jewelry commercial where a handsome couple is driving through the snow, and the
Whoa! So! A couple of days of non-blog writing turned into two weeks! And, for no good reason! Some big things were a-poppin' while I was AWOL: -What is reality TV love when Brad Womack from the Bachelor is on the prowl? Seriously, did anyone see this, did anyone understand this? I want my life back. -Turkey Day! -I turned 23 years old on the 23rd of this month! I was going to write a post
"Art is worthless unless it plants a measure of splendor in people's hearts." -Taha Muhammad Ali This line has been in my head since I heard Mr. Muhammad Ali read some of his poems on Monday night. Taha's translator introduced the renowned poet as the "Thelonius Monk of Palestinian Literature," a description that suits him nicely. Self-taught and modest (Taha still runs a souvenir shop near his
Two of my favorite things have big to-dos this week, and I thought I'd share The 4th season of Project Runway starts this Wednesday! I think this is one of the most un-reality tv shows around. Staged drama episodes aside, Project Runway is really about the creative process and making art. It's fascinating to see a garment go from concept to delivery on a model. The commercial previews already
Yes, I quoted Victoria Beckham from this week's awesome Ugly Betty episode to describe my new favorite band, Ghostland Observatory. The shoe fits. Their live show is something to be seen. Earlier I said that Ghostland Observatory's singer Aaron Behrens was awesome. And while that is still true (homeboy really knows how to work it on stage too,) Ghostland's resident beat-master Thomas Turner
I found this kooky clip of Ghostland Observatory playing "Piano Man" then "Stranger Lover" on a Public Access program in Austin. This band is it. Lead singer Aaron Behrens is awesome.
Edwidge Danticat is a brilliant storyteller who has written a number of my favorite books, including Breath, Eyes, Memory, and Krik? Krak! But I will say none are more important than her latest work, Brother, I'm Dying. Brother was recently named a finalist for the National Book Award, and Danticat spoke to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the nomination and her experience writing the book.
By now, maybe you've seen Amy Winhouse's disastrous MTV European Music Awards performance. Maybe you haven't, but a quick Google search can fix that. Another starlette has lost their grip on reality, another tabloid headline to poke and jeer at. Despire her vacant stage presence, Winehouse really has something. I remember thinking that when I first heard this song Amy Winehouse - Love is a
I had dinner last night with some college acquaintances I've known since we were all freshmen. There was no big ceremony or grand announcement in the papers, but something extraordinary happened between the time I met them and now. They'd become adults, the serious ones, who talk about grown-up things like marriage and good places to settle down and raise a family. Aaron Stout - The
Last night, I had the most fun I've had since I moved back to town. I ended up going to the Girl Talk show, where there was actually a crowd! And everyone was hyped. Gregg Gillis' set was almost as entertaining as watching the Rice Uni kids hop up on stage and get their boogie on (McLovin was in full effect.) But I was most excited after seeing opener Busdriver perform. It's crazy that I'd never
Someone mentioned early 90's band Madder Rose to me earlier this week, and I've been thinking about them ever since. Their album, Panic On, is one of the greatest alternative rock records from that decade. Lead singer Mary Lorson actually lived in my college town, and a good friend of mine babysat her children. Small world. Lorson is in another great band these days called Saint Low. But her
After attending a reading by Nick Hornby from his new young adult novel SLAM, I realized many more reasons to admire this incredible writer. To name a few: 1. Hornby has his own blog on Amazon, it's really interesting and! he appears to update it regularly 2. Am I the only person who didn't know he wrote Fever Pitch? That Colin Firth movie-turned into-that dreadful Drew Barrymore film? 3.
"It looks like we may be near the end for Genarlow, but let me emphasize there are a thousand —- ten thousand —- Genarlows." —- State Sen. Vincent Fort (D-Atlanta) from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
My old roommate reminded me of this trippy video from Sesame Street. All she had to do was sing "12345!" and it brought me back. Apparently a Pointer Sister or two sang on this track. They don't make children's educational programming like they used to. But if they did, don't you think the Go! Team would make an excellent choice to score some of these videos? Go! Team - The Wrath of Mikey
Allison was a "weird and maladjusted" girl who sat in the corner, convinced that she was invisible. "Singing All the Time" sees the strange girl's eccentricities as quirky charms. I think it would have made her day. Plastic Operator – Singing All The Time I've been listening to Plastic Operator's new CD, Different Places, all week. It's a treat.
Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton - Doctor Blind Kyle was telling another joke. He had everyone in stitches. "Well fellas," Kyle said in his easy-going way, "I'm getting tired, I'll see you guys tomorrow." "See ya later Ky," "Peace out man," the lingering diners shouted. Kyle's parents wheeled him out of the cafeteria and into his room. They spent every Sunday with him while the nurse took a
I picked up this year's Oxford American Music Issue yesterday. OA's ninth edition of music essays and accompanying CD gathers some of the South's best music, old and new, including offerings from a forgotten 60s pre-punk band called the Zachary Thaks, early doo-woopers The Clovers, and even dirrrty south rapper David Banner. A fantastic essay on the recent Betty Davis reissues blew me away, as
I recieved an EP from a band called Colin Close this morning. Guitarist Rob Hamer and singer Jan Staunton recorded and mixed the ambitious short set in Jan's bedroom. Colin Close - Enough Perhaps that is part of its intimate aesthetic, it leaves nothing to disguise the bare bones of Staunton's moral dilemma at hand. "Enough" plays out like his own inner dialogue of self-doubt, as if trying
It's always nice meeting older alumni from my school.They love giving advice, especially when you're young, and they're very friendly. They also generally seem to live full lives. It's a comfort to me, I guess it's something to look forward to. I met a particularly colorful fellow last night. He switched careers to find the perfect fit later in life, and he's lived everywhere, including Brazil
My Life is a Stereo
Sleigh Bells - Demons (Official Music Video)
The Rains of Castamere by The National
A-Trak & Dillon Francis - "Money Makin'" (Official Video)
DIIV "How Long Have You Known?" (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
Nas - Daughters
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
