Best of What's Next: Harper Simon
Harper Simon can't help being caught in the great melodious wake of his father... read more
House Review: "Teamwork" (Episode 6.8)
The transitional period for House continues. Licking his wounds after Cuddy rejected him, revealing that she is dating his old frenemy Lucas (from season 5), House attempts to assemble, or reassemble, his team with mixed results.... read more
De Père en Flic, Highest Grossing French-Canadian Film Ever, Comes to U.S.
Sony Pictures has quickly snapped up the rights to De Père en Flic, the highest-grossing French-language film ever released in Canada. The film was released this past July in Quebec and was #1 at the box office.... read more
Justin Townes Earle Sets Winter Tour Dates
Justin Townes Earle is one of the best things to happen to country music in 2009. His latest and nearly flawless record, Midnight at the Movies, stands as an organic blend of honest, dusty outdoor ditties bathed in clean and simple studio production, which is probably why Amazon named it #8 best country record of the year, its “Walk Out” earning the runner-up best country song title.... read more
NBC Goes Green in Prime Time...Again
Starting yesterday, NBC made its biggest push to date in its three-year long commitment to the Green is Universal initiative. The network is bringing the green theme into five of its prime time shows, right in the middle of November sweeps.... read more
Liam Gallagher to Continue Oasis With New Band Name, Without Noel
Does a rock group become a completely new band if one member leaves? Ex-Oasis guitarist and songwriter Liam Gallagher would likely answer yes—especially when that member is his brother Noel. During an interview to support his Pretty Green clothing line, Gallagher told an Italian radio station that the remaining members of Oasis (as in, everyone but Noel) will continue as a reformed band under a different moniker.... read more
Aziz Ansari to Release Comedy Album in January
Aziz Ansari is a funny guy. In fact, in our estimation, there are only nine people this decade who’ve been funnier. On Jan. 19, you’ll be able to own a piece of the laughter; Ansari’s Comedy Central stand-up special Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, which airs two days earlier, will be released as a CD and DVD.... read more
David Lloyd: 1934-2009
Television writer David Lloyd, highly regarded for his comedic work on Frasier, Cheers and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, died early last week of prostate cancer, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was 75.... read more
Annie: Don't Stop
Half formula, half adventure “Do you want more, baby, do you want more?” These are the first words Annie purrs on her sophomore album, a come-on that would fit snugly on a Britney Spears anthology. It may seem befuddling how this Norwegian singer gets the indie oligarchy’s sacred seal of approval while other remarkably similar pop acts don’t. But listening to the rest of Don’t Stop, it becomes clear that Annie is more adventurous than her peers.... read more
Listen Up: Marissa Nadler, Where Have I Been All Your Life?
Two Saturday nights ago, the night before my birthday, I'd had two tacos and two margaritas and I was at The Earl in Atlanta with my boyfriend Joe when I decided that I was going to love Marissa Nadler forever... read more
Best of What's Next: Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band's self-titled debut twitches and writhes with capricious tempo shifts... read more
Red Cliff
Release Date: Oct. 16 Director: John Woo Writers: John Woo, Khan Chan, Cheng Kuo, Heyu Sheng Cinematographers: Yue Lü, Li Zhang Starring: Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Fengyi Zhang Studio/Run Time: Magnolia Pictures, 148 minutes Woo returns to China for an epic war movie... read more
The Office Review: "Murder" (Episode 6.09)
The Office’s eighth episode, “Murder,” was a great way to dust off last week’s disastrous double date lunch between Michael, Jim, Pam and Pam’s mother, who is tactlessly dumped on her own birthday. Michael swiftly jumps from that role as the temperamental child to this episode’s all-knowing father figure whose mysterious ways pan out in the end. It’s tough to say whether he’s really growing up these days. There’s no telling what he’ll do between now and the end of the season, or even next episode.... read more
Wilco Launches Haiku Contest
Despite their plans to record new material in January, Wilco wants fans to contemplate the seven studio albums they’ve already released, in the band’s first-ever haiku contest.... read more
30 Rock Review: "The Problem Solvers" (Episode 4.5)
Last night’s episode of 30 Rock was the best one so far in the season. Ok, who am I kidding, it was the best. I’m not going to pretend I’m not still a little disappointed in it, though, but it’s just because the show was so close to greatness and we all know it’s done it before and can do it again. 30 Rock is like a mistress I’m going through hard times with at the moment. She continues to give me enough to keep coming back, but I know she’s delivered better in the past and that she’s just... read more
The Who Calls Super-Bowl Rumors "Pure Speculation"
Due an onslaught of reports that began circulating Thursday, The Who have called rumors of a Super Bowl performance “pure speculation,” in a statement released today.... read more
Animal Collective Announces Fall Be Kind EP
Animal Collective keeps on keepin’ on. Following the colorful wowing of Merriweather Post Pavilion, and the reissue of their delicate Campfire Songs, the band has announced an upcoming five-track EP, entitled Fall Be Kind, which is slated for a Nov. 23 digital release, before it hits stores on Dec. 15.... read more
Oscars Considering 20 Animated Films
A record 20 titles will be considered for Best Animated Feature Film in next year’s Academy Awards, a stark reflection of this year’s colorful craze.... read more
Peter Gabriel Orchestral Covers Album On the Way
Peter Gabriel first LP in seven years will be something of a group project, an orchestral covers album that hosts an eclectic bunch of music hot shots performing each others’ songs. The title, Scratch My Back, plays along with the record’s tit-for-tat song swaps among artists like Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, Radiohead, Randy Newman and The Kinks, according to The Guardian.... read more
Community Review: "Debate 109" (Episode 1.9)
Just a couple of episodes ago, I was pontificating about whether Community would up the self-reflexiveness that it’s started to show or stick with its more typical tone. “Debate 109” answers that question quite nicely, with a vehement yes that for once is a good thing. Self-reflexiveness is a tricky tool. On the one hand, it can lead to jokes otherwise inaccessible and on occasion create some awesome situations. Venture Bros. comes to mind here, given that the entire show is aware of its own ridiculousness but that’s in some ways part of its essential premise. On the other hand,... read more
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