The Oprah Winfrey Show to End in Sept. 2011
Daytime television authority Oprah Winfrey announced today that her talk show will end after 25 years of running, marking Sept. 9, 2011 the final episode date.... read more
Roland Emmerich Unveils Independence Day Sequels
There’s just something about the idea of the world being ripped to pieces that gets the box-office bees buzzing, no matter how exhausted the story arcs may be. Roland Emmerich doesn’t give cinema anything new with his latest disaster flick, 2012, and he plans to keep that trend alive as he looks to make a couple more sequels to his 1996 blockbuster, Independence Day.... read more
What Will James Franco's General Hospital Experiment, Which Begins Today, Mean for His Career?
James Franco’s stint on General Hospital begins today. The marketing fanfare has been pretty epic, but the show’s core audience is not likely to expand despite the A-list presence, a fact that has led to the inevitable barbs “Well, at least no one will see him trying to ruin his career.”... read more
Pixies Play Fallon, Fans Pick Second Song on Twitter
Aside from his penchant for starring in bad Queen Latifah movies, Jimmy Fallon’s usually got the public’s interest in mind. A man of the people, if you will. With his affable persona and regular-dude smile, he emits a charming you-went-to-high-school-with-me vibe. Further proving this, when indie-rock icons the Pixies stop by his show on Nov. 24, viewers have the chance to vote on which song the band will play in addition to the classic “Debaser.”... read more
New Dead Weather Album Coming in 2010
Jack White supergroup the Dead Weather is already planning a 2010 sophomore record release, even though their debut, Horehound, has been out for less than a year.... read more
Jason Bitner (Ed.): Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves
Reminiscing the mix tape Blame it on Twitter, reality television, or the daily sprouting of self-chronicling blogs, but it’s undeniable that we’re living in a voyeuristic culture. Catching glimpses into other’s slice-of-life moments is what we crave; a need that Cassette From My Ex: Stories and Soundtracks of Lost Loves strives to fill.... read more
30 Rock Review: "Sun Tea" (episode 4.6)
The most tiresome thing about this season of 30 Rock has been the entire Dealbreakers plotline. There’s a lot of other gripes people have had, some well-founded, some not so much, but for my money the Dealbreakers thing has generally slowed things down and turned a somewhat funny joke into a running gag that lost its steam some time ago. It’s sadly a bit like what SNL will do by taking whatever success it accidentally stumbles upon and reusing it again and again until even hearing about it makes you cringe. Dealbreakers had become like that for me, and the... read more
Precious' Lee Daniels and Slumdog's Christian Colson Go to Selma
Lee Daniels’ new movie, Precious, has garnered riotous praise and deafening Oscar buzz. Now, it’s time for Daniels to try his hand at another buzz-worthy, socially conscious project.... read more
Watch the Trailer for The Decemberists Video Album, Here Comes the Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized
The Decemberists has set a date for the online premiere of its “full-length video album,” titled Here Comes the Waves: The Hazards of Love Visualized.... read more
Community Review: "Environmental Science" (Episode 1.10)
It seems like Community is becoming simultaneously less and more formulaic as the series goes on, which is an interesting phenomenon. If anything, it seems like episodes are ripping through sit-com clichés at a faster than believable pace, each episode more reliant than the last upon tired old stories that we’ve been watching on TV since we were born. The episode’s structures are impeccably fitted to a traditional three-act structure and it’s hard not to predict where the entire episode is headed after merely what appears in its cold open.... read more
Jason Lee Develops Adult Swim Show, Directs Beatles Movie, Stars in TNT Pilot
Jason Lee has been busy since NBC’s cancellation of his show My Name is Earl last spring.... read more
The Master's Sputum: Unfinished Nabokov Novel Now Open to Examination
In 1962, prodded by an interviewer to share a glimpse of a first draft, novelist Vladimir Nabokov replied, “Only ambitious non-entities and hearty mediocrities exhibit their rough drafts. It is like passing around samples of one’s sputum.” Now, more than 30 years after his death, we have an opportunity—against Nabokov’s expressed wishes—to examine such a sample.... read more
Aaron Sorkin Returns to TV, But Will He Triumph Again?
Aaron Sorkin, famed writer and creator of The West Wing, is returning to television with a new series.... read more
Watch Jason Segel Hilariously Perform Onstage With The Swell Season
We probably should’ve seen this one coming, honestly. The Swell Season: earnest, beautiful folk rock made by two former lovers. Jason Segel: lovably oafish dude who got totally naked in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. And they’ve all been in movies! Three peas in a pod, right?... read more
Sugarland: Gold and Green
All I want for Christmas is a cohesive record As with Sugarland’s previous studio efforts, lead singer Jennifer Nettles suffers from a vocal identity crisis on the duo’s new holiday-themed Gold and Green. Does she want to be a saccharine adult-contemporary crooner (“Gold and Green”), a wailing gospel beacon (“Coming Home”) or the twangy country girl next door (“Nuttin’ For Christmas”)? Here, such shifts seem contrived, robbing Nettles of any relatable authenticity. What little sincerity the set has comes from Kristian Bush singing lead on “Maybe Baby (New Year’s Day)” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Unfortunately, the latter is all but... read more
Film Friday: Claire Denis' 35 Shots of Rum and White Material
A quiet movie called 35 Shots of Rum is traveling around the country, a film of uncommon grace, and I mention this because I’d like to see it again myself whenever I have the chance. I’m waiting for it to come to my town; maybe you’re doing the same. World-class filmmaker Claire Denis made the movie last year, and anyone who’s been keeping score knows that I’m one of her unabashed fans. Name the date, and I’ll be there.... read more
Catching Up With... David Rawlings
Although the records are released under Gillian Welch’s name, she and David Rawlings are essentially... read more
R.E.M. Working on New Album, Michael Stipe Working on Beard
A couple days ago, R.E.M released two short videos filmed by a covert/hirsute Michael Stipe. Haphazardly focusing the camera on the occasional electric guitar or amplifier, Stipe meanders through the rooms where his band is recording its 15th studio record. According to Pop Candy, Grammy Award-winning Jacknife Lee is producing the new album, still in its early stages. Not many other details are known at the moment, but you can watch Stipe’s Blair Witchy cinematography below:... read more
Jonathan Richman to Celebrate Turkeys on Saturday
Just because turkeys are traditionally killed and eaten for Thanksgiving doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy the holiday as well. This is America, after all—a land of equal opportunities for man and bird alike.... read more
Watch Vampire Weekend's "Cousins" Video
Vampire Weekend’s Contra may not drop until Jan. 12, but we’ve got tons of goodies to hold us over until then. Along with first single “Horchata,” today the video for “Cousins” hit the good old reliable interwebs. This second single is out now digitally, and will hit stores on a 7" vinyl Dec. 15. "Cousins"’ video is a dizzying trip back and forth in an city alleyway, with the VW lads showing the same playful spirit that drives their music. Directed by Garth Jennings (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy) and produced Hammer and Tongs (Jennings and creative partner Nick Goldsmith),... read more
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