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Dos de Mayo, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Hungry Monkey   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Friday, May 02, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

THE CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND STARTS HERE: 

...with LOS LOBOS: "I Got Loaded" (with an added snippet of "Turn On Your Lovelight") from their fabulous first full-lengther, How Will the Wolf Survive? "Don't Worry Baby," "Evangeline," "Our Last Night," and "A Matter of Time" were on that album, too.

PEE WEE HERMAN: "Tequila." Obvs.

HERB ALPERT & THE TIJUANA BRASS: Rare video of "A Taste of Honey" from 1967.

CHEAP TRICK brings you the Mariachi mash-up of "Surrender."

JIMMY BUFFETT: Margaritaville. Obvs.

LIZ PHAIR: "Cinco de Mayo." Obvs.

SHARON JONES, MIKE McCREADY, ALYNDA LEE SEGARA & MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO talk about what makes them go.

PATRICK STICKLES of Titus Andronicus defends Lily Allen and disses Courtney Love.

LYKKE LI is profiled in the latest Pitchfork cover story.

TELEVISION's coolest and weirdest musician cameos.

CUTOUT BIN:  From Paul Westerberg to the Hollies, from The Clash to The Association, from the Minutemen to the Supremes, plus Aztec Camera, the Four Seasons, Bob Mould, R. Dean Taylor and more -- this Friday's fortuitous finds are streaming from the Pate page at the ol' HM.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 is this weekend's sole wide release, currently scoring 56 percent on the ol' Tomatometer. And as I was on record as suggesting the reboot of this franchise was mostly about a cash grab (and it is), I should say I actually preferred this one to the last one, though: (a) this is a fairly low bar; and (b) I think this would put me in a distinctly minority position if I was an actual film critic (Note: The original averaged 6.7/10 on RT; this one to date is at 6/10; that smaller gap juxtaposed against a much wider difference in overall Tomatometer suggests this one is more polarizing).  I'm also on the record as being predisposed against the multiple-villain sequel, but unlike a number of critics who find the result jumbled, I think this script sequences things to (mostly) avoid the overstuffed effect you get from other sequels.  The script also handles its characters fairly well, although Electro's backstory is a bit too Batman Forever-level of ham-fisted. The script also returns to more of the core themes of the Spider-Man comic, i.e., the personal toll being Spider-Man takes and how the characters (and we) deal with loss. And the reboot series continues to exploit the more comic tone Spidey often displays in the books, moreso than the original Sam Raimi-directed films (though I would still take his first two over the two reboots).  Given how premature the reboot is, this film succeeds--to the extent it does--on the strong chemistry of its cast, particularly Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone.  And in that context, the script makes one particularly brave choice, though not one surprising to old skool comic book nerds. So count me as pleasantly, but not enthusiastic...and now with more reason to think another Spidey will disappoint as much as Spider-Man 3.

ROB FORD: The Toronto Mayor's latest spiral into substance abuse began on St. Patrick's Day and has a Justin Bieber cameo.

GEORGE CLOONEY proposed over a home-cooked meal. Aw.

SAMUEL L. JACKSON is catching flak from adult video performers.

JOSH HARTNETT talks about his hiatus from Hollywood.

ELIZABETH OLSEN is profiled by Marie Claire.

PEACHES GELDOF: Heroin is “likely” to have played a role in her death, an inquest has revealed.

JASON PRIESTLEY is dishing on his 90210 co-stars, Brad Pitt, and others in a new book.

FHM'S 100 SEXIEST WOMEN OF 2014 is just in time for Gratuitous Friday.

UKRAINE: Pro-Russian activists and Ukrainian riot police clashed Thursday inside the compound of the prosecutor's office in the eastern city of Donetsk, as simmering tensions escalated into violence. Ukraine's acting President Olexander Turchynov has reinstated military conscription to deal with deteriorating security in the east of the country.

VENEZUELA: Authorities have arrested a suspect in the mysterious murder of a Venezuelan ex-intelligence chief, Eliezer Otaiza, who had close personal ties to the late President Hugo Chavez.

NIGERIA: A negotiator for the Boko Haram militants who have kidnapped over 200 schoolgirls said the kidnappers are demanding a ransom and that the military knows their location; some reports said the girls had been taken to Chad or Cameroon. Protests demanding the girls' release have spread since their abduction on April 14.

A HUNGRY MONKEY slaps a teasing TV host.

WHEN GOATS ATTACK: On the evening of 19 April, the goats broke free and walked all over a neighbor’s Ford Focus in Richmond, Maine.

AN OX charges through a hospital in Rio.

NAME THAT ANIMAL: Dizzy Canadians Don't Even Know What Kind Of Adorable Tiny Animal They're Bottle-Feeding.

2678 Reads

Drive-By Truckers, Suzanne Vega, Dan Wilson, Quilt, Hamsters   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Thursday, May 01, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

WE ARE SCIENTISTS drop a groovy clip for "Sprinkles."

DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. 

SUZANNE VEGA played the City Winery for WFUV Live.

DAN WILSON stopped by World Cafe for a chat and mini-set. 

QUILT played a Tiny Desk Concert at the offices of NPR.

PERFECTPUSSY's cover of Springsteen's "Candy's Room" is, um, out there.

THE THRILLS visit "Big Sur."

SUPER-EARTH is the new name (for now) for Peter Buck, Corin Tucker, Scott McCaughey, Bill Rieflin, and Kurt Bloch.

THE SCORPIONS' longtime drummer has been jailed for a month for swearing at Muslims, gesturing indecently and dropping his trousers while drunk at Dubai airport.

COURTNEY BARNETT talks to Stereogum about her new/old record, and what she plans on doing next.

JONI MITCHELL: Ten of the Best, according to The Guardian.

EMMA STONE is the latest celeb to wage a lip sync battle with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.

BOB HOSKINS, who was best known for roles in The Long Good Friday and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, died of pneumonia at the age of 71.

LINDSAY LOHAN is dating a 39-year-old married man who has two children. 

JENNIFER LAWRENCE was so drunk after the Oscars that Miley Cyrus told her to pull it together.

ZAC EFRON talks to THR about trying to reinvent his career as an adult, and fighting on skid row.

SELENA GOMEZ has ended her small feud with Kylie and Kendall Jenner, who were texting her ex, Justin Bieber.

MIRANDA KERR talks about the breakdown of her marriage to Orlando Bloom.

UKRAINE: In the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, makeshift barricades, concertina wire and masked men in camouflage greeted visitors to the regional administration building Wednesday.

VENEZUELA will raise the minimum wage and pensions by thirty percent; official figures put the level of annual inflation at 56.2 percent for 2013. A month after airlines thought they were about to receive the almost 4 billion in revenue trapped in Venezuela, the government has been seeking meetings with carriers to try to negotiate discounts on how much of the money it will repay.

BRUNEI: The Sultan of Brunei announced that the first phase of the implementation of sharia law in Brunei will begin tomorrow. The new penal code, which will be adopted in three phases by the end of next year, will provide for punishments including stoning, flogging, and amputation of limbs.

THE UNITED STATES State Department's latest annual Country Reports on Terrorism said a growing number of terrorist groups are threatening the US, and noted a 43% increase in the number of terrorist attacks worldwide in 2013 from 2012.

TINY HAMSTERS, eating tiny burritos.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT: Okay, I'll let the attacks on selfies slide.

A DEAD BLUE WHALE may explode in a Newfoundland town. The sea was angry that day, my friends.

A TINY BEAR CUB named Boo Boo debated whether to get his hair done. He's now headed to rehab.

 

2295 Reads

Dum Dum Girls, Tinariwen, Boy & Bear, Milagres, Seal   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Wednesday, April 30, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

THE HOLD STEADY drops a video for “I Hope This Whole Thing Doesn’t Frighten You.”

DUM DUM GIRLS stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

TINARIWEN stopped by The Current for a chat and mini-set.

BOY & BEAR perform unplugged for WFUV Live

MILAGRES stops by KEXP to play material largely inspired by singer Kyle Wilson childhood trips to the desert and his grandfather's involvement in the Manhattan Project.

SHARON VAN ETTEN drops “Every Time The Sun Comes Up" ahead of Are We There.

EFFED UP drops "Led By Hand" (ft j Mascis) ahead of Glass Boys.

R.E.M.'s live take on "Supernatural Superserious" from their appearance on Austin City Limits back in 2008.

JASON ISBELL is essayed at PopMatters.

BRITPOP: A Cultural Abomination?

LOVE, PEACE & SOUL: The Cutural Legacy of Soul Train.

JENS LEKMAN's TOP TEN, according to Stereogum.

STAR WARS: EPISODE VII announces its cast.Even casual fans may catch the major problem with this story.

DONALD STERLING, owner of the L.A. Clippers, received a lifetime ban from the NBA for racist comments, whose commissioner said he would do everything in his power to force the sale of the team. If other owners vote him out, Sterling will likely sue.

PRINCE HARRY and his girlfriend Cressida Bonas have broken up.

OLIVIA MUNN & JOEL KINNAMAN are also dunzo.

KIM KARDASHIAN & KANE WEST: Secretly marrying this week?

DAVID ARQUETTE is a dad again.

UKRAINE: Pro-Russia militants seized more state offices in Ukraine’s troubled east on Tuesday, in apparent defiance of the latest Western sanctions announced against them and their presumed backers in the Kremlin, which also showed no sign of wilting in its worst confrontation with the West in decades.

VENEZUELA: A former chief of Venezuela's intelligence service, Eliecer Otaiza, was killed on Saturday, officials have revealed.

NIGERIA: Schoolgirls abducted by suspected militant Islamists in northern Nigeria are believed to have been taken to neighboring states, a local leader has told the BBC. Relatives say they have been told of mass weddings involving insurgents and some of the girls abducted two weeks ago.

LIBYA: Gunmen with heavy weapons from Benghazi attacked Congress, sending lawmakers fleeing out a back door; several people were injured during the attack, which resulted in a postponement of the voting for a new prime minister.

EGYPT: A court in the southern city of Minya sentenced 683 people to death Monday in the most recent of a series of mass trials that have alarmed the international community.

A SEAL gets a belly rub.

A PRAYING MANTIS IN 3-D GLASSES may advance the science of robotics.

A DONKEY BEEKEEPER in a custom suit. No relationship to the canine beekeeper featured yesterday.

37000 CHICKENS killed in a fire. Too soon for the "extra crispy" punchline?

2432 Reads

Lily Allen, Dolly Parton, Aghan Whigs, Midges   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Tuesday, April 29, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

ELBOW dropped a video for "My Sad Captains."

LILY ALLEN advance streams Sheezus via iTunes.

DOLLY PARTON advance streams Blue Smoke.

THE AFGHAN WHIGS stopped by KEXP to play songs off Do The Beast

HEAVY ROTATION: Download 10 songs NPR can't stop playing

ROBERT GORDON brings the rockabilly on Twofer Tuesday with covers Marshall Crenshaw's "Someday, Someway"  and Springsteen's "Fire" (with the legendary Link Wray), before the Pointer Sistsers got to it.

PAUL SIMON & EDIE BRICKELL were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct after a "family dispute".

DAMON ALBARN talks to The Observer about his autobiographical solo debut, the state of pop, and more.

THE PIXIES' catalog is surveyed for the first time by Pitchfork.

FRANK BLACK talks to Weekend Edition about his graphic novel.

LESLIE MANN, ironically, has a bit of Freudian envy.

ORLANDO BLOOM & SELENA GOMEZ? Really?

GWYNETH PALTROW & CHRIS MARTIN: The Coldplay singer admits his issues were part of their split.

LINDSAY LOHAN's upcoming movie Inconceivable is having trouble securing financing and insurance for the troubled starlet because of her unprofessional behavior and diva antics.

TORI SPELLING was recently hospitalized for at least six days amid her marital issues with Dean McDermott. Of course it will be on the reality show.

KIM KARDASHIAN's Vogue cover looks to outsell the issues featuring Beyonce and Michelle Obama.

RICHARD GERE got free pizza because he looked homeless.

THE JUSTICE LEAGUE movie looks to fall into the hands of Zach Snyder.

UKRAINE: The mayor of Kharkiv, an unabashed critic of both sides in eastern Ukraine’s simmering conflict,was shot by a sniper.

VENEZUELA: There are growing signs that support for Maduro in the region is weakening, as some of Venezuela’s neighbors show unease with the government’s response to the nation's crisis, including the aggressive treatment of protesters.

SYRIA: Amid reports that the US is stepping up efforts to supply aid, including weapons, to rebels in Syria, questions must be asked as to where the aid is ultimately going, and what the end result is likely to be.

 

THE SWARM: Midges swamp boaters.

SHEEP went on the lam from a shearing event in NJ.

THE SQUIRREL THREAT is monitored by a Springer Spaniel

A DOG BEEKEEPER with a special suit.

2168 Reads

Tune-Yards. Old 97s, Lykke Li, Lizard   Printer-friendly page   Send this story to someone
Monday, April 28, 2014 - 08:00 AM
Posted by: Karl

Karl

ARCADE FIRE encores a bit of Kansas' "Dust In The Wind." Funny, if NSFW language.

TUNE-YARDS is advance streaming Nikki Nack.

THE OLD 97s are streaming Most Messed Up. I was late to this, so jump on it today.

LYKKE LI is advance streaming I Never Learn.

NIKKI LANE is advance streaming All or Nothin'.

COLIN MELOY debuted a new song, “Carolina Low,” on Q Live.

THE ROLLING STONES made their second US TV appearance on The Mike Douglas Show, covering Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away."

THURSTON MOORE writes about Jack Ruby and the forgotten forerunners of Punk.

THE HORRORS are profiled at DIY (Thx, Frank Yang).

LYKKE LI talks to Dazed about a post-tour depression leading to creative mania.

CLASSIC ROCK is the subject of a lawsuit against Pandora.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE:The Other Woman tops the chart with 24.7 million, although its Fri-Sun multiplier, 25 percent Tomatometer, and B+ Cinemascore suggest it's no Bridesmaids.That leaves Captain America: The Winter Soldier in second with 16 million.  Cap thus fails to become the first film to fourpeat domestically since The Hunger Games. OTOH, Cap's 645 million in worldwide grosses already surpasses Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World in the Marvel sequel sweepstakes. Heaven Is Real shows with 13.8 million; its 39 percent drop isn't bad when you consider it was the number one movie on Easter Sunday and it has earned 51.9 million against a 12 million production budget.  Rio 2 takes a similar drop to the fourth slot with 13.7 million; its 96 million domestic total slightly trails the orignal's 104 million over the same timeframe.  The debut of Brick Mansions rounds out the Top 5 with 9.6 million, given the poor reviews and the inherent problems in advertising the late Paul Walker, this is probably not too bad.  Below the fold, Transcendence looks like a bomb on a 62 percent drop from a poor opening.  The Quiet Ones debuted in seventh place with 4 million and a per screen average that suggests flop unless its unreported budget was under one million.

DONALD STERLING, billionaire owner of the L.A. Clippers, told his seemingly much younger and not particularly caucasian galpal he did want her bringing black people to his games, including Magic Johnson. She claims he knew he was being recorded. She's also the defendant in a lawsuit filed by the Sterling family. Sterling is no stranger to claims of racial discrimination, either.

GEORGE CLOONEY is reportedly engaged to be married to girlfriend Amal Alamuddin.

KIM KARDAHIAN & KANYE WEST are planning on three weddings?

COURTNEY COX is very happy with her new boyfriend, Snow Patrol rocker Johnny McDaid.

COLUMBUS SHORT will not return to the cast of Scandal, following alleged battery and spousal abuse claims.

SELENA GOMEZ hires Katy Perry's manager after firing her parents.

FRANK: An eccentric comedy about an eccentric rock band led by a man who has wandered off the spectrum of eccentricity and into mental illness.

UKRAINE: Pro-Russian separatists holding a European military observer team in eastern Ukraine released one of the observers for medical reasons Sunday, shortly after parading them before cameras, officials on both sides of the dispute said. Others remain captive. Also, regional TV station in Donetsk had been seized.  And militants in the town of Gorlivka have captured Ukrainian Security Service officers. And Russia has started new military drills near the border. Didn't the US claim to have cut some deal to de-escalate this stuff?

VENEZUELA: Scores of opponents of President Nicolas Maduro marched in Caracas on Saturday, vowing to remain on the streets in defiance of a high court ruling limiting protests.

SYRIA: The Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front fought against regime forces in Reef Dimashq; and in Aleppo, where they were joined by the Muhajireen wal Ansar Army.

AFGHANISTAN: The Pentagon is reportedly devising three alternative budget plans for US forces in Afghanistan in 2015: for zero troops; for 5K troops; and for 10K troops.

BUDDY THE LIZARD greets his owner like a dog...after some prompting.

BATS IN THE BELFRY shower Norfolk paishoners with feces.

SUPER-RATS expected to outnumber humans two-to-one in Britain next year.

GONNA NEED A BIGGER HORSE: Idaho ranch struggles to keep up with heavy tourists.

 

2481 Reads

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