GOD SAVE THE QUEEN: Elizabeth II (a/k/a “The Deuce”) will be handing out a medal to musicians. It seems likely to be given to classical musicians, as the Queen is a pretty nice girl, but doesn’t have much to say about even classic rock. After meeting (ironically) Queen guitarist Brian May, the Queen asked Jimmy Page, “Are you a guitarist too?” You will not want to miss her exchange with Eric Clapton, either.
ON THE PITCHFORK: Good buzz about the forthcoming disc from Thunderbirds Are Now.
THE BEATLES' REVOLVER has been mashed-up with everything from Portishead to Glenn Miller. It won't be long (yeah) until this site suffers the fate of Beatallica.
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS… Mayor Oscar Goodman endorsed gin to fourth graders, saying that if he was marooned on a desert island the one thing he would want to have with him is a bottle of gin. “I’m the George Washington of mayors. I can’t tell a lie. If they didn’t want the answer the kid shouldn’t have asked the question,” Goodman said.
JADA PINKETT SMITH: Too hetero for Harvard? Aapparently, JPS gave a speech after being honored as the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relation’s “Artist of the Year,” at a “Cultural Rhythms” festival in which she made remarks that offended the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, and Supporters Alliance, according to the Harvard Crimson. Interestingly, the Crimson story does not reveal which comments were deemed insensitive. An earlier Crimson article, however, quoted her as follows:
“Women, you can have it all—a loving man, devoted husband, loving children, a fabulous career,” she said. “They say you gotta choose. Nah, nah, nah. We are a new generation of women. We got to set a new standard of rules around here. You can do whatever it is you want. All you have to do is want it.”
STAR JONES REYNOLDS is worried that the public won't be able to tell the difference between her and drag queen Flotilla DeBarge.
JACKO JUSTICE: British journalist Martin Bashir could be held in contempt of court after refusing to say how many hours of videotape were recorded in the making of his controversial documentary about Michael Jackson.
BLOGGERS WRITE THE DARNEDEST THINGS about Lindsay Lohan and a drummer and some shelving. But when I look at the face of the blogger, I have my doubts.
NEWSWEEK photoshopped its Martha Stewart cover. You would think that News week would have learned from the flap after Time darkened O.J. Simpson.
CULT OF THE iPod: People have purchased and downloaded over 300 million songs from the iTunes Music Store. ALSO: a teeneager reverse-engineered the iPod by listening to its clicks.
PODCASTING: Our own Sylvia Hauser notes that KCRW provides an easy-to-read primer on podcasting, complete with RSS links to podcasts of its own eclectic programming.
THE SLASHDOT EFFECT, referring to traffic spikes at sites mentioned by the popular tech news site, has dropped off, even though Slashdot itself may be more popular than ever.
SIRIUS TROUBLE? Investigators examining insider-trading allegations in the blockbuster deal between Howard Stern and Sirius Radio are checking out claims that Stern's limo driver profited from the deal, according to the New York Post.
GANG OF FOUR COMING to the U.S., including Chicago, DC, Minneapolis and Seattle.
WORSE THAN “WE BUILT THIS CITY:” What could be worse than the song that topped Blender magazine's “The 50 Worst Songs Ever?” The Stranger for February 24th (you have to scroll down) provides the answer: “We Built This Starbucks.” And yes, there's a MP3 download available.
WHY DO SO MANY HAVE RELIGIOUS FAITH? Some scientists think it's evolution.
“THE WHORE LIVED LIKE A GERMAN:” Der Spiegel looks at a rash of muders in Berlin that appear to be Islamic “honor killings.”
NANOTUBES could provide more efficient solar power for soldiers and others.
HUNTER S. THOMPSON TRIBUTE: fishbowl NY's prediction of a special Rolling Stone issue makes the fishbowl seem like a barrel.
WAS ABE LINCOLN GAY? Paul Rudnick lays out evidence in The New Yorker. And if you know who Paul Rudnick is, you know how serious it is.
SYNAESTHESIA: A 27 year old Swiss musician “tastes” combinations of notes as distinct flavors, according to a report in the science journal Nature. Let's hope she's never heard Ashlee Simpson.
TERROR CAMP IN ARIZONA? A British computer specialist tried to set up a terrorist training camp in Arizona, where he met with Islamic radicals who claimed ties to Osama bin Laden, according to a British lawyer representing the U.S. government. Babar Ahmad is facing extradition from the U.K. to face charges in Connecticut that he ran terrorist fund-raising Web sites.