THE NATIONAL: Singer Matt Berninger says that the slow-building success of the Alligator album may be due to the band picking the songs that held their interest the longest, which were not the more immediate, catchy ones. OTOH, Benninger adds: “The National is not easy to Google. Maybe that's why we're a slow-builder.” You can stream three tracks from Alligator at MySpace to see if they grow on you.
ARCTIC MONKEYS: Noel Gallagher of Oasis responds to Morrissey's critical comments on the sudden success of lads from Sheffield: “It happens when it happens, man, and I would say thank God that it does happen. You'd be a bit of an idiot if you said, 'No, I'm too young for a record deal.'” When bass player Andy Nicholson's instrument failed on him in San Francisco, frontman Alex Turner was left to entertain the crowd – and did so by performing a new song, “Despair in the Departure Lounge.”
THE ARTIST CURRENTLY KNOWN AS PRINCE is being sued for the purple-hued alterations he made to his rented Los Angeles mansion.
SILVER JEWS: Some friends of frontman David Berman fret about how the reclusive songwriter will adapt to travel and to socializing and performing.
SONDRE LERCHE talks to Billboard about the increased jazz influence on his new album, Duper Sessions, which you can stream in its entirety from AOL Music.
THE TWO JOHNS: diw magazine interviews John Vanderslice and the Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle, friends and collaborators who have May birthdays that are just days apart. Yet neither likes to talk about their songwriting — as Vanderslice explains: “I understand what he means. I don't mind talking about songwriting but, in general, the last thing I want to chat about is indie rock. I would much rather talk about movies or basketball or really anything else. It's all you ever do, so you don't need to dwell on it. ..”
SEEN YOUR VIDEO: With Tom Jones gettting knighted by the Queen of England a week from today, enjoy a vintage version of “It’s Not Unusual” and a later performance of “She's A Lady.”
YOU TUBE: The astonishing growth of the viral video site — now streaming 30 million videos a day — has put old-guard media empires on the defensive, but for every corporate lawyer firing off angry letters to YouTube, there are two more executives exploring potential partnership opportunities — maybe even an outright acquisition. Sometimes, a media company is doing both.
GOTHS are art lovers, who aspire to middle-class values and will end up in respectable professions, not ticking timebombs, according to a thesis by Dr. Dunja Brill.
CARLOS SANTANA spoke out against Pres. Bush while in Peru: “I have wisdom. I feel love. I live in the present and I try to present a dimension that brings harmony and healing. My concept is the opposite of George W. Bush.” Whatever one thinks of Pres. Bush, at least he he does not credit the angel Metatron for his success or employ a guru named “Dr. Dan” to “calibrate the consciousness” of his employees.
AMY MILLAN: The Broken Social Scene continues to extend itself as Millan — who is also the frontwoman of Stars — announces a solo album due on May 30 in Canada and August 29 in America. The track “Skinny Boy” is currently available as a free download — just follow the link on the Stars page at the Arts & Crafts website.
RADIOHEAD will contribute music to Richard Linklater's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's cult science fiction book A Scanner Darkly. Frontman Thom Yorke — who may or may not have a solo LP in the works — says he turned down the chance to discuss climate change with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, preferring to “just shout my mouth off from the sidelines.”
PETE DOHERTY UPDATE: The troubled singer serenaded retired boxer Mike Tyson in the bar of a UK hotel. The pair are said to have stayed up talking until dawn. I hope Pete didn't go up to Tyson's hotel room.
TOM-KAT UPDATE: An ad running in Los Angeles, Buffalo, NY and Jackson Hole, WY, blasts Cruise and Scientology for opposing phsychiatric medication. The ad focuses on the case of Jeremy Perkins, the schizophrenic son of Elli Perkins — a senior auditor at the Buffalo Scientology branch. He received vitamins as treatment and stabbed his mother to death. This sort of bad pub, combined with an uneven record at the box office, means a lot rides on the success or failure of Mission Impossible 3.
BRADGELINA: I'm not a big Jennifer Aniston fan, but I chuckled over her donating Pitt’s clothes to charity.
JESSICA SIMPSON: Kristin Cavallari (MTV's Laguna Beach) was spotted returning from the new Bel Air mansion of Simpson's future ex, Nick Lachey. Moreover, 80 percent of those writing People magazine side with Lachey in the divorce dispute.
BARBRA STREISAND is doing another farewell tour. She plans to give the Who a run for the farewell market.
SIENNA MILLER: Her big sister has stepped in to insist she takes some time out from her “hectic lifestyle.” Isn't a “time out” what parents impose on their misbehaving children?
THE BOX OFFICE WINDOW may narrow, but not close, according to studio execs, theater owners and directors like M. Night Shyamalan.
NAOMI WATTS is rumored to have hit a rough patch with beau Liev Schreiber, though her rep denies it, natch.
CYNDI LAUPER struggles with motherhood, because she finds it difficult to interact with other mothers at sports day and important school events, and insists her fame makes the matter worse. It may also be that claiming to be psychic doesn't play well with the other moms.
COLIN FARRELL is on the wagon while shooting the cop drama Pride and Glory. It would be nice if the rehab is taking.
BRUCE WILLIS was in supermodel Petra Nemcova's doghouse at his own birthday party, after standing her up at the V for Vendetta premiere last week.
SUPERMAN RETURNS spoilers from ShoWest are spilt at Ain't-It-Cool-News.
MATTHEW PERRY getting cozy with Piper Perabo? Maybe he should send a thank you to SNL for the shout-out in the Narnia Rap.
TOM STOPPARD: The famed playright writes that free speech is not an inalienable human right. Marxist Prof. Norm Geras points out four bad arguments in the article.
LOST hottie Evangeline Lilly thinks about retiring from acting in just ten years' time, because the stress of fame is eating away at her nerves. Page Six suggests that the show is losing steam from reruns. Maybe ABC needs to bring on the Brazilian ad team.
IRAQ: Bill Roggio rounds up current military ops, which are primarily in Baghdad and north-central Iraq. Operation Swarmer also continues near Samarra, where the attack on the Golden Mosque has tipped public sympathy in the favor of Iraqi government forces. The Mesopotamian follows up his weekend posting: “I think most people here, including the political elites realize that a civil war is something unthinkable that will tear the country apart.” And he urges that “The American people too, should not forget the fundamentals of the situation.”
IRAQ IN THE MEDIA: The Washington Post ran a story asserting that: “With insurgent violence grinding on, essential services sagging below pre-invasion levels and the prospect of civil war looming, many Iraqis question whether Hussein's ouster was worth the cost.” And if you choose to base your story on interviews with Sunni Arabs in Baghdad and Fallujah, as the WaPo does, you can find that opinion. OTOH, the most recent public opinion poll cited by the Brookings Institution's Iraq Index reports that 77 percent of Iraqis think ousting Saddam was worth it, despite the hardships of the past three years. You would also discover that the estimated electricity production for March is above prewar levels. The WaPo is the same paper that just reported the consensus view of Iraq vets that the media seems to have a predetermined, negative script for Iraq coverage. BONUS: Note that an AP story on 39 people killed by insurgents and sectarian violence buries news that the annual pilgimage to holy city of Karbala (where millions of Shi'ite faithful gathered to mark the end of the annual mourning period for the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed) passed largely without incident and absent the violent bomb attacks that have hit pilgrims there over the past two years.
CARTOON JIHAD: Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds quit on Tuesday after a row over the closure of a website with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, embarrassing Prime Minister Goran Persson six months ahead of elections.
HOW 'BOUT THOSE CLONES! Site admin. Lance reminded me to note that ISU fired basketball coach Wayne Morgan and his staff after a CBS Sportsline.com story alleged that the Cyclones were the “centerpiece” of an elaborate recruiting scandal.
PILOTS PASS THE BRBON IN KY: Sylvia Hauser passes along a Wall Street Jounal article on the memorable codes the FAA assigns to air traffic routes: “To arrive in Nashville, it takes PICKN and GRNIN and often a pass through HEHAW…” There's plenty more at the link.
PIPER THE CAT may have used up a life or two but was unharmed after falling nearly 80 feet from a tree. Video at the link.
HUMPREY THE CAT, who lived at Number 10 Downing Street through three British prime ministers, passed away Monday.
HORSING AROUND: A dud of a stud at the center of a contract dispute rises to the occasion after the court orders the little blue pill.
SIX-LEGGED LAMB born in Belgium. I'm a little relieved there's no photo, though that won't stop me from making a mint jelly joke.
CANE TOAD UPDATE: While some Aussies are whacking the toad invaders, the RSPCA is offering a beer-for-toads program.