News

The Only Thing More Frightening than Michael Jackson? Michael Jackson in 3-D

Amy Laviero :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 6:00 pm

Apparently even the Grammy’s are jumping on the 3-D bandwagon that Avatar has perpetuated. May I add before I go any further, that I despised Avatar. That movie had some of the worst dialogue I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing, more cheese than Titanic, and the “totally rad, ground-breaking, 3-D special effects” only served to make my stomach churn. Halfway through I tried to remove my RealD goggles only to realize that it was even more nauseating to watch the film without them. Screw you, James Cameron.

It’s safe to conclude that aside from 3-D, the only thing that’s received more hype in the past few months is Michael Jackson. Naturally, the masterminds over at the Grammy’s have decided that the best combatant for poor ratings would be to combine the two. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Michael Jackson in 3-D. MORE »

Why Pro-Lifers Hate Me

Matt Kiebus :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 5:45 pm

I never realized that people actually cared about this whole pro-life vs. pro-choice debate. Honestly get over it, the issue is so 1995. Just kidding everybody, don’t freak out- again. The reason I said the Tim Tebow commercial was a bad idea was because, in my opinion, Focus on the Family is issuing a subliminal political statement by trotting out the All-American to tell the world don’t get abortions. I feel the venue will incite more passionate hatred, like we saw in the comments section on my previous article. In fact all the responses actually proved my point. This commercial is reigniting a really controversial issue, which produces a lot of anger. MORE »

I’m Salivating Over The New Armani Collection

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 5:25 pm

Being originally from New Jersey, I grew up surrounded by tons of people who considered Armani a serious symbol of status. Crunchy-haired guys and dolls would flash their tight-fitting t-shirts and so on in order to garner attention. As a result, I cultured a severe distaste for the label, associating it with the mouthy assholes I knew and hated so thoroughly in high school (interestingly, Stephen associates it with Joanna Newsom).

Ruth Flowers: Dinosaur On The Wheel

Gray Hurlburt :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 4:45 pm

Her bulky solar shades, blue hair, and spangled bomber jacket identify Ruth Flowers, a 69-year-old grandmother from Bristol, England, as “DJ Mamy Rock” when she spins in clubs popular to revelers around Europe. At her late age, the gumption of an old to evenhandedly master digital equipment and spin with a degree of talent should be admired. It’s a literal knobby fist in the face of withering away.
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Rielle Hunter’s Wild Ride

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 4:20 pm

Horse murders! Scandal! Media pioneering! Passion! Generation X literature! Politico pregnancy! The Wikipedia article on Rielle Hunter is one of the most eye-poppingly bizarre things I’ve read in recent memory. Her history has already been featured in the books of Jay McInerney, her ex-boyfriend, and Bret Easton Ellis, but that was way back when she was seventeen. Since, she’s embarked on even crazier adventures, most notably seducing onetime presidential hopeful John Edwards, who sired her illegitimate love-baby. I think a new book, or possibly a movie, is definitely in order, but I’m sure the opportunists who write all those ugly political-scandal books are way, way ahead of me on this one.

The Knife Are Back With “Tomorrow, In A Year” Today, On NPR

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 3:25 pm

Last night, The Knife’s 2006* anthem “Heartbeats” came on while I was making a dubious attempt at dancing in incredibly high heels. As I heard that well-loved, electrifying opening, I suddenly found I was more than capable. Everyone around me was also immediately more enthusiastic - I noticed a severe uptick in finger pointing, hip swinging, and of course, bum shaking of all kinds. Based on the way everyone was acting, you would think the song was brand-new. Believe it or not, it’s actually been nearly four years since we last heard from The Knife, although we did get two incredible albums in 2006 - the US issue of Deep Cuts, and the creepier, but still stunning, Silent Shout.

Bear Hands Announce Tour Dates with Passion Pit

Amy Laviero :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 3:00 pm

A couple days ago we posted Bear Hand’s tour dates beginning February 16. Via their MySpace yesterday, the band announced further dates with Passion Pit and Mayer Hawthorne & the County. Tickets are available now.

Passion Pit will also be playing a benefit show with Tokyo Police Club for Celebrate Brooklyn! June 29th at 6:00. Tickets are on sale tomorrow to the general public and proceeds from ticket sales will go towards funding free shows through Celebrate Brooklyn. Visit the organization’s official page for more information.

Click through for a full list of tour dates. MORE »

This Week’s Dick: Old Age

Matt Kiebus :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 2:45 pm

Old age you dick! Getting old really sucks. I really thought all those crazy ideas from 80s movies would be in full effect by now, we would be living well into our 100s, and thriving. We wants to get old? You start stealing batteries, eating prunes and having dinner at 5pm. You get all wrinkly, have trouble walking, hearing, seeing, and thinking. In the truly terrible cases you suffer from erectile dysfunction. I mean damn, what are the perks? Retiring from work to watch your children and grandchildren have all the fun? No one wants to being playing Chinese checkers while their grandson is doing a keg stand. Someone has got to find that shifty fountain of youth, quick.

Old age claimed the lives of two great geezers this week, JD Salinger and Howard Zinn, at 91 and 87 years old, respectively. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye continues to influence teens over 50 years since it’s been published. Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States changed the way U.S. history has been taught in schools across the country.

They got old, they died, and the world is going to miss them. Old age sucks.

Stream Tindersticks’ New Album

Isaac Lekach :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 2:00 pm

Stuart A. Staples and his Tindersticks have been around for a while, since 1993. Falling Down A Mountain is their eighth record. The album wont be released until February 16th-but you can enjoy a sneak peek here (if you only have time to listen to one song, listen to “Peanuts”-that’s my favorite). But if you like what you’re hearing, if Staples’s smokey baritone does it for ya, you can pre-order it here. You can also watch the video for “Black Smoke” here.

America, Meet Downtown Scotty Brown

Matt Kiebus :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 1:45 pm

Senator-elect of Massachusetts, Scott Brown, made his late night television debut last night on the Jay Leno Show. His portion of the show acted as a national meet and greet for the newly elected senator, and thankfully he wasn’t pimping his daughters out to the American public. Brown stood fire to Leno’s usual tough questions and strengthened his position as your average everyman who happens to hold a high political office. MORE »

Jury Deliberates for 40 Minutes, Finds Scott Roeder Guilty of Murder

Amy Laviero :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 1:40 pm

After deliberating for only forty minutes, a jury found Scott Roeder guilty of first degree murder for the assassination of Dr. George Tiller in Reformation Lutheran Church last May. Tiller, who worked in Wichita, Kansas, performed late term abortions to the obvious disapproval of Roeder. Admitting to Tiller’s murder, Roeder claims that the slaying was necessary to save the lives of unborn children and states that he has no regrets. MORE »

Animal Collective’s Panda Bear: New Release

Colm McAuliffe :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 1:00 pm

One of my absolute favorite releases of the late noughties was Panda Bear’s Person Pitch, Noah Lennox’s Beach Boys-in-a-cavern sounding offshoot from his day job with Animal Collective. Lennox has just released details of the follow-up, titled TOMBOY which will be released on the Paw Tracks imprint this September. He has just completed a solo tour of Europe where he premiered tracks from the new cut. Details are rather sketchy at present but I, for one, cannot wait for this release. Fuck the summer, bring on September.

Ambush of New Album Announcements

Shannon Hassett :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 1:00 pm

It may have been a slow week with regard to news (unless you’re the sort that found the State of the Union entertaining), but as for music, there were enough new album announcements to tide us over for a year. The artists themselves seemed to be just as excited about the prospects, with a slew of sources publishing interviews and information on the upcoming releases. For your (anticipated) listening pleasure, a summary of the week’s heavier hitters. MORE »

Osama bin Laden’s Climate Stance Should Shame Right

Andrew Belonsky :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 12:30 pm

Osama bin Laden took a break from his typical insanity today to blast an international enemy even President Obama loathes: climate change. Though his uninspired solutions only reinforce bin Laden’s image as a madman who’s entirely out of touch with reality, they at least make him look better than some of our elected officials. How shameful!

Blind Man’s Colour Upcoming EP, Wooden Blankets

Amy Laviero :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 12:30 pm

Blind Man’s Colour are set to release their EP, Wooden Blankets, on February 23rd. The band, who come from St. Petersburgh, FL, signed to Kanine records last February to release their first first full length, Season Dreaming, to decent reviews. The songs off Wooden Blankets are a bit less polished and were recorded on a four-track cassette recorder during the band’s senior year of high school. Although, perhaps because they were penned in high school, the lyrics are a bit juvenile. The song “Sleeping Bag” begins with the line “looking up at the stars makes you wonder how small we really are.” Poignant. MORE »