News
The Killers Go on Hiatus
Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 5:15 pm
The popular Las Vegas based rock band has decided to go on an indefinite break after their current tour concludes in Melbourne, Australia on February 21st. The band has been endlessly touring since their 2008 release of Day & Age. The news comes from guitarist Dave Keuning’s quote in Australian Associated Press:
“Unless some surprise thing comes up but most likely these are our last shows for a while. We’re having a break. We haven’t had a break in quite a while. It’s just been touring and making records and on and on and on.”
Now that the is band moving on to enjoy some time off, they will inevitably be grilled with questions about entering the vast unknown (aka “being on a break”). Enjoy the controversy.
News
News Leader CNN Joins Forces with Vice and Sub Pop
Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 3:20 pm
Yesterday, CNN announced a new partnership with the indie community. In an effort to diversify CNN’s news coverage they have joined with Vice’s VBS.TV and Sub Pop Records. The result will be two new web exclusive video series for CNN.com, “VBS.TV on CNN.com” and “Indie Asia: On Tour with Handsome Furs.”
VBS.TV is a free content website owned by Vice and headed by creative director Spike Jonze. The site is known for providing news and articles geared towards the indie culture, and CNN is bringing that type of programming to CNN.com. A preview of “The Vice Guide to Liberia” demonstrates the hands on approach VBS.TV takes, which will benefit CNN greatly. MORE »
News
January 20th: Penguin Awareness Day
Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 2:30 pm
It sneaks up on me every year. It’s that special day on the calendar where we stop and reflect on the awesomeness that is Penguins. The dapper looking bird stands at about three feet tall and waddles like a belligerent drunk at 3 a.m. They don’t dig the whole flying “scene” that most birds are into now days, instead they prefer to leisurely swim in the refreshing waters surrounding Antarctica. Gotta love trend setters. MORE »
News
Conan O’Brien’s Buyout Rivals that of Our Fearless Banking Leaders
Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 4:00 pm
The controversy surrounding The Tonight Show and the utter disarray of NBC has been a popular topic the past two weeks. Conan O’Brien is being unceremoniously dumped by NBC as host of The Tonight Show in favor of the painfully unfunny and backstabbing Jay Leno. It seems the majority of people that own a computer support the gangly red-head, but all the viral support seems futile as The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien will most likely be ending this Friday, January 22nd. MORE »
News
High Places Announces Upcoming Album Release and Spring Tour
Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 11:45 am
The duo Mary Pearson and Rob Barber, known as High Places, have announced the April 6th release of their second album High Places vs. Mankind. On the new album the band will be addressing the general meaning of being human and engaging with other people. The album covers many of the most important and complex issues in life, from relationships to aging and death.
High Places also announced the tour dates for their upcoming Spring 2010 North American and European tour, starting in Los Angeles on March 19th and ending in Portugal on May 21st. MORE »
TV Performances
Jimmy Kimmel Destroys Jay Leno
Matt Kiebus :: Friday, January 15th, 2010 3:10 pm
I don’t find Jimmy Kimmel funny, but last night he was the first person to metaphorically spit in Jay Leno’s face. And it was fucking awesome. As a guest on the already cancelled Jay Leno Show last night Kimmel participated in a segment Leno so cleverly names 10 at 10. Here’s where Mr. Leno asks, you guessed it, 10 questions at 10 o’clock. Kimmel killed it, and it was poetry in motion to watch a frustrated Jay Leno rush through the questions and to get Kimmel off the show as soon as possible. The following video is hysterical, cringe-worthy, and triumphant. Score one for Team Coco. MORE »
News
Jay Reatard Memorial Service
Matt Kiebus :: Friday, January 15th, 2010 1:10 pm
The news of Jay Reatard’s death shocked the music world this Wednesday. Coming off the success of his most recent album, Watch Me Fall, he had received critical acclaim and a spike in popularity.
Tomorrow, fans can pay tribute to the prolific young musician’s life at his memorial service which is open to the public in Memphis. The memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Memorial Park Funeral Home, located at 5668 Poplar Avenue in Memphis.
Jay Reatard: The Ballad of Jimmy Lee Lindsay Jr.
The following video is a behind the scenes glimpse of the Death + Taxes photo shoot with the late Jay Reatard for the cover of our current issue. MORE »
Bands
Seabear’s New Single “Lion Face Boy.”
Matt Kiebus :: Friday, January 15th, 2010 12:00 pm
Seabear, a seven-member band hailing from Iceland, is releasing their second album, We Built the Fire, in March 2010. In anticipation of their upcoming tour Seabear has released their first single “Lion Face Boy” on their record label’s website. Their debut album, The Ghost That Carries Us Away, gained a surprisingly strong following, selling 20,000 copies. Seabear, and their experimental/indie/folk sound will be touring the US in accordance with the record’s release and will be preforming at this year’s SXSW music festival.
News
Death Cab for Cutie to Perform Live Tonight on Critics’ Choice Movie Awards on VH1.
Matt Kiebus :: Friday, January 15th, 2010 11:25 am
In a tribute to the late-filmmaker John Hughes, Death Cab for Cutie will be performing a cover of Simple Mind’s “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” from the iconic Hughes classic The Breakfast Club. The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards will air live tonight on VH1 at 9 p.m. (EST/PST).
“We are truly proud to help pay tribute to the late John Hughes. His films were important waypoints for us to use as we navigated the uncertain waters of growing up and even now still give us so much perspective, insight and laughter about those uncomfortable years. We honor him and will continue to celebrate him with our music and through his films for years to come.”
John Hughes sudden passing of a heart attack in August of 2009 sent major waves through the entertainment industry. The filmmaker was only 59 years old.
TV Performances
Conan O’Brien vs. Jay Leno. Steel Cage Death Match. Winner Gets the Tonight Show.
Matt Kiebus :: Thursday, January 14th, 2010 7:00 am
“I just wanted to say hosting the Tonight Show has been the fulfillment of a life-long dream for me. And I just want to say to the kids out there watching ‘you can do anything you want in life… unless Jay Leno wants to do it too.”
Ladies and gentleman welcome to the Tonight Show with dead-host-walking, Conan O’Brien. It’s a shame the American public will never be able to grow with the comedic genius of the redheaded wonder, at least not on NBC. MORE »
Film
Ivan Reitman Returns to Direct Ghostbusters 3
Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 5:15 pm
Now the hype can officially begin to build. Ivan Reitman, the director of the first two Ghostbuster films, is returning to the director’s chair to complete the trifecta. This is the first concrete news confirming the rumors of the return of the Ghostbuster franchise. The world now waits to see if the comedic legends Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis dust off their proton packs. Hopefully they don’t add to the trend of ruining original 80s film classics with half-assed sequels (cough Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull cough). I’m not bitter.
News
Baseball’s Mark McGwire Finally Admits to Steroid Use. Rookie Card Value Plummets
Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 3:15 pm
In earth shattering sports news former St. Louis Cardinal first baseman Mark McGwire announced yesterday that he used steroids. I know, I’m shocked too. Who would have thought that a baseball player the size of Lou Ferrigno used performance-enhancing drugs? It’s nice to see that Mr. McGwire has gotten over his random bout with amnesia four years ago in front of the US Senate. I’m glad that his long-term drug use had no effect on his short-term memory. McGwire has now officially added his name to baseball’s prestigious list of mythical heroes turned media villains. MORE »
