April 2005

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Cinco de Maroulis! By Amelia Huff, Age 10 1/2

Filed under: General Archive

Well it hapened. The thing I thought would never hapen. My mom was nice to me? Nope, she's still acting like her Tampex is stuck. I got a bra? Not yet, tho I do my special exercises every night. Dad and Megan got a divorce? I WISH! No the thing that hapened was Constantine Maroulis got voted off American Idol. I cant beleive it. It's like if Jesus was on TV every Tuesday and then Pontius Pilate suddenly came on and said "HA HA HA No Jesus you cant sing Bohemian Rhapsody anymore because I hate your beerd." And Jesus went away to his house in New Jersy and he didnt come back. And there was no Easter, and there were devils everywhere lauging and dancing. Thats what it feels like with Constantine gone. I cryed for like a hour.   My dog Howie got wet because I cryed so hard.

My cousin Morgan and me decided we're going to college at the University of New Jersy so we can live by Constantine. I am goign to major in Singing and she is going to major in Fashion Inventing. We both plan to have bras by then.

But their is good news: Thursday is is a Spanish holiday called Cinco de Mayo, and we are having a fiesta in my class! We are going to sing Spanish songs and everyone will bring a diffierent food to share. I am bringing Frito Pie. Its an authentic dish containing Fritos and hamburger with special spices. The Fritos go on top.I also got Blue Blow Pops for the class pinata. I wonder what Emma is going to bring? She speaks Spanish. She is from Puorto Rico so she probly knows tons about Cinco de Mayo. I hope she doesnt bring Frito Pie too! My dad would probaby say I got Cock Blocked! Thats what he always says when things are unfair.

So on top of Constantine being gone from American Idol, I also found out that Bo Bice does Cocaine. Now you may think I dont know what Cocaine is but I do. I took DARE last year and we learned that it is a white powder that makes you big and strong so you can cheat at football. That must be why Bo is so tall and handsome. Maybe Anthony Federov needs to get some Cocaine! Then hed be cute like Bo. Im starting to wish all the boys in my class would eat a ton of Cocaine. Then theyd all be tall like Bo and have bigger weiners. Oviously Cocaine isnt bad for you or Bo would be dead. He isnt dead. Just cute!!!

Posted by Diablo Cody at April 29, 2005 1:21 PM

 

Weekend to-do

Filed under: General Archive

*Lindsay Lohan and her blonde tresses (that's Hollywood speak for "drugs," I think) are still weeks away from descending on Minneapolis to film A Prairie Home Companion, which should cause bar sales to skyrocket and C.J. to start foaming at the mouth. In the meantime, celebrity gawkers can check out Juliette & the Licks, featuring the Juliette Lewis, at the Triple Rock tonight.
*Speaking of people who have played mentally challenged sisters (remember Lewis in the Other Sister?), on the Hallmark Channel on Sunday night, Rosie O'Donnell plays a retarded sister with a heart of gold, plenty of bus tickets, and a closet overflowing with poorly folded shirts decorated with iron-on flower appliques. Watching Big Rosie act by simply bucking her teeth like Meredith Baxter Birney in Winnie should be funnier than the time the Queen of Nice (right) got a staph infection.
*The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy opens tonight, and critics are calling it delightful! uneven! and, mostly for geeks!
*Also around town: Atmosphere and P.O.S. at First Avenue; Elton John at Target Center; The Art of Zines and Graphic Novels at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and more.

Posted by at April 29, 2005 1:39 AM | Comments (0)

 

Celebrity auction action: Dorothy's dress, Johnny's mic, and Entwistle's skeleton

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Actually, Who bassist John Entwistle had two skeletons, which he supposedly used for "pranks," and they have both been put up for auction by his family (except for his 80-year-old mum, Queenie, who finds the whole business too upsetting). It's doubtful they'll get anywhere near the high bid amount paid for the blue-and-white dress worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz-- it just sold for $252,000, nearly four times what was expected. Still, the celebrity collection that might hold the most auction riches is that of Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, whose desktop microphone recently went for over $50,000. There are plans now to sell his original desk this fall; if it's a success, too, don't be surprised if they try to sell the invisible golf club he swung at the end of his monologue.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 28, 2005 9:18 PM

 

Now if I can just find a decent crawfish sausage po' boy in Minneapolis

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The second (and final) weekend of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival kicked off today. Last year I was lucky enough to be in attendance. This year I'm making do with the live broadcast from WWOZ. Among this weekend's highlights: Isaac Hayes, Nicholas Payton, Toots Hibbert, and Randy Newman.

Posted by Paul Demko at April 28, 2005 2:14 PM | Comments (1)

 

Caring: It's the new evil

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Unless you have a heart made of glowing nuclear waste, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will probably cause persistent tear ups. And if you do have a heart made of nuclear waste, or worse--diseased tear ducts that have left you with the inability to cry--the show will probably come to your home, demolish it, and leave you with a well-decorated sanitized biodome where your irritatingly dry eyes can feel moist again. A few months ago, the show built a new home for woman who was dying from cancer and wanted to leave behind a home for her three adopted children, all of whom had AIDS. And this Sunday, Ty Pennington and Co. create a house for a father who lost his eyesight in a workplace shooting.

Not one to be outdone (Those evil bastards are ruining my career!) Mark Burnett, the godfather of reality TV,  is shopping his new reality show, Giving Hope, to networks. The show, he says, will be about, umm, "giving  hope" to people in need, like "people in Kansas who have lost their farm and need help getting back on their feet." Hey, are you rolling your eyes? Or is that a tear I see?

Posted by at April 28, 2005 1:17 PM | Comments (1)

 

"Check 'Yes' If Your Client Likes My Client."

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Ah, glorious love. There's nothing quite so romantic as two publicists confirming the mutual attraction between their clients.

Why, when my Meemaw and Pop-Pop met back in 1919, they immediately told their respective reps to alert the public immediately! Who doesn't remember the orchestration of their first crush: the passing of notes between publicists, the late-night phone calls to the agency, the first time the two of you issued a joint statement? Le sigh!

Posted by Diablo Cody at April 28, 2005 10:41 AM

 

Embarassing soundclips of the week

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Pat O'Brien: So fuckin' hot

Air America's Randi Rhodes has apologized "a thousand times" for the opening of her April 25th broadcast-- an anti-Bush bit that ended with gunshots and the geezerly curse, "Take that, ya little bastard!"-- and says she had nothing to do with it. (The network, addressing claims that it's being investigated by the Secret Service, basically says, "We're blameless because we suck." ) Judge for yourself-- the complete clip, including Rhodes' immediate, inarticulate reaction, can be found here.

Speaking of inarticulate, let's hope the rehab folks gave TV-clown Pat O'Brien some elocution lessons. Phonemail messages attributed to him have been on the radio and internet for awhile, most of them labelled "Coked 'n' horny." For five minutes, a man who sounds like O'Brien tells a woman the (very) few things he wants to do to her, and his knack for redundancy gets funnier as he goes along. (Note: Not safe for work.)

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 28, 2005 5:26 AM

 

Lil Bow Wow Never Sounded So Good

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Is there any stranger hound than the New Guinea Singing Dog?

 

If the dog portraits in this week's City Pages seem a little too darling to be endured, you may appreciate the opportunity to learn a little more about a beast that would not be caught dead in a sweater, the New Guinea Singing Dog. This smallish canine, with its reddish coat, angular face, and short legs, looks rather like a fox. It is storied to be able to climb trees. It was first found in the remote highlands of New Guinea in late 1950s, and has endured a checkered fate since then.

Depending on whom you believe, the NGSD could be an undomesticated and distinct species--a kind of evolutionarily isolated proto-dog. Or the breed could be a cousin to the Australian dingo, which has been compromised in the last century or so through interbreeding with other domestic dogs. Competing dog scientists (by which I mean humans, not dogs who can operate Bunsen burners) dismiss the NGSD as being indistinguishable from the ownerless "pariah dogs" that are not uncommon throughout Southeast Asia. (Picture Canaan dogs or Basenjis circling a trash heap in Calcutta.)

One thing is beyond dispute: The "song" and vocalizations of the NGSD sound wild in every sense of the word. A little chilling, too. To hear them for yourself, and to learn more than you ever thought you'd want to know about the New Guinea Singing Dog, visit Andrew Luck-Baker's story on the BBC's Radio 4 here.  (Look for the piece in the right-hand column.)

Posted by Michael Tortorello at April 27, 2005 1:01 PM

 

Why Not Nicky?

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When Paris Hilton announced her ugly split with Nicole Richie, her disciples trembled in their Mukluks. After all, Paris just isn't Paris without a second banana to prop up her tremendoid ego. Perhaps sensing this mass anxiety, Paris has named Kimberly Stewart (Rod Stewart's hard-partying, vaguely avian daughter) as her new costar on FOX's The Simple Life.

On question remains: why not Nicky? Paris's younger sister has always been a supportive friend, quietly beaming like a ceramic Virgin Mary at every Paris-centric event. Nicky never grouses to the press a la Jan Brady or attempts to upstage her sister; she even dyed her hair a plebian shade of brown lest we be distracted from Paris's gleaming drape of platinum. Nicky Hilton is the sacrificial lamb of the Spyder Club, the martyr of Body English. Has anyone actually heard her speak? Does anyone believe that her clothing designs are wildly popular in Japan?

Kimberly Stewart is undeserving of such honor. Give Nicky Hilton a chance to shine!

Posted by Diablo Cody at April 26, 2005 3:05 PM | Comments (1)

 

Sisyphus Rocks

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Sisyphus Rocks

New Jersey man injured trying to roll Bruce Springsteen up a hill

by Steve Perry

"The personal, political and spiritual merge in the new album's title song?. The narrator of "Devils & Dust" could be a soldier in Iraq or America itself."

--Jon Pareles on Bruce Springsteen?s new album, New York Times, April 24

In myth and, happily, in fact, Bruce Springsteen has always been the guy who was--his own words--tougher than the rest, the rock star who resisted blandishments of the rock star life that ranged from the relatively trivial but offensive practice of taking corporate jingle money to the more serious peril of choking on the vapors of one?s own celebrity, personal prerogative, and boredom. He was, and is, no Elvis Presley. But what would you do if it were a fairly routine thing to get up in the morning and read the preceding sort of puffery about yourself? Could you laugh it off and go back to your job? Even if you did, would you be able to keep laughing after literary and cultural eminences like Walker Percy and Robert Coles began to join the chorus proclaiming you the bard and balm of the people, and a literary giant in rocker?s rags to boot?

Being called the future of rock & roll is one thing, heady to be sure; but for any son of the working class as smart and ambitious as Bruce Springsteen, it has to pale beside the siren call of being termed a serious literary and cultural figure. How long then before you start to be cast in stone and to think like a Serious Writer, instead of writing seriously?

The practical danger in that kind of stultifying embrace is self-satisfaction: reaching a point where it becomes hard to edit your own work anymore, easy to mistake the prosaic for the profound and to begin buying into two-dimensional, cul-de-sac notions of your job as an artist. (When you?re a national resource as well as a legend, it?s practically irresponsible not to simply let the healing waters flow--which is to say, to repeat yourself unto the point of pandering.) The last song on Devils & Dust sums up the dilemma posed by the record. "Matamoros Banks" is a lovely and superbly crafted ballad. It is also (in subject, themes, even setting) a direct re-write of the next-to-last song on his 1995 album The Ghost of Tom Joad, where it was called "Across the Border." Except this time the protagonist dies. In fact, he?s dead when the song starts, and Springsteen then works backward in the man?s own voice to explain the lover?s journey that put him there. Very nicely done, better than the other version, but done before all the same: why again? I think the answer is that Bruce loved the lyric turn he was able to work in this version of the story.

I?m not saying "full of itself" deserves to be the last word on the record, but it belongs in the discussion. Springsteen himself (who seems entirely too ready to tell everybody what these songs mean and how they were put together--as if to withhold such insights would be, yes, irresponsible) has been saying that the songs revolve around spiritual crises, moments when his characters find themselves "in danger or at risk." This is patently true; also fatuous, since Springsteen?s best songs have always implicated "spiritual crises," questions of doubt and faith and of finding the means to persevere, behind the romantic or material ones.

I hated the record the first few times through. That was too arch. It?s not terrible. I?m coming to like parts of it. Brendan O?Brien?s production helps. Most of these songs--not just the lyrics but the vocal performances--are about 10 years old, and O?Brien does a tastefully spare job of dressing up those vocal-and-guitar demos with overdubbed guitar and drum parts. The sound of the record sparkles with clarity and immediacy; the slide guitar lines sound especially good. But as Springsteen records go, it?s very slight. Apart from the two records he released in 1992, Human Touch and Lucky Town, it harbors the fewest ambitions, or maybe just the least interesting ambitions, of any Springsteen record. Some of it--the title track, "Reno," "The Hitter," maybe one or two others--is very good, and the rest has its pleasures, but they?re mostly familiar ones.

At bottom the main subject of Devils & Dust, as best I can hear it so far, is songwriting, no less and, unfortunately, no more--the craft of it, that is, construed as a mostly formal, literary matter. How else to understand the fact that more than two-thirds of the songs here are rewrites of or variations on other songs from his past four albums? The effect of the record?s literary self-consciousness is to set Springsteen at a greater distance from his characters, who are more prone than usual to seeming like types, or factors in a mainly formal equation. The more Springsteen heaps concrete detail on the little boy in "Black Cowboys," to take the most glaring example, the more palpably the boy seems like a literary device, a means to the end of constructing a metaphor. And absent the sense of a flesh-and-blood presence in the song, it?s a pretty banal metaphor in the end.

Again, not terrible--but it?s writer?s workshop stuff. It?s precious. It?s beneath a writer of his talents. At times Devils & Dust sounds unnervingly like Bruce Springsteen, litterateur, taking a victory lap before settling in on the Mt. Rushmore of what you might call High American Folk Culture, nestled alongside Lincoln, John Steinbeck, and--I can?t make out whether the last one is Woody Guthrie or Raymond Carver, but does it matter?

Posted by Steve Perry at April 26, 2005 9:45 AM

 

Dylan Hicks and Britt Robson discuss the recent Ornette Coleman concert

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From: Dylan Hicks
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005
To: Britt Robson
Subject: Ornette Coleman at Ted Mann

Britt,

I'll try to offer some informal notes about Ornette Coleman's show this past Friday night at the Ted Mann Concert Hall. If I had to describe how I was feeling going into the concert I would have to use words like "sick" and phrases like "not well," so it's a testament to the set's quality that I enjoyed myself as much as I did. What's more, my wife, not a strong advocate for abstract jazz, was quite impressed as well. If memory serves, this concert was quite a bit better than Ornette's last Ted Mann date, for which he a brought a larger band, including a tabla player who wasn't much to my liking.

Coleman has given us relatively linear improvisations, but for this set he was decidedly in Cubist, magnetic poetry mode, and in top form. I love how his solos--next to the building is a forlorn yellow flower--insert unexpected phrases and seem to move from right to left or top to bottom and stop on a quarter. Also I love the space, and the piercing tone, unmistakable, nothing else sounds like that. "Once Only," the fourth tune (I didn't know it; thanks for posting the set list), was especially beautiful. As usual with Coleman, the pretty stuff is made prettier by the surrounding dissonance, or vice versa.

As has perhaps been noted too often, Coleman came up playing in Texas blues and R&B bands. He remains a great blues player. Do jazz musicians old enough to have played blues when it was a more widely popular African-American music play the blues better because it was learned and absorbed organically or is that merely a projection of the romantic, clich?-prone listener/reviewer? There's something to the former claim, surely, but it's problematic.

I'm shy about bringing this up, but does bassist Greg Cohen (there are two bassists in Coleman's current quartet; Cohen plucked, and Tony Falanga, for the most part, bowed) have one white hand and one red hand? Just curious. Cohen was great, by the way. (He's also a fine arranger, check out his work on James Carter's Billie Holiday tribute.) Denardo tends not to move me like some drummers do, but I'm always charmed by father-son acts, and you've got to love those *bang-we're-done* endings.

I'm sure glad he played "Lonely Woman," one of my all-time favorite songs. Like most people, I like to hear the hit(s). As he played it, I thought, might this, at this moment, be the best music being performed at any place in the world?

Dylan Hicks
Senior arts/music editor
City Pages

---

From: Britt Robson
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005
To: Dylan Hicks
Subject: Re: Ornette Coleman at Ted Mann

This isn't going to be a very argumentative diablog. I loved your take, especially the line "...stop on a quarter."

As happened the only other time I saw him many years ago, I was struck by how slightly built Ornette looked. He came out in a subtle suit topped by a pork pie hat (a tribute to Pres?), with a shuffling gait sort of like Charlie Chaplin, only slowed by senior citizenry. Looking at the instrumentation--two bassists and a drummer--I was disappointed by the prospect of no great fireworks. That was my naivete. As the unique harmonies and dynamics of the quartet kept flipping open new facets in the cubist fashion you mentioned, the fireworks were there, but kaleidoscopic in their relatively soft volume and bled-together tones. Bassist Tony Falanga (stage left for the audience), usually played arco, like a cellist, while Greg Cohen's mostly fulfilled the instrument's primarily rhythmic function with pizzicato phrases.

The band either gelled or my ears and sensibility became fully acclimated during the third song, "Minor Business." Coleman was in particularly good form on alto all night (I'm not a fan of his slight, and brief, trumpet work), but the first of many sublime moments in the show for me came when his violin meshed with the other strings in creamy harmonies that were somehow both neatly modulated and (naturally) slightly rhythmically askew. And when he went back to alto, I was struck by how closely the tone hewed to what he had just played on violin.

You're right, the fourth tune, "Once Only," was gorgeous, a ballad with a lot of internal action yet very deliberately paced. The next song, "Jordan," opened like a Monk tune, with a headlong thrust and sturdy vamp that became the Lego foundation for all kinds of grafting and melodic asides. The sheer sonority of the violin and two basses again created a luxurious bonus you don't expect from Ornette, on both "Mob Job" and "Follow the Sound." The interplay between Falanga and Coleman's alto on "Mob Job" created exactly the sort of emotionally immediacy and rhythmic/harmonic gymnastics that Coleman craves in his music. It's the difference in grace between athletes traversing an obstacle course they've already scouted and intuitively dodging traffic or other multiple objects hurled their way without notice.

On the subject of the blues or any "native" learning, I think the first imprint is especially important in one's musical development. As much as I love reggae or soukous music, for example, it always requires a fleeting step to register an intimate listening connection, whereas the rock and r&b I grew up on require no such split-second adjustment--it is just there. Ornette's almost congenital (or maybe it is congenital) connection to the blues isn't so apparent in his trumpet or violin work, or even his compositions, but his alto exudes it. This gutbucket element seemed more pronounced later in the set, with "Mob Job," "Sleep Talking" and "Song X."

I agree with you about Denardo--he's not my favorite but the familial touch does add resonance--but I will say that his playing seemed less bombastic and more incisive than the earlier Ornette records on which he appeared. I don't think it's easy to let the spaces between two bassists and Ornette breathe and still by plying an energetic rhythm, and he succeeded at that on Friday.

Last but certainly not least, what this gig reinforced for me was how beautiful Ornette's music is. So much attention gets paid to the deliberately off-putting manner in which he forces you to listen with "new ears," from the quirky rhythms to the plangent harmonies and dissonant tones, that the stark tranquility, tender bittersweetness, or stray blossoms that regular occur along the way get short-shrifted. At 75, this guy is more accessible than ever--and still way ahead of his time.

Britt Robson
Senior sports/features editor
City Pages

Posted by Corey Anderson at April 25, 2005 4:48 PM

 

Become a hamburger millionaire in ten seconds flat

Filed under: General Archive

The Soap Factory is taking submissions for its Ten Second Film Fest, which will include an awards ceremony (get your gaudy on) and fireworks show on July 4th. Videos created using cell phones, digital still cameras, spy pens, and stuffed animals are fair game, but don't even try submitting a film made on your regular old video camera. Winners will be awarded a hamburger and beer from Grumpy's, the due respect of your peers, and the glitzy title of "Hamburger Millionaire."

Posted by at April 25, 2005 1:54 PM

 

Is Jesus Christ a Rollerblading supermodel?

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If you were lucky enough (yes, lucky!) to catch the season finale of The Surreal Life last night, you caught Go-Go guitarist Jane Wiedlin dry humping former wrestler Chyna Doll like an amateur stripper loaded on her grandma's Vicodin. But if you missed the whole ridiculous reality season filled with cow branding, naked hot tubbing, and urinating in corners, you probably are totally unaware that supermodel Marcus Schenkenberg is Jesus Christ in disguise. Without flinching, the guy opens his big model arms to Chyna, a silicone giant with even bigger problems, and Verne Troyer, a miniature devil made up entirely of bile. (Until Marcus placed his golden hands on him, of course!)  If you're still not convinced that Marcus is the Second Coming, check this: Jesus was perfectly cool with having to wear the same robe and sandals every day. And designer Valentino describes Marcus as being "not difficult to dress." Hmmm....

Posted by at April 25, 2005 12:17 AM

 

Ornette Coleman's Set List

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Here is the set list from Ornette Coleman's fabulous show at Ted Mann Auditorium Friday night.

Call To Duty

Song World

Minor Business

Once Only

Jordan

Waiting For You

Mob Job

Follow the Sound

Sleep Talking

Song X

(Encore) Lonely Woman

Coleman's quartet included a pair of bassists and his son Denardo on drums. The leader announced only the last song of the set and the encore, probably because they were clearly the best-known and most recognizable tunes. "Song X" was the title track of his collaborative CD with guitarist Pat Metheny. The frequently covered "Lonely Woman" is by now a jazz standard.

I don't recall nor could I find any of the first six songs anywhere in Ornette's discography, so they are probably brand new, or, more probably, significant variations on past Coleman material. "Mob Job," which wasn't on the original, typed set list (it's jotted down in ink) was also included on the Song X CD, and most recently appeared on Coleman's Sound Museum CDs, Hidden Man, and Three Women. "Follow the Sound" is new, and "Sleep Talking" is probably the same or very much akin to "Sleep Talk," featured on Ornette's Of Human Feelings disc.

In addition to the absence of "Mob Job," the original set list had a song entitled "Round About" typed in between "Sleep Talking" and "Song X," and then crossed out.  Another vintage Coleman tune, "Turn Around," was penned in as a second encore at the bottom of the typed set list, but wasn't played and is also crossed out. 

I'm looking forward to engaging CP Arts Editor Dylan Hicks in a diablog about the gig. Would also love to hear from any folks who saw the show and want to offer their opinions or clarifications--I'll print portions of the ones I like. Post me at brobson@citypages.com. Thanks.

Posted by Britt Robson at April 24, 2005 1:28 PM

 

Jason McLean leaves the Kitty Cat Klub

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Will the Dinkytown bar's cool decor go with it?

 

Jason McLean, owner of the Loring Pasta Bar and director of the Varsity Theater, has left the Kitty Cat Klub. "I'm not booking there," he says, declining to go into details. "We're still too involved in negotiating the divorce for me to speak about it at liberty."

 

McLean, who was responsible for creating the gorgeously ornate layout and decor of the Dinkytown nightclub three years ago, says he reached the decision to leave last year, and quit managing on March 1. But the plush vintage furniture and furnishings that distinguish the Klub, much of it taken from McLean's old Loring Bar and Cafe, remain intact for now.

 

"We're in the process of trying to recover what we believe is rightly our property," says McLean. "And as everybody who knows the old Loring and me knows, of course, that's our stuff there. My identity is wrapped up in there--that's 20 or 30 years worth of collecting stuff."

 

"The furniture belongs to the club," says longtime Dinkytown restauranteur John Rimarcik, who owns the building, and says he plans to keep the decor the same, as well as reopen the basement space, which was previously closed by the fire department.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at April 22, 2005 5:50 PM

 

Playing with ourselves

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Going loco with Google Local

Guess who's the No. 1 asshole (and every other bad word) in Minneapolis? Yeah, but can you guess who's the third most awesome?

Posted by at April 22, 2005 3:31 PM

 

New Family Movie Act protects your right to ruin your film collection

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Hollywood's furious about a provision in the anti-piracy Family Entertainment and Copyright Act that allows software companies to alter movie content directly inside a DVD player without the filmmakers' consent. The biggest of those companies, however, a Utah-based outfit called ClearPlay, couldn't be happier--all those lawsuits the studios filed against them will now be dropped. (Ironically, a new documentary about "cleaning up" movies will air next week on American Movie Classics, a network that routinely edits the films they show.) ClearPlay has installable "filters" that mute foul-mouthed dialogue and skips over objectionable sights, which include "smoking" and "bar/club environments." Their webpage has a complete list of all the movies they have filters for, including G-rated stuff like Muppets from Space. Interestingly, one popular R-rated movie is missing: The Passion of the Christ.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 22, 2005 2:03 PM

 

Open email from Ryan Cameron

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Open email from Let It Be owner Ryan Cameron:

When I was a kid, my mom used to tell people that I learned how to read off the labels of the 45s my older brothers had passed on to me. While it did not provide an extensive vocabulary, by the age of 5 I certainly knew who the Beatles were and their song titles. Later I progressed to LPs (again, passed on) that I wore out beyond recognition with that cheap little phonograph that my parents had bought for me. I was hooked and I never turned back.

Music has always been the background to my life. I knew when I was young that I wanted to work in a record store, and just after turning 16, I was. I wound my way through, working at various stores, knowing that someday I would own one of my own. In 1987, my dream came true. I've always strived to have the best store possible. Over the years, many co-workers have passed through the doors (Paulie, Sam, RIP). I credit them, as much as myself, for making our store a success over these years. And of course our customers who have supported us in surviving retail for 18 years.

Over the past 5 years, the music industry has changed dramatically. What did not change was our desire to maintain a great store despite the changes. Music was always our concern. No bongs, incense, refrigerators, etc. Just music. Who knows how the music world will change in the future, but there will ALWAYS be great music. There will always be great record stores (virtual or brick and mortar). Independent record stores are the lifeblood of the industry. I encourage anyone reading this to support indie stores, as they are ground zero for the music community.

Let It Be Records will be closing our doors on or around June 15th. A redevelopment of our block has led me to the decision of whether to relocate the store, and I have decided not to do so. There are many reasons for my choice, some personal, some business, but it is my choice. Even if we stayed until the full length of our lease next year, I had already made the decision not renew it. I've owned the store for almost half my life, and feel I really need to change gears. I will be concentrating on my mail order business of rare vinyl and CDs, based at www.letitbe.com. My co-workers will go on shaping the local music scene in their own ways. Many are DJs who spin their musical favorites regularly.

Thanks again to all the customers over the years, all my co-workers, the bands/musicians who have supported our store with in-store performances, my parents & family, my wife Kellie (owner of Via's Vintage Wear-24th & Hennepin), and my dear departed dog Calvin. I couldn't have, and wouldn't have done it without you.

Let It Be,
Ryan Cameron
Owner

Back to "Let It Be Is Closing"

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at April 22, 2005 12:22 PM

 

We got the Jack

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MSP gets new music format, single-entendre headlines

Our favorite '80s station, Mixx 104.1, flipped formats yesterday to the Jack. CP's own Lindsey Thomas has the press release. And the Pioneer Press treats it as the second coming. And here's the playlist from the first two hours yesterday.

The Jack is corporate radio's newest gambit: The iPod format. The idea is that radio has become too predictable, and the playlists to constricted, and let's do something wild and put Brooks and Dunn next to Billy Ocean. A noble intent, sure, and having a playlist of some 1,200 songs can't be a bad thing. Well, actually, it can, when you consider the format's other main premise: Play absolutely nothing unfamiliar.

The trouble with the concept is that the iPod and commercial radio are inherently opposite. One is based on insular consumerism and a bogus concept of micromanaged "diversity," the other based on crass repetition and predictability for the great unwashed.

But there must be some big business in sight, at least for the short-term. For instance, some "variety" top-40-ish stations that have not been Jacked are taking precautions. Locally, someone from Hubbard-owned KS95 snatched up three potential Jack domain names that redirected surfers to the station's site yesterday.

(Today there's just a pic of a kitten. Cute! Actually, the domains are registered to this guy, a KS95 producer.)

And note this list of Jack stations in other markets. Same logo, different city.

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at April 22, 2005 11:42 AM

 

Same logo, different city

Filed under: General Archive

Same logo, different city.

Minneapolis: www.1041jackfm.com/
Vancouver: www.jackfm.com/
Toronto: www.925jackfm.com/
Dallas: www.jackontheweb.com
Denver: www.1055jackfm.com/
Jackson, MS: www.947jackfm.com/
Kansas City: www.1051jackfm.com/
Indianapolis: www.1045jackfm.com/
San Diego: www.sandiegojack.com/

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at April 22, 2005 11:07 AM

 

The Jack playlist

Filed under: General Archive

Here's the inital hour or two of the new JACK:

PINK        Get The Party Started
DEF LEPPARD        Rock Of Ages
BROOKS, MEREDITH        Bitch
AIR SUPPLY        Lost In Love
U2        Vertigo
A-HA        Take On Me
STEELY DAN        FM
IDOL, BILLY        Mony Mony
AMERICA        You Can Do Magic
INXS        Suicide Blonde
RASPBERRIES        Go All The Way
KISS        Heaven's On Fire
SMASHING PUMPKINS        1979-
CHIC        Le Freak
BANANARAMA        Cruel Summer
GREEN DAY        When I Come Around
JACKSON, JANET        Escapade
JOURNEY        Stone In Love
GABRIEL, PETER        Sledgehammer
WRIGHT, GARY        Dream Weaver
TALKING HEADS        Once In A Lifetime
STRAY CATS        Stray Cat Strut
SMASH MOUTH        Walkin' On The Sun
PUDDLE OF MUDD        Blurry
SCHILLING, PETER        Major Tom (Coming Home)
EAGLES        Life In The Fast Lane
STAIND        It's Been Awhile
JONES, HOWARD        No One Is To Blame
ZZ TOP        Sharp Dressed Man
OSBORNE, JOAN        One Of Us
PET SHOP BOYS        What Have I Done To Deserve...
MCCARTNEY, PAUL        Jet
CARDIGANS        Lovefool
TESLA        Love Song
MORRISON, VAN        Domino
FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD        Relax
MEN AT WORK        Down Under
3 DOORS DOWN        When I'm Gone
LEVEL 42        Something About You
SUGAR RAY        Fly
FOREIGNER        Hot Blooded
LINKIN PARK        In The End
HEAD EAST        Never Been Any Reason
KRAVITZ, LENNY        American Woman
POLICE        Don't Stand So Close To Me
MOTLEY CRUE        Girls, Girls, Girls
ASIA        Heat Of The Moment
LOVERBOY        Working For The Weekend
PRETENDERS        I'll Stand By You
YOUNG MC        Bust A Move
EAGLES        Peaceful Easy Feeling
BENATAR, PAT        Shadows Of The Night
38 SPECIAL        Rockin' Into The Night

Posted by G.R. Anderson Jr. at April 22, 2005 10:56 AM

 

Bono is Respectable, by Amelia Huff, Age 10 1/2

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Guess who is going to see a U2 concert at Target Center in Septembar? A certain girl and her dad. A certain girl named AMELIA and her dad called LLOYD. Give up? Its me! And the dad named Lloyd is my dad! Wer'e going to see the band U2!!!! Its my first concert. And Im going even though my mom is being a total B-word about it! (Whats new?)

If you dont know this band, may I remind you of a HIT single from last year? It went "Hello hello! OLA! I found a place for her to go!" I would sing it for you but I cant sing on a blog. Sorry! Your loss because my Choral teacher says i have a very *Adequate* voice for my age. That means Im talented. She says its OK to be an alto even if you dont get much attention and they make you stand in the very far back.

My dad said in order to go to a concert you need to prepare. You need to listen to all the CDs of the band so you know the songs and can sing along and not feel like a Poser. Luckily he has evry U2 CD there is. This weekend I am going to visit him and we are going to listen to only U2. Dad's wife Megan will probably get mad because she only likes stupid piano ladies like Tori Amos. Im going to be all like "Too bad Megan! Me and dad are going to listen to OUR STUFF and if you want to listen to piano ladies you should move back to Florida, where you should have stayed anyway, Big-Butt."

The best part of U2 is the singer who's name is Bono. He is very cool and boy does he know it! He wears Sun Glasses all the time even though there is no sun in Ireland. (Thats why all Irish people look kind of like dough.) Bono is not like other singers. Hes very smart and respectable.  Hes more like a doctor or teacher than a rock singer. I think I read that he has aids. Hes a very Inspirational person and I hope I get a back stage pass like I did at the Shrine Circus last year. Only Bono is better then a clown.

Septembar is SOOOOO far away. I'm going to be in sixth grade by then. I will look a lot older and bigger if you know what I mean. I will probably have a boyfreind finally.

 

Posted by Diablo Cody at April 22, 2005 10:55 AM

 

Let It Be Records Is Closing

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Let It Be Records Is Closing

Faced with news that his building would be turned into 46-story condo tower later this year, Let It Be Records owner Ryan Cameron had two choices: relocate or close. "It was me who made the decision not to relocate," he says, speaking over the phone Thursday afternoon. "We might have been forced a little sooner because of redevelopment, but they didn't put me out of business. I just chose to go. I've been doing this almost half my life, which is a long time. I'm 45."

 

With plans to shutter sometime in June, Let It Be Records leaves behind 16 years on Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, having opened at another location in 1987, on 7th Street near First Avenue, then moved briefly to where Joe's Garage now overlooks Loring Park. Since 1989, the store has been an oasis of crazed music enthusiasm in an increasingly sterile downtown. Everyone from the Beastie Boys to Thurston Moore has scoured the legendary records stacks in the basement. Everyone from Radiohead to Jimmy Scott has performed there.

 

Cameron says the development company, Nicollet LLC, offered to help him relocate, and he approached employees and friends offering to sell the business. But there were no takers. "It's a big risk, and I certainly can't blame them," Cameron says. "I don't think it's any secret that the last four or five years have been pretty devastating to music retail."

 

Ryan Cameron was 16 when he began selling records out of a Montgomery Ward's in Albert Lee, Minnesota--a post he describes as the "funnest job" he's ever had. "We were given carte blanche because our department did a ludicrous amount of business compared to the rest of the store," he says. "So we'd be blasting Sex Pistols and the Clash and Patti Smith in the middle of the Montgomery Ward, and no one could complain."

 

Moving to Minneapolis in 1978, he eventually became manager of the legendary Northern Lights store on 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue, before opening Let It Be Records in 1987. Bands such as White Zombie played in-store concerts at the early locations, and performances became a regular feature of the Nicollet Mall address, where appearances came to include Patti Smith, Radiohead, Robyn Hitchcock, the Gear Daddies, Jimmy Scott, Grant Hart, Eleventh Dream Day, Olivia Tremor Control, Soul Coughing, Spiritualized, Donavan, Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey, Laika, Ike Reilly, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Matt Olsen backed by Steve Bjorklund (before Balloon Guy), and countless others.

 

With a slew of DJs on staff, Let It Be became a connoisseur's haven of rare and import vinyl. PJ Harvey, Charlie Watts, and Harry Shearer all stopped by to admire the wares. One day, less than a minute after Keanu Reeves left, Matt Dillon walked in through the door. "They were both in town making totally different movies at the time," says Cameron.

 

Before Let It Be came along, stores such as Wide Angle Records had sold 12-inches to local dance records DJs, and Vital Vinyl and others picked up the tradition more recently. But no store has seriously catered to the dance market for as long as Let It Be Records. The shop fills other niches implied in its name, an homage to both the Beatles album and the Replacements classic. ("Usually when people ask me about the name," says Cameron, "I tell them it comes from the Voice of the Beehive record, Let It Be. But obviously that's not true.") Anglophiles, Europhiles, reggae heads, and lovers of the American underground have all made life-changing discoveries here.

 

Cameron will keep selling records through the Let It Be web site, which he plans to develop further. He has several million records to sell out of his climate-controlled warehouse in the suburbs, rare vinyl once available only to select customers out of the store's basement catacombs, which adjoined the former downstairs dance-records shop. Adam Horowitz of the Beastie Boys once spent three days down in the stacks with other members of his hardcore band BS2000.

 

"They would bury themselves down there, and clean as they go, which was helpful," says Rod Smith, a former employee and a City Pages contributor. "At one point, they had miner helmets with those little lights on them, and brought little portable record players down with them, playing records all over the basement."

 

Before a Rock the Garden gig with Sonic Youth, Thurston Moore spent three hours in the same basement. But there were hazards to subterranean record scavenging. Smith remembers one time when the sewer of a nearby restaurant backed up, and green sewage spewed out of the downstairs toilet.

 

"We were running around in a couple inches of poop water trying to save the records," says Smith. "A couple years ago [local music enthusiast] John Kass counted the collection down there, and he said there were two and a half million records."

 

Cameron has since purchased a warehouse full of unopened dance music stock from a longtime vendor, with some 350,000 records and 50,000 CDs. "It's all stuff from the late-'80s, early '90s," he says. "So I've been busy trying to get that stuff up on our web site. And I've been dealing with that, in addition to having about a quarter of a million 78s, and about a million other records besides that."

 

But wherever this music ends up--expect a sale this summer--customers will miss the physical storefront, whose loss represents yet another change for the boring in skyscraping Minneapolis.

 

"I've watched independent businesses get choked out of downtown one by one," says lifetime resident Dave Lofquist, who bought his first Sugarcubes and Glenn Branca records at Let It Be. "I can see both sides of it. A living, breathing city requires change, and we're going to see an explosion of the tax base. I'm just astonished at the degree to which development is happening."

 

OPEN EMAIL FROM LET IT BE OWNER RYAN CAMERON

DISCUSSION AT TCPUNK.COM

DISCUSSION AT I LOVE MUSIC

BACK TO 'LET IT BE RECORDS IS CLOSING'

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at April 21, 2005 5:20 PM

 

Stephen Baldwin, saved by Jesus

Filed under: General Archive

This Baldwin brother known by nobody (name a movie he starred in, and, yes, there are some) is apparently the latest celebrity purchase by the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the country's biggest and richest Christian superstation. He's been on practically every show they have pimping his various holy projects, such as his "cutting edge documentary about Christian extreme sport athletes",   his new Lord-praising record label (founded with a Korn guy), and his straight-to-video thriller, Six: The Mark Unleashed. Former TV-actor Chad Everett, another exuberant Hollywood convert, interviewed Baldwin on his show, Masters Theater. Baldwin constantly referred to his old, wild days but never got specific about what he used to do. Apparently, the Jesus network won't allow talk about sex and drugs even if it's negative, so Steve made the crazed life sound like it consisted of staying up late and buying a few things on eBay. Next up, perhaps: he goes on Benny Hinn's show to reminisce about his role in the documentary Fuck the Disabled.

(Baldwin trivia: Daniel is still the stupidest-looking.)

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 21, 2005 3:43 AM

 

Houston Takes Over

Filed under: General Archive

Here's Kalefa Sanneh's excellent piece about Mike Jones and the rest of the Houston hip-hop scene.

Posted by Dylan Hicks at April 20, 2005 3:35 PM

 

American Head Charge Guitarist Found Dead

Filed under: General Archive

Billboard reports that Bryan Ottoson was found on the band's tour bus yesterday. The cause of death hasn't been announced. The Minneapolis metal band has struggled through nearly a decade of line-up changes, substance abuse, and assorted destructive behavior. The group, who had been touring with Mudvayne, canceled last night's South Carolina performance.

UPDATE: Here's the Star Tribune story, including a recent interview with Ottoson, plus another interview with Ottoson, and City Pages' 2001 profile of the band.

Posted by Lindsey Thomas at April 20, 2005 12:40 PM

 

Nepotizzle!

Filed under: General Archive

If you thought fansites for legitimate celebrities were bad, check out these fansites for/by celebrity siblings.

Frank Stallone: That Stallone on Stallone "greatest hits" album sounds absolutely irresistable.

Haylie Duff: Wait, if this site is haylieduff.org, why is it all about Hilary? Hilary, Hilary, Hilary! God. And why the "dot-org" suffix? Is it because Haylie is still, unfortunately, a not-for-profit actress? Burn!

Don Swayze: Not much to see here. He should erect fencing around that chin-dimple to keep infants from falling in.

Jamie Lynn Spears: Since Jamie Lynn has landed a starring role on a Nickelodeon tween show (Zoey 101), I suppose she qualifies as an actual celebrity. But that doesn't change the fact that she's a weak Sanka-like substitute for prime-era Britney.

Emma Roberts: Though merely the spawn of a celebrity sib, Julia Roberts' photogenic niece still managed to get her own show on Nickelodeon (Unfabulous). What, is Nickelodeon the official first stop on the Nepotism Express? Looking at those photos, you can just hear Eric Roberts coaching his daughter. "Smile wider, muffin. Play up the resemblance!"

Posted by Diablo Cody at April 20, 2005 11:10 AM

 

2005 Midwest Music Summit

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Just passing this on to musicians who might be interested in showcasing at the Midwest Music Summit:

"If you are an artist interested in submitting material for an MMS showcase performance, fill out the Submission Form here and drop off your press kits in person at one of the shows listed below. (Thursday, April 21 at Bryant-Lake Bowl, and Friday, April 22 at Station 4.)"

 

Posted by Dylan Hicks at April 19, 2005 1:54 PM

 

Ewww...Stop hearting

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Your love is driving me crazy
Ever since the existentialist flick I Heart Huckabees caused audiences to ponder the deeper meaning of the drawn heart, people have felt more free to let loose and heart all over the place. A Google search for "I heart" yields 1.46 million results. Remove "Huckabees" from the search and there still are 799,000 pages and postings dedicated to the act of hearting: There's I Heart Wool (yes, 300 people in 25 countries are obsessed with itchy sweaters), the I Heart Faeries ring, which is dedicated the most unpopular spelling of "fairies," and the Jake Gyllenhaal fansite, I Heart Jake.

Loving sheep shavings might sound odd, but the worst it could do is lead to pesky skin irritations. These people, however, are willing to heart on anything, even evil empires: This dude hearts FedEx Kinko's (apparently making copies and sending them around the world is awesome); this right-winger hearts the pain medication Percocet (and he's not Rush Limbaugh!); someone actually hearts Microsoft; and artist David Byrne totally hearts PowerPoint. The software.

UPDATE: Further proof that the hearting (and Time magazine) is getting out of hand, Salon recently posted "Time Hearts Ann Coulter."

Posted by at April 19, 2005 12:57 PM | Comments (1)

 

Quixotic Prexy

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The Venezuelan government has printed copies to of Cervantes? ?Don Quixote? to distribute free to citizens. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is urging everyone to read the hefty classic. President Bush is expected to respond by urging all Americans to read ?Who Moved My Cheese??

Posted by Dylan Hicks at April 19, 2005 12:56 PM

 

The Most Disturbing Show You Haven't Seen

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Wonder Showzen will offend even the most calloused sensibilities

Naughty puppetry is hardly a poppin' fresh idea; just ask Peter Jackson or the idiots responsible for Crank Yankers. But at 8:30 on Friday nights, MTV2 has been quietly airing Wonder Showzen, a gasp-inducing Sesame Street parody that uses both child actors and puppets to hilarious effect. (Come for the cheerful kids singing about slavery! Stay to see oral sex demonstratrated by the number 8 and the letter J!) Showzen would surely be buzzed about if not for the crappy timeslot--even puppet sex ain't worth staying in on a Friday night. Tivo this one and enjoy.

Posted by Diablo Cody at April 18, 2005 11:00 AM | Comments (1)

 

DOOM is bustin' out all over

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Fans of the computer game Doom (and if you've ever played it, you're probably one) will have two new movies to gripe about later this year: Doom: The Motion Picture, starring The Rock, and a Showtime biopic based on David Kushner?s 2003 book about the creation of the game, Masters of Doom. Purists are already howling about alterations that the Doom film has made to the plot of the original game, and the recent change in its release date-- it's now set to open in October instead of August-- suggests that the studio may not be expecting much from it after all. The Showtime project is being written and produced by Naren Shankar of CSI, with no word who will be playing the game's co-creators, John Carmack and John Romeo.

(Speaking of Carmack, his weblog is announcing the latest Doom project, a version of the game for cell phones.)

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 17, 2005 3:19 AM

 

Jimmy Kimmel hires the unemployable

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There's good news for parents whose grown kids still live in the basement: ABC talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel wants to hire a professional TV-watcher. In what smells more like a desperate attempt to garner publicity for his truly lousy program, Kimmel announced Friday night that he's looking for someone whose sole job will be to watch television, with an eye for "humorous clips for his opening monologue." Details and an application form are posted at the show's website, and the yearly salary is around $26,000. It sounds like a job from hell, but the bright spot is that the one show the new employee won't have to watch is Jimmy Kimmel Live.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 17, 2005 2:43 AM

 

Weekend to-do

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*Hey, did you guys here about this? There's a new art museum opening this weekend.*If you've been stuck at home watching C-Span all week, this is the last weekend to check out the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, which runs through Sunday. *For more events around town, check out this week's A-list, which includes a not-to-be-missed show by Hella, a reading by Edward Conlon, and art exhibits that will surely be less crowded than the Walker. And for agoraphobes, misanthropes, and germaphobes, that's definitely a good thing.

Posted by at April 15, 2005 4:12 PM

 

Slumber Parties Rock! By Amelia Huff, Age 10 1/2

Filed under: General Archive

This girl in my class called Skylar had a Slumbar party last Friday. I was so siked about it. What do I wear??? I cryed. And the answer was: PAJAMAS. New pajamas from The Children's Place. They were pink and green and not too babyish. Everyone said I looked super cute!!! But I did not say if I agreed because I am not a snob.

Skylar had 1 rule for the party: Everyone had to bring their favorite CD. I knew what CD I was going to bring. Have you heard of Steely Dan? They are my dads favorite band, so they are mine too. I love my dad!!! I hope he divorces megan. Anyway my dad lives in Hudson, Wisconsin, so I could not borrow a Steely Dan CD from him. I told my mom I just had to get the CD so I could bring it to the slumbar party. My mom said "Im not driving you all the way to Buttfudge Wisconsin so you can borrow a CD from HIM." So I made her drive me to Target and we bought a new Steely Dan CD. My mom is always in a bad mood these days. She needs to change her Pad or something! I think she needs to take about 50 pamprins.

NEway, I got the Steely Dan CD and then it was time to go to Skylar's house. I packed my backpack with lots of important stuff. Lip gloss, pajamas (of course) fresh underpants (LOL) and a very special present for Skylar, which was a bottle full of colored sand. I made it myself! It is beautiful and Symbalizes the love of freinds. Skylar is kind of fat so I didnt want to get her clothes. What if they didnt fit? I would look pretty dumb.

At Skylar's house we all took turns playing our CDs. Everyone brung the Hilary Duff CD, so I thought "Boy, Im pretty original!" I proudly put the Steely Dan CD into Skylar's Hello Kitty player. My favorite song came on. It is called "Deacon Blues." It is about a guy who drinks Scott's Whiskey all night long and dies behind the wheel. I guess Scott is his freind, although not a very good freind if he does drinking and drugs.

Anyway everybody was like, "Amelia, this CD is gay! It sucks! Why do you have it?" I couldnt beleive it! Steely Dan is so good! My dad even took me to see a band called Stealing Dan last year. They sound just like Steely Dan but are not the real Steely Dan. Kind of like how Skylar says she had boobs but it is just fat.

We also wached "Napoleon Dynamite." And Trista peed the bed, though Im not telling anyone.

 

Posted by Diablo Cody at April 15, 2005 2:35 PM

 

Varsity Theater Reopens

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Last month the City of Minneapolis closed the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown, just as our history of the 90-year-old landmark was going to press. Now the music/film/performance space is back open for good, with shows starting tonight. Here's owner Jason McLean's email.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at April 15, 2005 11:14 AM

 

Jason McLean's email

Filed under: General Archive

Jason McLean's email (from "Varsity Theater Reopens"):

 

We are In Business!!! Today, Friday, April 15th, the City of Minneapolis, in it's infinite wisdom, granted a Certificate of Occupancy to the Varsity Theater Project.

Shows will soon resume. The first show will actually be tonight,

Conversations with Patrick Scully featuring guest John Killacky and special guests Ann Markusen and Leslie Ball. 7:30 pm $10

Patrick Harrison's ARTIST in TROUBLE will be the fitting title to our first full scale musical play directed by Lola Lesheim and presented by Half-Cast Productions and the Varsity Theater Project. A.I.T. will open next weekend.

More news to come, just thought you'd appreciate the bulletin.

Jason

 

UPDATE:

 

The music line-up for tonight: Junkyard Lilies, Ryan Sutter & Meredith Fierke will be postponed until further notice.

 

Conversations with Patrick Scully WILL happen tonight @ 7:30 and will kick-off the new spring season for the Varsity re- opening. Guests tonight: John Killacky (formerly of Walker Art Center) Ann Markusen & Leslie Ball.

Posted by Peter S. Scholtes at April 15, 2005 11:13 AM

 

Ray Harryhausen and the new Sinbad movie

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Movie legend and stop-motion animation god Ray Harryhausen has been coaxed out of retirement (he's 84) to supervise the special effects of the upcoming Keanu Reeves film, The 8th Voyage of Sinbad. Harryhausen is reportedly delighted with the choice of Reeves, predicting he will be the best Sinbad ever. (Since Keanu's competition includes John Phillip Law and John Wayne's son Patrick, that may not be as hyperbolic as it sounds.)

In other news, Harryhausen was recently inducted into The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and a special edition DVD has just been released containing all of his earliest short features.

Posted by Steve Monaco at April 15, 2005 4:55 AM

 

What, Did Ashlee Cost Too Much?

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Meet the Barkers repackages a classic dichotomy

Ozzy and Sharon have finally ordered the cameras off their feces-strewn property. Nick and Jessica have packed up their belongings and fled to less invasive pastures. Even Ashlee Simpson's televised train wreck has slowed to a smoldering halt. Unfortunately for MTV, this mass exodus left them without a "celebreality" show to pimp. Until now.

Meet the Barkers follows Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and his wife, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler as they cope with the familiar struggles of being multimillionaires. The hook is that he's a heavily-inked rock star and she's an effervescent blonde actress. Yeah, like we've never seen that combination before. (Meet the Locklear-Samboras-- now, that we would watch.) The show has that combination of snail-paced footage and "wacky" sound editing typical of MTV's reality offerings, so if you're after Osbour