|
|
|
Been There, Done That
CH: Carolyn Huckabay PR: Patrick Rapa ME: Molly Eichel
What We Saw:
—Relived the awkwardest of years on Friday night by going to see my high school's production of The Wiz, which my own class performed in the, cough, late '90s. (I spent my formative years geeking out in the orchestra pit while my theater-nerd friends took center stage.) Inspired to either a) pick up the ol' French horn again; b) Netflix the Michael Jackson-Diana Ross version; or c) never watch a high school musical again, ever ever. —CH
What We Listened To:
—Quasi was awesome on Friday. Check back later for photos! —PR
What We Read:
—Flipped through an article in The New York Times' Sunday mag about tweeting about Lost. The piece, "Lost in Translation: Microblogging Lost," had a few fair points to make — that this "spectacle of state-of-the-art, real-time crowd-sourcing" will eventually be over and then all the blog-happy Losties will have to find something else to do with their time — but I think the takeaway here is that the article would have worked better as a quick blog post. Too much style, not enough substance. —CH
—Like C. Hucks, I was less-than-impressed with this NYTimes article about how casting agents are now rejecting actresses who have had plastic surgery because they look fake. I've read the same story on several movie-business blogs before (big ups to Deadline.com and Thompson on Hollywood), and was frankly much more interested in the gender inequity when it comes to plastic surgery, which was briefly mentioned by largely ignored. Silver lining: The piece led to awfulplasticsurgery.com, which I spent far too long perusing and saying "Oh gross!" to. —ME
What We Watched:
—I'm only a little ashamed of how much I love TLC's wedding gown show Say Yes to the Dress. But I love seeing how terrible other peoples' tastes are. (Hey Former Pageant Queen, the sheer — yes, sheer — corseted knee-length number did not have sex appeal. Unless you count sexiness in terms of how much you look like a turn-of-the-century French prostitute crossed with a Jersey Shore cast member.) —ME
—Possibly inspired by Sam Adams' excellent interview with David Milch or my horror at the fact that most of my friends hadn't seen it, I holed up with a group, a case of Lion's Head and the first season of Deadwood. I spent most of the trying to my control my tween-girl-on-Justin-Bieber-style freak out because I knew what was coming. If you haven't watched it, you're wasting your life. It's Shakespeare in the lawless Old West. Except they say cocksucker a lot more than the Bard would dare in such plain words. Me thinks my infatuation with Ian McShane (aka Al Swearengen) is on the rise again, calling for a screening of Personal Top Fave Movie Sexy Beast. —ME
—I forgot Best in Show was based on Philly's Mayflower dog show (although, it clearly wasn't shot here). Glad I didn't forget how goddamn funny Fred "And to think that in some countries these dogs are eaten" Willard is as announcer Buck Laughlin. —ME
What We Learned:
—Act on vintage! After a month of coveting an ivory knee-length flower-print dress with an empire waist and an uneven hem from Vintage Connection (701 St. 9th St.), I finally got a wedding invitation that gave me an excuse to drop some cash on it. Of course, it had been sold that morning to someone who is going to look fabulous in it. Tear. —ME
Saw Hot Chip at TLA last night and they killeeeddddd it. They are amazing live. Openers Memory Tapes were good too
Saw Titus Andronicus in Jersey on Saturday. All around fantastic show!! My body is still sore from rockin' out so hard. Even Jersey was a blast to be in, caps and all. I was not-so-secretly hoping for The Boss to appear on stage at any minute, but unfortunately that night the Springsteen references had to be enough. Re-watched part of the first season of Veronica Mars and realized once again why it was my favorite show. Veronica and Logan, siiiiggghh. It doesn't seem to be as big of a hit with the bf as The O.C. was though.
So did anyone go to Shad Fest? Anyone?
Spent a truly joyous Saturday morning with Mr. Martino's chef-owner Maria Farnese, ostensibly to learn more about her handmade bicycle-friendly bags, but really just being vocally amazed at all of the artistic, conscious and talented people that surround us in South Philly. Definitely culture.
Watched "It's Complicated" with Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin on Saturday morning. Meryl makes Steve chocolate-filled croissants to fulfill a certain need brought on by a certain substance. Would you really wait hours to eat something if you had the munchies? @ME- also watched a few episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress" because I'm in awe of these girls who run the gamut from gawdy to so plain they may as well wear a sundress and save $2550. And the ones that bring their fiancees astound me.
Yep Carolyn, I hit Shadfest on Saturday. Also: Quasi on Friday. Bowled a couple games at North Bowl on Saturday. The aforementioned Shadfest. Dangerous Ponies at Pterodactyl on Saturday. Black Landlord on Saturday. Coffee on Sunday. All bike, all the time, all over the place.
CH: Carolyn Huckabay PR: Patrick Rapa HO: Holly Otterbein ME: Molly Eichel
Where We Went:
—Caught BalletX's spring show Friday night at the Wilma; was particularly enamored by Myra Bazell and Monica Favand's reprise of Carry Me, a duet about parents and children and how their roles reverse over time. Also loved UArts grad Lauren Putty's piece, and had to admit being pleased that vests are unflattering on everyone, even tiny dancers. —CH
—Went on a weekend trip to NYC, and stopped into the New Museum. The main exhibit was "Skin Fruit: Selections from the Dakis Joannou Collection," a hodgepodge of different artists' works on ... well ... the apocalypse and war and dead presidents and sexuality and road trips and women and masturbation and etc. And dicks. There were lots of dicks. I highly recommend going to the show. —HO
—Headed to Oaks, Pa., for Philly's Go Green Expo (an eco-conscious trade show you have to drive to ... OK) and checked out the Good Housekeeping Research Institute bubble, er, tent, where, among other strange "tests," if you pressed a button, you immediately started catching whiffs of chocolate chip cookies baking. This kept me occupied for a good five minutes. —CH
—Saturday was Record Store Day, so while hanging out in Jerz for my Aunt Maryann's birthday, I dropped by part music store/part coffee shop Groove Grounds in Collingswood. Canadian Invasion was outside rocking out. Inside, I picked up that split seven inch by Stephin Merritt and Peter Gabriel. Each covers the other (Merritt: "Not One of Us." Gabriel: "Book of Love"). I'll either listen to it or lord it over my music nerd pals. —PR
—Saturdays at Westy's Tavern (1440 Callowhill St.) is my favorite karaoke spot. Pretension doesn't exist here, nor do bullshit ironic versions of songs people are too embarrassed to admit to legitimately loving. Also: more country. Ran into a drunk copy editors convention. Who new the grammar set liked to party so hard? —ME
What We Watched:
—I peeped ODDSAC at the International House on Friday, at the 7:00 p.m. grandma showing. Animal Collective's music was really great, and the video was at times visually stunning, a lame Urban Outfitters ad come to life, sickening in the way that only psychedelia can be and maniacally hilarious. It was so full of unhinged energy that it seemed really unfair that we had to sit in our seats the whole time. —HO
—Loved on Peter Krause all weekend: Watched the first few episodes of both Six Feet Under and Sports Night. The former holds a special place in my heart (that last-episode montage! sob!), but I'm already starting to develop a small crush on Josh Malina. —CH
— Caught Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, which only led me to only think in Bill and Ted-isms for the next couple hours, i.e.: "Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K." This viewing sparked a debate between which was better: Excellent Adventure or Bogus Journey. I prefer Adventure. What about you? —ME
What We Read:
—I read about how cell phones may be killing all of us (or not). (I knew it!) The science is really inconclusive right now, but it makes you wonder if cell phones will eventually become like cigarettes, and our ancestors will look back on us like we were idiots for not knowing they were unhealthy.—HO
— Read most of Living Dead in Dallas, the second in Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels because it was in front of me. This one isn't as well written as the first one, which is saying something, considering the first novel — Dead Until Dark — is not exactly prized prose. I gotta give it to Harris, though. She knows how to write a compelling — albeit totally cheesy — narrative with a strong female lead. —ME
—Read the entirety of poet Paul Guest's new memoir One More Theory About Happiness. Granted it was under 200 pages, but still, I consider this a feat for someone who starts plenty but rarely finishes books. Guest, who was made quadriplegic following a bike accident when he was 12, broke my heart and then filled it up again with his determination to get past being dealt such a shitty hand. —CH
—I didn't like Jennifer Egan's short story "Ask Me If I Care" because it felt like scene tourism. But started digging it more once I got the groove of the voice of the narrator — San Fran teen/punk Rhea. The use of subculture is more a superficial setting; this is a deftly executed story about being a teenager, nothing more, nothing less. —ME
American Teen is an awesome movie.
After recently showing the 9-year old I babysit both Bill and Ted's in one epic weekend, I have to say I may like the second one more. The first one is classic (I can't tell you how many times I watched that one my freshman year of college, but it was enough to make Idol Hand's TB tell people that if I wasn't around, I was probably watching Bill and Ted), but I can never get enough of the Reaper (and all the great "don't fear the reaper" jokes that come with it). Plus, I love when they see the devil for the first time and they make whatever "Shout at the Devil" crack it is that they make. This weekend I watched "Better off Ted" for the first time. Awesome show. Portia de Rossi is so fantastically evil and I love it.
I agree Lindsay, the second Bill & Ted is a better movie. I got it free with a pizza (from Pizza Hut, maybe?) like six years ago and enjoyed it way more than I expected. It's also funny how dated it is, with the main characters (or maybe just evil robot B&T?) calling each other "fag" throughout the movie. That might not fly now in a light comedy. I was at the Phanatic's birthday (oh, and the Phillies game) yesterday at Citizens Bank Park. I was covering, but I got to see the glorious Zooperstars, who were there to celebrate the Phanatic's big day. It was kind of a sporty weekend, as I also watched a lot of NHL and NBA playoffs. I'm not one to usually enjoy music in commercials, but this NBA autotuned press conference commercial is awesome. There's a series of them, too!
I watched "Can't Buy Me Love" with a not-so-McDreamy Patrick Dempsey. Love how Cindy Mancini gets boozy yet still manages to knock the needle off the record with her beverage...and how everyone is wearing fringe. Speaking of 80's wonders...no cell phone seems more dangerous than the weighty cell phones of the 80's. Read an excerpt from "Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink" about dated New York steak dinners, aka "beefsteaks." Sounds like a mess hall/brazilian steak house and I wish I was there. Although women weren't invited until the 20's and then were accused of corruption via the addition of cocktails and salads. How uncivilized.
Friday: copy editor convention 9-5. Work shift until midnight. Wii rock band until far too late. Saturday: copy editor convention until 4. Nap from 4 to 6. Birthday party at Cantina. Somehow engineer that copy editing afterparty and birthday party both end up going to the same karaoke dive two blocks from my house and staying, again, way too late. I can't believe the balloon animal guy was there again! Sunday: Church service. Brigid's brunch. Free Library festival. Work shift. Wish for death.
Saturday I ate too many pork tacos and ultimately found myself "singing" The Shangri-La's "Leader of the Pack," which admittedly might have had more to do with margaritas than tacos. Sunday morning I sat through an awful lot of "American Loggers" as they dramatized a truck driver's off-road diabetic shock with stock footage of ambulances and indecipherable (Maine?) accents.
 |
| moviebanter.wordpress.com |
| What We Watched |
CH: Carolyn Huckabay ME: Molly Eichel PR: Patrick Rapa
What We Watched: — Have you ever seen the two-part episode of Criminal Minds where Garcia gets shot by her date? OMG it's so intense. Also, The Gube. —CH — Caught the Schwarzenegger-starring Last Action Hero, which I hadn't seen in a minute. I was a huge fan of the meta-actioner when I was a kid but it's funnier now that I get all the movie in-jokes (i.e. Joan Plowright talks about Hamlet and screens a clip of the version by her former husband Laurence Olivier). Take a look at Austin O'Brien now! Where We Went: — Trekked up Delaware Avenue Saturday afternoon for Grid magazine's one-year anniversary party. And it was PACKED. I guess that's what happens when you say things like "open to the public" and "free snacks from Birchrun Hills Farm" and "beer." Big ups to Grid! —CH — Had a blast at the Philly Roller Girls season opener. Whoever sings their National Anthem needs to become Philly's new Kate Smith. The Philthy Britches beat out their trans-Atlantic rivals London Brawling in a close match and the excellently-costumed Broad Street Butchers made mincemeat out of the Heavy Metal Hookers (both teams got mad bonus points for their mascots). Then spent the rest of the evening coming up with my roller derby named: Tina Fey-tal. But the best one I saw is still Axl Rolls. What's yours? —ME — Saturday morning I volunteered with my neighborhood association, East Passyunk Crossing, for some Philly Spring Cleanup action. Our group's assignment: cleaning up the 1300 blocks between Tasker and Snyder. Not technically A&E, but at least the theme — "keep up the sweep up" — was entertaining. —CH What We Read: — I canceled my subscription awhile ago because I was tired of reading about Bernie Madoff, but scooped up a copy of Vanity Fair with former local gal/Golden Age Girl Crush Grace Kelly on the cover. "Grace Kelly's Forever Look" by Laura Jacobs was an interesting read, nothing shocking but the pictures are stunning (check out the slideshow). The real must-read in the issue, though, is the piece on filmmaker Preston Sturges by Douglas McGrath. It's an excellent round-up of the forgotten screwball genius. —ME — This was the weekend I finally quit David Foster Wallace's The Broom of the System. I kept coming back to it because I did the Infinite Summer thing last year and it was just awesome. Turns out the relatively tiny Broom is no Infinite Jest. I found it tiring, wacky, hard to get lost in. Maybe one day I'll come crawling back, cause there's only so much DFW out there. —PR — Found a copy of Mommie Dearest by Christine Crawford, the tell-all memoir by Joan Crawford's adopted daughter, at Philly AIDS Thrift. Oh Holy Gods of Camp, I cannot wait for this scene:
—ME
So, what did you do? Tell us in the comments.
Really?!?!? Really??!?! That was your favorite rollerderby girl name??? Are you kidding? How does that beat "Heavy Flo" of the Heavy Metal Hookers? I will say that Roller Derby was one of the few times in my life where (if there was one, I certainly wouldn't start one) I wanted to join in on a "USA! USA!" chant, we'll get it in next time London Brawling.
do they have songs that they play when they come out by any chance? i hope at some point someone played "welcome to the jungle" for axl rolls!!
I watched the movie Post Grad this weekend and I don't think I've ever regretted a $4.99 On Demand purchase more. (This is coming from a guy who's On Demand-ed shitfests like Silent Hill and No Reservations, aka the cooking movie that is ALL MONTAGES.) Girlie and I decided to watch it because we're both big Gilmore Girls fans and by proxy both fans of Alexis Bledel. But her character in this movie was such an unlikeable self-absorbed douchebag trollop. She graduates from college, doesn't land her dream job and can't find a job right away. Then she's forced to — ew — TEMPORARILY WORK FOR HER DAD. OH YOU POOR BABY, THAT'S NEVER HAPPENED TO ANYONE BEFORE! Making matters worse is her turd-ass male best friend who plays shitty acoustic guitar music and broods even though he got into Columbia Law School, as well as a completely unnecessary turn from Rodridgo Santoro (aka Xerxes from 300 — "All that Godking Xerxes requires is this: A SIMPLE OFFERING OF EARTH AND WATER!") as a Brazilian informercial director who she fucks/has tedious conversation with. The only redeeming characters in the whole movie are Michael Keaton as Alexis Bledel's eccentric but lovable father and the kid who plays her Aspberger-afflicted little brother.
If I were in the roller derby, I'd favor a more Phillycentric name like Benjamin Shanklin. Or maybe just go with something classic like Destroyer of Worlds. My favorite player name was definitely Robin Drugstores.
Went to Mr. Martino's Trattoria on E. Passyunk for anniversary dinner on Saturday. It was wonderful. The food was very good and the atmosphere was great. Really did remind me of Italy. Not at all the kreepy karnival vibe I was expecting from the outside sign.
Robin Drugstores was clearly the best name! FRIDAY: Karaoke at Ray's, which has a bizarrely high ratio of on-key singers to off-key singers. Designated cockblocker for friends of friends from out of town. May have slow-danced to a Disney song. SATURDAY: Breakfast at New Deal Diner. Happy hour at White Dog with waitress who seemed very irritated about our sitting outside. Then, like apparently everyone else on the Philly internet, went to the roller derby, which was the most fun I've had shouting WOOOOO in a while. Then Sidecar and nachos. May have shouted woo about the nachos, too. SUNDAY: Free Wake Up Yoga class cuz you gotta train student teachers somehow! Then got overpriced food at Mugshots on the way home. Ugh sorry writing this has made it really clear to me that I turned into a yuppie at some point over the last few years.
Spent Sunday afternoon on the Schuylkill Banks with the Sarcone's hoagie (the Sinatra, of course) that I had been too hungover to enjoy on Saturday. Alternatively gawked at the parade of rollerblading twentysomethings and finished off Tao Lin's "Eeeee Eee Eeee" which is much better than its association with Miranda July would suggest.
 |
| What we watched |
CH: Carolyn Huckabay HO: Holly Otterbein ME: Molly Eichel
Where We Went: — Joined the First Friday masses (beautiful evening + NCECA Conference in town = no room on the sidewalk) to visit The Clay Studio's exhibit "Of This Century"; they had all four floors of the space open for perusal, including resident artists' studio spaces. Lots and lots of clay everywhere; very long bathroom lines. —CH — Checked out the opening of the Twin Peaks-themed art show at Piranha Betty's. Totally dug the space, clearly obsessed with the theme and loved the pie-tasting but was disappointed in the overall quantity of TP art. Give me more Special Agent Dale Cooper please! —ME What We Listened To: — En route to Easter dinner in Bethlehem, turned on This American Life's "Scenes from a Recession" episode, in which a Chicago couple deals with some pretty harrowing condo-maintenance woes after their developer jumps ship. —CH — After seeing West Phil banjo plucker Joshua Marcus sing elegantly, somehow, about mountaintop removal and other complex environmental issues at Studio 34 last week, I listened to his album Reverse the Charges. Just as elegant, but not quite as lyrically complex. Which is not a bad thing at all. —HO — Goddamn, if "Dog Days are Over" by Florence and Machine (who play the TLA tonight!) isn't one of the best driving-with-the-windows-down song of spring, then I don't know what is.— Attempting to actually watch all 10 Best Picture Oscar contenders (albeit a bit late) this year; Friday night's selection was An Education. Newbie Carey Mulligan is pretty charming with those doe eyes, but I'll always hate Peter Sarsgaard for no good reason. Also, was disappointed by the (spoiler alert!) happy ending. —CH — Watched a flick I've been meaning to see for a while: The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief, a doc about an upscale "host club" in Osaka, Japan. "Host club" basically means a strip club catered to females, except there's tickling and flirting instead of stripping, and then sometimes there's sex. I won't ruin it for you, but finding out what most of the female customers do for a living really shines a light on the sex industry in general. —HO — Some friends rigged up a projector on the roof and we screened Mitchell — starring the one, the only Joe Don Baker — Mystery Science Theater-style. Never a huge MST3K fan, but I have a soft spot for JDB, not to mention Dynasty's Linda Evans as a hooker who can't get enough of our Schlitz-drinking Main Man M (even though he insists on arresting her every time they bang). —ME What We Read: — Caught up with the week's celeb gossip via Entertainment Weekly's Bull's Eye. Anyone know what's going on with Megan Mullaly and Patton Oswalt? I didn't get the joke. —CH — NYT's "Can Animals Be Gay?" asks a big, old, gay question, and accordingly gives a few big, old, gay answers. One of them is a lesson that, no matter how many times you hear it, is hard to swallow — we shouldn't anthropomorphize, because animals are much more than little humans with fur. Thank God for that, right? —HO — Started Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (the Swedish movie adaptation is in theaters now), which is engaging right from the prologue about a mysterious flower shipment. Me thinks I will start eschewing social obligation so I can finish this book. Anyone read it? Does it live up to the hype? —ME So, what'd you do this weekend? Leave your comments below!
I watched Point Break!!!
Had friends in from out of town so media and arts were limited... Watched Jesus Christ Superstar (as per my Holy Week tradition) with a friend who had never seen it (they loved it). Listened to some old classic rock on my Fisher Price record player (you read that correctly), including Who's Next and Led Zeppelin IV. Watched one of the DVDs from Phish's Clifford Ball set and last night watched the fourth installment of The Pacific, which is getting increasingly horrifying.
Nice seeing you for ten seconds at the Twin Peaks art show. Definitely returning to Pirahna Betty's to examine the peeky-boxes and dead Lauras in closer detail without all those Agent Dale Cooper fangirls breathing down my neck. Ahem. Went sans culture until Sunday evening, when Dad commandeered the remote to watch The Pacific. Well-made stuff about the ugly reality of war; I wonder how soldiered survived then and now.
Friday: before first Fridaying at the Clay Studio, i hit AKA and picked up the 12-inch vinyl of the She & Him Volume 2 and the 7-inch Apples in Stereo picture disc (yes, I'm a sucker) of Robert Schneider's song "Stephen, Stephen" as performed on the Colbert Report. Then watched An Education while babysitting for my nephew (who'd already gone to sleep) and thought it was just okay. Saturday: Spent most of the day gardening while listening to the aforementioned She & Him album and the latest Ted Leo & the Pharmacists record (The Brutalist Bricks). Sunday: While driving to Bethlehem for Easter dinner, listened to part of a Radio New Zealand show about Chris Knox and the Stroke compilation benefiting his recovery. Also listened to Seabear's We Built a Fire for the 100th time.
When we're not editing and writing and proofing and stressing, we A&E editors keep busy getting our culture on. We watch TV, we go to the movies, we attend rock shows and theater performances and workshops — hell, we even occasionally go to the ballet. (Mostly, we watch TV.)
Since we (that'd be Patrick Rapa, music editor; Carolyn Huckabay, arts editor; Molly Eichel, movies/agenda editor; and occasionally Holly Otterbein, staff writer/arts patron) know Philly's teeming with artsy happenings, we'll give you a weekly roundup of where we've been and what we've seen. But we can't see it all.
We're taking a cue from Team Meal Ticket — who diligently report on how they've spent their foodie weekends — and opening the floor to you: Leave a comment and let us know what you've been up to since Friday at 5.
CH: Carolyn Huckabay
HO: Holly Otterbein
ME: Molly Eichel
What We Watched:
— Saturday night, I attended the closing performance of Kun Yang/Lin Dancers' spring show at the Painted Bride (which we previewed). Highlights: a white-faced solo dancer who somehow held a giant, open fan in his mouth for 10 minutes; passionate, sometimes angry couples dancing out their relationship woes in the world premiere of Autumn Skin; the adorable older woman who read a show-opening poem; the presence of Scott McPheeters. —CH
— I'm late to the Breaking Bad party so I've just seen the pilot (the third season premiered last night on AMC). But holy mobile meth lab, is that episode good. Bryan Cranston is pitch-perfect as the cancer stricken amateur drug dealer Walt and Aaron Paul comes outta nowhere as Walt's former chem student turned meth-dealing mentor. The pace of the show is just fantastic: The pilot starts strong, gripping from the beginning and never letting you go. I'm excited to watch the rest. —ME
— Sunday evening I watched Up in the Air, and basically cried throughout the entire thing. Something about the look on George Clooney's face when he realizes his own inevitable isolation broke my heart. —CH
— Saw The Devil and Daniel Johnston (thank you frighteningly spot-on Netflix recommendations!), a sad, sad documentary about the titular musician whose mental illness creeps up on him in his early 20s, wrapping itself around his Christian fundamentalist background and relationship with his mother. I don't even know his music that well and still liked it — it's nice to see a "crazy artist" not romanticized. —HO
— Watched Italian flick/Palm d'Or runner-up Vincere — about Mussolini's alleged first wife Ida Dasler, who he had committed so she wouldn't cause trouble — and No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson by Hoop Dreams director Steve James. Too bad I can't tell you what I thought yet. You'll have to wait until I write the reviews (Vincere opens Friday, March 26 April 2 at the Ritz Five and No Crossover gets its Philly debut at the Philadelphia Film Society's spring mini-fest). —ME
What We Read:
— I spent the majority of my Sat./Sun. lounging on the banks of the Schuylkill, which essentially bars me from reading anything of weight or substance. So I picked up the first entry in the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris because a) I like True Blood and b) my boyfriend had it at his house. It's not well written; Harris isn't Faulkner, or even Rice for that matter. But it's perfect for riverside lounging. —ME
— I've recently decided to take on the behemoth Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, so I read a little of that, and then when I started drowning in the footnotes and feeling lazy, I read a few of his short stories and essays. "Consider the Lobster" is great, but I regretted reading it when I went to the Italian Market later that day. —HO
— Finished a must-read article for any movie on Clint Eastwood by David Denby from the New Yorker. I hate on Denby (I'm an Anthony Lane girl, myself) but Clint is my ultimate badass icon and my affinity for him would be described by some as fanatic obsession. [No, seriously, this poster is hanging directly behind me. Or simply ask something like "What movie does Clint look best shirtless? (The Beguiled) Or, "What is Clint's best line?" (From Magnum Force —Sunny: What does a girl have to do to go to bed with you? Harry Callahan: Try knocking on the door.)] Swooooon. —ME
What We Listen To:
— During the winter, I mostly like to listen to the solemn Bruce Springsteen records (Darkness on the Edge of Town, Nebraska, second disc of The River) but during the summer, I switch over to the bouncier ones (The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle, Born in the U.S.A., first disc of The River). But it's an interim season so I went with the first disc of Live, 1975-1985 because I listen to the third disc too much. For the record, I listen to Born to Run all the time. —ME
— I thought it only appropriate to listen to nice-weather music, so spent the weekend with the easy, breezy Toy Soldiers and The Spinning Leaves. Do they know each other? They really should. —HO
— Can I get a hell yeah on how motherfucking epic Titus Andronicus' The Monitor is? Ep-Ic. —ME
— My love of Janelle Monáe was stoked by her recent Philly appearances, so I also rocked out to her Chase EP. Can't wait for the May 18 release of The ArchAndroid. Do y'all think I could rock the pompadour? —ME
Where We Went:
— Yelp's Philly Homegrown Party, at CITYSPACE's headquarters (which we previewed), was weird and fun and felt a little like a frat party at times, with its winding staircases and showers filled with ice. Free stuff is always cool, though, and there was plenty of that — also, 'twas cool to see Kenzo art space Pterodactyl there with its own table. Venues grow up so fast! —HO
Spent much of Saturday listening to Ted Leo and the Pharmacists' The Brutalist Bricks and an iTunes genius mix based on The Hold Steady's "Constructive Summer" while painting my kitchen. Unfortunately, I missed the Folding Bike Race, but caught a few laps of some of the collegiate races at Memorial Hall. Spent much of Saturday evening high on paint fumes and watching and rewatching Jon Stewart's brilliant skewering of Glenn Beck. Also watched Up In The Air. Liked it a lot.
I wound up catching most of Hook on late night commercial tv and watched it to the end. Not afraid to admit it. The movie doesn't rule or anything, but it brought back some memories. Then watched The Pacific, which is turning out to be insanely insane. Listened to the last Pearl Jam album for the first time in a while, as a fan it's holding up. Just Breathe is simply beautiful. Then a friend put on an Allman Brother's show we both had gone to from Camden in August of '07. Absolutely wicked set.
holly- i'm in Toy Soldiers, and yes, we do know the Spinning Leaves, though not well enough in my opinion. isn't their record great? hopefully we'll get a chance to play a show with them soon. -noah skaroff
- Activism
- Arts
- Arts Events
- Books
- Dance
- First Person Fest
- Last Chance
- Museum
- On the Fringe
- Philly Artists
- The Curator
- Theater
- Visual Art
- Arts News
- Artist Profile
- Arts Preview
- Street Art
- Been There, Done That
- Big Ups
- Comedy
- LOL With It
- Stand-up
- Critical Mass
- DVD
- Events
- Friday Fill-in
- Ice Cubes
- In Memoriam
- Interview
- Just Do It
- Just Opened
- Kaleidoscopic
- LGBTQ
- Art Phag
- Mailbag
- Movies
- Film Fest
- Movie Review
- On set
- Scenester
- screening
- trailer!
- Music
- 10 Track Mind
- Album
- Album Review
- Concert Review
- DJs
- Local Support
- Now Hear This
- One Track Mind
- Philly Bands
- Show
- Somebody Else Was There
- Song
- The Showdown
- concert photos
- jazz
- DJ Nights Blogged
- Night Watch
- Now See This
- Poetic License
- Printed Matter
- Radio
- Shopping
- Coveted
- Fashion
- What We Heart
- TV
- 24
- Idol Hands
- Mad Men
- ProjRun
- True Blood
- Useless Lost Recaps
- Couch Potato
- Shore Trash
- Turned ONN
- TopMod
- Video Games
- Free Online Game
- PSP
- PlayStation 2
- The 1-Upper
- Wii
- Web Junk
- CAGE MATCH
- Free Online Toy
- Weekend Omnibus
- Win
