Archive: June, 2010

PRINTED MATTER: Arts + Entertainment, June 10 issue

POSTED: Friday, June 11, 2010, 4:17 PM

Filed Under: Printed Matter

Photo | Neal Santos

Blayer Pointdujour

Here's what you'll miss if you don't pick up a City Paper this week: FEATURES!

Blayer Pointdujour puts down his drumsticks, picks up an MPC and tells A.D. Amorosi about it.
Emily Currier reconnects us with Philly's long-lost baby on the doorstep, Darryl "Cornbread" McCray — the graffiti "writer" who's tagged everything from brick walls to an elephant.

COLUMNS!

Robin Rice judges Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, Bravo's new reality show that favors the "marketable" and snubs the "conceptual," in Re:View.
Peter Burwasser retrospects George Rochberg's eclectic body of work in Suite Spot.

REVIEWS!

In this week's Flick Pick, Sam Adams gives Neil Jordan's modern mermaid tale Ondine an A- for seamlessly coupling fantasy and reality.
Janet Anderson was so entranced by the Pennsylvania Ballet's rendition of Romeo and Juliet, she could "practically hear Shakespeare's words."
David Anthony Fox calls the Arden Theatre Co.'s production of Sunday in the Park with George, a play about Georges Seurat and his modern doppelganger, "one of the wonders of modern theater."
Album Reviews on hollAnd, Blitzen Trapper, Harvey Milk, and What Cheer? Brigade.
Movie Shorts on Breathless, The Karate Kid and Solitary Man.

AND THEN THERE'S ...

Kaleidoscope quick hits on Eli "Paperboy" Reed, the music act/slasher film that is Pocahaunted, Jaamil Kosoko's Or Maybe My Mother Was an American Chameleon? and Dave Tompkins' new book, How To Wreck a Nice Beach.
Music Picks on Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio, Sally Seltmann and many more.
Arts Picks on The Opera Company of Philadelphia's OrphÃ©e et Eurydice and a photography competition titled "Daydream Nation."

PREVIOUSLY >> PRINTED MATTER: Arts + Entertainment, June 3

Posted by Matthew Cahn @ 4:17 PM Permalink | Post a comment

COVETED: The Art for the Cash Poor edition

POSTED: Thursday, June 10, 2010, 8:00 PM

Collectors of pretty things, take note: Every week, we're rounding up a what's-what of what we [heart], culled from the scores of design blogs, artist sites and Etsy treasuries we stalk on the regular.

This Saturday and Sunday, you won't need fat wallets to walk home with sweet goods. As CP's own Neighborhood Watcher Nyidera Edwards reports, InLiquid's 11th annual Art for the Cash Poor is all about budget. You won't find a single item that costs more than $199, and most goods are way cheaper. Here are some of our favorite picks (including the sad/awesome Flyers bracelet by Becks Buttons, above) from artists who'll show their work this weekend. Just make sure to check AFTCP's website since not everyone's participating both days. Happy shopping!

Cosmos digital collage print, $35, Jen McCleary
Kick-Ass Roller Derby diner plate, $16, Folded Pigs
Fuzzy Bear helmet in soft chocolate brown, $58, Bull and Bear Wear

Robocop letterpress thank-you card set, $15, Huldra Press
Victoria Digs Plumes necklace, $69, bijouXstudio
Ilse and Gertie print, $40, Lisa Hurwitz

Soy Sauce Packet cat toy, $5, Polydactyl Cats
Kensington, Philadelphia, PA, 2002, James Singewald Photography
I Am An 80 Year Old Woman original silkscreen, $25, Exit 343 Design

PREVIOUSLY >> COVETED: Grasping at straws

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 8:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

SLIDESHOW: The Roots Picnic in Pictures

POSTED: Thursday, June 10, 2010, 4:53 PM

Filed Under: Music concert photos

We sent photographer Marc Zolot to the Roots Picnic on Saturday. He shot the hell out of it.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

resha

Posted 2010-09-02 12:26:57

stupid

Posted by Marc Zolot @ 4:53 PM Permalink | Post a comment

MAJOR BUMMER: Y100 off the airwaves at WXPN

POSTED: Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 11:52 PM

Filed Under: Music | Radio

cover-2

All of those people in the various "I Miss Y100" Facebook groups have been dealt another blow. Michael Klein reports WXPN has cut the on-air time of YRock, meaning the Wednesday-Friday block usually filled with the old-school Y100 alt rock is no more. The format will survive at yrockonxpn.org and for whoever the hell has HD radio (the same people who brush off the ol' laser disc player every now and again?). In 2006, CP's current editor-in-chief Brian Howard wrote about Y100's switch from traditional radio to WXPN hybrid:

McGuinn introduces them and the trio explains the situation: Y100rocks.com will cease to exist ... at least as a name. What won't cease is the station itself. In an unprecedented maneuver, the newly appointed "Y-Rock" is joining the "WXPN family." For the folks at Y100rocks.com, that means getting actual studio space and equipment at WXPN's digs, being able to host unlimited listeners (they currently operate with a cap), and — save for cleaning up their language and adhering to the rules of public radio — not having to change what or how they play at all. In other words, the scrappy little station is going legit. Oh, and in addition, McGuinn will get his own show on which to spin alt rock three nights a week (Wed. through Fri.) on WXPN's airwaves, meaning that for the first time since February of 2005, modern rock will be back on the air in Philly, if only for 10 hours a week.

Jim McGuinn, who pioneered the new format, left for Minnesota Public Radio in 2008. As Klein reports, Josh T. Landow, who helped McGuinn in his underground version of YRock (after the shortwave plug was pulled, before the WXPN copulation) and later took over McGuinn's position, was one of six laid off by WXPN. So that leave Radio 104.5/WUBA WRFF as the only alternative station in the city.

Greg

Posted 2010-06-09 22:40:23

HD Radio is a farce!

http://hdradiofarce.blogspot.com

Ryne

Posted 2010-06-10 10:11:10

That is very unfortunate.  I guess it is a sign of the times.  104.5 is actually WRFF.

Spam

Posted 2010-06-10 11:03:03

HD radio and laser dics?  That's quite a metaphor.  By that, I mean it's a bad one.  :)

*old* one.  Early adopters of new technology have likely forgotten laser discs by now.

Spam

Posted 2010-06-10 11:03:57

HD radio and laser dics?  That's quite a metaphor.  By that, I mean it's a bad one.  :)

HD radio is a new technology while the laser disc is an OLD one.  Early adopters of new technology have likely forgotten laser discs by now.

Dennis C. McGrath

Posted 2010-06-10 11:37:32

HD radio works for me quite well in the Germantown section - I get WRTI and WHYY's HD-2 signal very nicely. The sound quality is at least as good and I think better than traditional FM. I'm not shilling for the seller of this unit, but here's the HD tuner I use; it's a Sony and actually one of the highest rated tuners of any time on the market today, and it's under $100. 

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-XDRF1HD-HD-Radio-Tuner/dp/B00168Q248

I don't know if HD radio will be the betamax of the '00s, but if you;re really devoted to hearing Y100 it's an option for now.

Laureley

Posted 2010-12-30 15:54:43

Yeah boooyyyyy! Now you know what a BS move that was to fire one of the few remaining local dj's that started at Y100 back in the day and cutting the programming completely off the air. How dumb. Well, Josh is still broadcasting on the Web (check out Y-Not Radio.net) and fighting this underhanded and unlawful takeover of intellectual property by the people who don't own it. Alternative terrestrial radio is dead. WXPN is dead. Radio 104.5FM is dead. NPR is going to be dead soon. Raise your hand if you are under 35 and you've listened to the World Cafe on XPN recently? Last 6 months? EVER? My point exactly. Over and out.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 11:52 PM Permalink | Post a comment

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH: Urkel glasses, jewelry-as-weapons

POSTED: Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 10:53 PM

Neighborhood Watch finds fashionable folk all across the city. This week: New Neighborhood Water Nyidera ventured into Amazonian heat and found that most people were damn near naked. As for the others who opted not to give Philly a show, the stifling heat deterred them from even caring about a look altogether. However, there were a few among the masses who gave her something to talk about.

Nyidera Edwards

Robin C.

I fell in love with Robin C.'s look instantly, but the vintage specs were the icing on the cake. Nothing beats the outre contrast of Urkel glasses and black spandex. She says she loves big, vintage glasses. Not to mention body ink! (She has five tattoos.) When I asked the Jersey native how she pieced together her ensemble, she simply laughed and replied, "I don't know what the hell inspired this." As for her overall inspiration, the makeup artist says, "I'm inspired by everything from music to everyday people. I shop anywhere from Target to Macy's to Nordstrom. Whatever I like, I grab." I can only imagine how many men in today's sweltering heat would've liked to grab her. Reeoow!

Johanna S. (26) is walking charge of assault with a deadly weapon. Do you see that beautiful cluster of gems hanging from her neck? The South Philly girl says she accidentally stabbed her husband with it. "Trust me, it's not his favorite," she says smiling. This Macy's signature I-N-C piece is her favorite necklace. Love it! As for the pewter Betsey Johnson chain she paired it with (from Macy's, as well), I'd take that, too. The Mitchell & Ness employee says today's punk rock-esque look was dictated by her accessories. I loved the bright pink polish and dark, strappy heels. Her fave designer is none other than Betsey and she loves Blake Lively. "I don't wanna dress like her. But she's really gorgeous and always looks great." But Johanna, you look great, too, darling! <3

Sunny Fridays are the perfect days to spice up the sidewalks of Chestnut Street with pastels and spring hues. Tyrone H., 29, says, "I just wanted to look happy. I dress based on my mood." I just couldn't stop gushing over the rich purple and soft lilac. But let's get to the kicks. I have a soft spot for Puma's, so of course, I inquired. The South Philly social worker says he received these conversation pieces as a gift from Daffy's. This black shoe has a harmonious blend of orange, green, blue and a vague purple. Take note of the laces: I assumed the two-tone look was done purposefully but stood corrected; Tyrone nonchalantly says, "I actually just couldn't find the other one. So I just said 'Hey, whatever.'" Some of his fashion faves include the infamous Billionaire Boy Pharrell Williams, Vogue's Andre Leon Talley and Gwyneth Paltrow. I'm sure he looks good even on his shitty days.

Here's another simple look, played up with bold pieces. I'm not sure if it was Melissa H.'s (22) bleached denim, blingy accessories, or her commanding aura that stood out to me most. I found this Germantown/Mount Airy native glam doll floating into Zara on Walnut Street. The Lincoln University student says she was shooting for the "street chic, downtown look" when pondering what to wear today. I asked Melissa where she got her sexy, black heels and her eyes lit up as she smiled: She got her Alice + Olivia sky highs at Payless — frugal and fashionable. Melissa says her thread haven is Forever 21 and her style icons are Alice + Olivia and Elizabeth & James.

When I found Camden resident C.J. 22 walking along 12th Street, I was about to retire for the afternoon, having met my four-victim quota. However, that was before I laid eyes on C.J.'s 'Now and Later' Nikes. The neon pink and yellow jumped out of the solid black canvas of the shoes, complementing his colorful graphic tee. Another conscious shopper, C.J. only shelled out $30 for the sneaks at Kicks USA in the Gallery at Market East. The Walmart support manager says, "I like colors and I buy any shoe that stands out to me." C.J., I don't blame you. If I could find reasonably priced shoes for each outfit, my closet would look like Hurricane Madden blew through it. Steve is the only man who gets my money.

justjoshfunk1

Posted 2010-06-09 22:31:42

Nice job. Good luck with it!

johanna s

Posted 2010-06-10 11:31:16

thanks for the nice comments! xoxo johanna

Nyidera E.

Posted 2010-06-10 20:46:51

Thanks! <3

Posted 2010-06-11 19:31:36

fantastic, 
dad

Rolex Watches

Posted 2010-11-03 00:53:38

Watches can be of different types but in this article we are mainly discussing wrist watches and have complied all big companies' logos on one platform so that you can have a look to choose your favorite brand.

Posted by Nyidera Edwards @ 10:53 PM Permalink | Post a comment

CONCERT REVIEW: Lost in the Trees and Plants and Animals @ Johnny Brenda's, June 8

POSTED: Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 9:26 PM

Filed Under: Music Concert Review

Tom Tiballi

Lost in the Trees

Though Johnny Brenda's didn't boast one of its signature shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, Lost in the Trees filled the space with a mix of orchestral strings and nit-and-grit. Building on the strong foundation of Ari Picker's intimately crooned vocals and intensified by the whole cast integrating rambling, rumbling cries of their own, the North Carolina ensemble's short set steadily grew more complex as it progressed. At times, the sheer magnitude of hyper orchestrated cellos, violins, bells, steel strings, solid drumming and a tuba served as a glaring reminder of chords left unresolved too often, but this extravagance is also one of the band's unique strengths. Underneath lavish orchestration and the near hits-and-misses that come with going completely over the top lies an honesty in Lost in Trees and what they are trying to do. After all that hub-bub, they ended simply, unplugged and a capella on the floor of the club. Think of your older sister's surprisingly adept high school band concert that you never would have gone to if a glitzy trip to Friendly's afterward wasn't part of the deal; what you heard in the pursuit of something sweeter sticks with you a lot longer than a Reeses' sundae ever could.

Tom Tiballi

Plants and Animals

Around 11 p.m., Montreal's Plants and Animals rolled out a bunch of Gibson guitars onto the stage and promptly started tearing them up. Songs generally started in a muddy mix of booming chords, riding on the back of the tremendously talented drummer's poundage, as the tune slowly crept out of the woodwork, going a long way to set up massive, goose-bumping melodic explosions. With harmonies where they needed them, silence when it said more than sound would and a 1-2 combo of shredding guitarists liable to go off at any minute, these three Canuck fellas have definitely got their compositional shit together, and it showed in every song they played. The crowd drew closer with each tune, and the band ruled us well past any hope of getting to Spring Garden in time for a train back across town. But all is fair in rock and roll. Standout face-melter of the night: "Tom Cruz."

Posted by Tom Tiballi @ 9:26 PM Permalink | Post a comment

BIG UPS: Philly comic Doogie Horner survives the crowd on America's Got Talent

POSTED: Wednesday, June 9, 2010, 7:44 PM

Filed Under: Big Ups

Quirk Books everyman/Ministry of Jokes jokester/dude we see walking around Old City all the time Doogie Horner's making his way across the vast expanse of the Internet today for his awkwardly successful America's Got Talent audition. Before he began his 90-second standup spot, host Nick Cannon warned him that each comedian who'd come before him had been booed off the stage, but that didn't deter our bearded son of Philadelphia, no: He screamed some jokes (about sex with eagles and other matters) to a crowd of haters (whom he repeatedly called "horrible people") and emerged victorious, somehow. That is, Howie Mandel really liked him. Or maybe he was just envious of that magnificent beard. Here's the clip, spied first at Best Week Ever:

We'll be watching you in Vegas, Doogie. RELATED >> Arts Feature: Doctor Who?

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 7:44 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Green Man = High art

POSTED: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 8:32 PM

Filed Under: Arts | TV

theartblog.org

Artblog has a piece about Kara Hearn's TREMENDOUS, an ongoing video project at a new workspace in NYC called Recess. I'm sure it's, like, real interesting and all, but please tell me that the spandexed figure above is not the one, the only, Green Man. WE WANT A HUG TOO!

The sixth season of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is scheduled to start September 16 on FX.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 8:32 PM Permalink | Post a comment

THE CURATOR: Death to the oldies, Beer week and Indians

POSTED: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 7:33 PM

Duran Duran = NOOOOOOOO!

Every Tuesday, Critical Mass pokes around the art blog world so you don't have to. — We all know there was a big picnic last weekend. Many of our hometown heroes took to the stage. If you missed it though, or for whatever reason find your recollection of the daylong lineup a bit hazy—blame it on the high levels of Ozone—take a look at Phrequency's phenomenal slideshow of the Roots Picnic. — Look at Philebrity's elegy to WGOL 98.1's upending of the traditional Oldies lineup. How so? The stations recently begun including '80s as Oldies, meaning that the '50s are gonna have to take a back seat. Don't get me wrong, I love '80s pop. But forcing Duran Duran or Devo onto my grandmother's golden years of Doo Wop just seems wrong. — Way too much going on with Beer Week so let me just remind you all — there's an App. for it: A Beer Week IPhone App. It'll do everything for you except keep you from dropping your 300 dollar smart phone into a tepid pool of street water because you were trying to work an App whilst shit faced. — In case you missed the match, you can still catch the back alley, verbal bludgeoning in Phillygrrl's unedited and uncut (believe me it's both) "How NOT to Date an Indian." PG lays into a Huffington Post writer for, you guessed it, giving advice on how to date an Indian. Only problem: PG skips that whole step "Non-Indians" call political correctness. Sorry Miss Miller, but it's a K.O. for PG.

Posted by Will Stone @ 7:33 PM Permalink | Post a comment

MASHUP NEWS: Quirk Books' cyborg-tastic Android Karenina debuts today

POSTED: Tuesday, June 8, 2010, 6:30 PM

Quirk is at it again, and this one seems to have flown under the radar for a minute: The local publisher's latest in a series of classic-novels-with-a-monsterrific-twist, Leo Tolstoy and Ben H. Winters' Android Karenina takes classic Tolstoy and amps it up a notch — via robots, of course. Here's the synopsis from Quirk's quirkclassics.com:

As in the original novel, our story follows two relationships: the tragic adulterous romance of Anna Karenina and Count Alexei Vronsky, and the much more hopeful marriage of Nikolai Levin and Kitty Shcherbatskaya. These four, yearning for true love, live in a steampunk-inspired 19th century of mechanical butlers, extraterrestrial-worshiping cults, and airborne debutante balls. Their passions alone would be enough to consume them — but when a secret cabal of radical scientific revolutionaries launches an attack on Russian high society's high-tech lifestyle, our heroes must fight back with all their courage, all their gadgets, and all the power of a sleek new cyborg model like nothing the world has ever seen.

Um, awesome. Check out the trailer below, and enjoy your summer reading.

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 6:30 PM Permalink | Post a comment

« PREVIOUS | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

Q&A with SHARI SOLANIS: "The goal isn't pornography"
SEXY TIME Q&A: I've never had an orgasm during sex with a man — and I'm 30!
NOW SEE THIS: Transit cop arrests marijuana activist for alleged disorderly conduct.
What we're trying to do this weekend
CONCERT REVIEW: Primus (3D & quadraphonic sound) @ The Tower 10/17
Q&A with Tony Goldwyn: "Life is gray, and relationships are, too"
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: Indian fare rules, Dunder Mifflin lives on, Tom Jones is a god
Bradley Cooper promises he's not an asshole
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.
Q&A with Goon’s Seann William Scott

About this blog

Featuring everything from event roundups to concert reviews and sex talk, City Paper's Critical Mass is a space for off-the-wall coverage of Philly's A&E scene.

Follow Critical Mass editors Patrick Rapa and Emily Guendelsberger on Twitter:

@mission2denmark | @emilygee

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