Archive: July, 2010

NOW SEE THIS: OMFG! Jon Hamm teases new season of Mad Men

POSTED: Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 6:34 PM

Filed Under: TV Mad Men

The hour is near. Season Four of Mad Men premieres this Sun., July 25 at 10 p.m. on AMC, and like most people with any taste, we're as psyched as tween girl in the general vicinity of Justin Bieber. Whet your appetites with this clip from last night's Jimmy Kimmel Live, during which sex bomb actor Jon Hamm stopped by to plug the show. Watch the rest of the interview on Hulu: Part 1, Part 2 h/t Gawker

Posted by Eric Henney @ 6:34 PM Permalink | Post a comment

THEATER REVIEW: Burt & Me @ Act II Playhouse, 7/18

POSTED: Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 5:37 PM

Photo | Rosemarie DeLuca

Liz Filios and John Jarboe in Burt & Me

The audience is serenaded by a wavy-locked pianist as the lights go dim. Before long the quintessential rom-com plot emerges, one audiences have seen time and time again for centuries on end. Burt & Me would almost be too quintessential, too in line with this template, if it weren't for the musical numbers of one Burt Bacharach. The journey of Joe, a young man infatuated with music, girls and Burt, is interspersed with Bacharach's most popular tunes throughout, adding a layer of depth most romantic comedies lack. Though the piano occasionally drowns out the cast, playwright Larry McKenna delivers a seamless integration of the best popular music with the story of two high school sweethearts brought together by music. Joe and Lacey's relationship dwindles after graduation and viewers feel their heartbreak over that first love fading away, listening to Joe and Lacey exchange "Blue on Blue" and "One Less Bell to Answer." The reunion of these star-crossed lovers, and Joe's ploy to win Lacey back, leave little to the imagination. Ordinary as the plot may be, the score of popular hits — plus comic relief from Joe's friend Jerry and his beau, Sally — make Burt & Me a great selection for a light-hearted summer show. For Bacharach fanatics and those who don't even know his name, Burt & Me gives the audience a chance to reminisce upon high school memories of first love, memorable friends and, most of all, good music. Through Aug. 1, act2playhouse.org.

Posted by Christine Adkins @ 5:37 PM Permalink | Post a comment

MUSIC MADNESS: Win tickets to see Bomba EstÃ©reo tomorrow -- WE HAVE OUR WINNER!

POSTED: Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 4:45 PM

Filed Under: Music

Get down with ya bad self on an international level. Bomba EstÃ©reo play psychedelic cumbia — or Colombian folk music filtered through the Western pop music spectrum. The band has been praised for their mix of folk and modern sounds, while vocalist Liliana Saumet has been compared to M.I.A. and Annabella Lwin from Bow Wow Wow. Bomba EstÃ©reo will take the stage at the Kimmel Center's Global Grooves Dance Party tomorrow and we want you to go! All you have to do answer the below trivia question by e-mailing molly [dot] eichel [at] citypaper [dot] net: Congrats to Daisy L.!

Fill in the blank: Bomba EstÃ©reo are from Bogotá, Colombia. Because of its many libraries and universities, Bogotá is often referred to as "The ______ of South America"

Athens

Thu., July 22, 8:30 p.m., $20, Kimmel Center, 300 S. Broad St., 215-790-5800.

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 4:45 PM Permalink | Post a comment

THE CURATOR: A Philly photog jams, G. Love calls bullshit and staining glass

POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 9:52 PM

Every Tuesday, Critical Mass pokes around the blog world so you don't have to.

G. Love

— Social unrest and still-life Jamaican jam sessions: prolific Philadelphia photographer Harvey Finlke has framed them both in shaded corridors and striking austerity. Thirty years worth of his storied snap shots are now on exhibit at the Painted Bride. Art Blog has nice writeup and preview of the show. — Hometown low-key rocker G. Love shares words of wisdom about the game. Most of it's bullshit. No, really, that's some of his best advice. The nuances of the craft, according to Mr. Love, are in knowing when to suck it up and play that single for the six hundredth time and when to throw a bottle water inspired hissy fit. Also, as Make Major Moves notes, Spinner Magazine, who conducted the original interview, is lame for censoring all his bull----. — Stained glass is back! Well, maybe not entirely. But local stained glass guru Judith Schaechter has modernized the Dark Age craft in ways that push the limits of even the creepiest semi-eroticized Jesus images framing the walls of those century old European cathedrals. Check out Phawker's awesome Q&A.

Posted by Will Stone @ 9:52 PM Permalink | Post a comment

QFEST: Audience and Jury announce winners

POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 9:09 PM

Filed Under: Movies Film Fest

The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, the audience award winner for Best Feature Film

Bid adieu to QFest. The queer film fest closed out their two-week extravaganza last night with Robert Gaston's Flight of the Cardinal, which Gary Kramer used to illustrate the pros and cons of marketing film to a queer niche. Here are the Jury and audience awards for this year's fest: Jury winners

Best Short Film: (tied) My Name is Love directed by David Fardmar and Evelyn Everyone directed by Kylie Plunkett
Best Documentary: Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement directed by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir
Best Feature Film: Undertow directed by Javier Fuentes-Leon
First Time Director: Javier Fuentes-Leon who directed Undertow

Audience winners

Best Short Film: (tied) You Can't Curry Love directed by Reid Waterer and Bedfellows directed by Pierre Stefanos
Best Documentary Film: Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement directed by Susan Muska and Greta Olafsdottir
Best Comedic Feature: Oy Vey! My Son Is Gay! directed by Evgeny Afineevsky
Best Feature Film: The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister directed by James Kent

Aw, I'll miss you QFest too, but don't fret, you can revisit all of our coverage:

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 9:09 PM Permalink | Post a comment

IN MEMORIAM: Randy Flash

POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 6:13 PM

Filed Under: In Memoriam | Music

[source]

DJ Randy Flash

I didn't even know that Randall Miller â the Philly house music DJ and record seller known as Randy Flash â was senselessly shot in North Philly on July 15, until Lee Jones sent a note out about it on his Sundae party mailer over the weekend. Plans were underway for a fundraiser at Octo on Thu., July 29 to cover Flash's hospital bills. Sad sadder saddest is that Flash passed away last night and the fund raiser has become a memorial to that cat so many knew from his time at Sound of Market. We'll write more as we know more though it's safe to say that you can check Jones' Sundae site for more information.

Posted by A.D. Amorosi @ 6:13 PM Permalink | Post a comment

CONCERT PHOTOS: Mates of State @ Bowery Ballroom, 7/16/10

POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 4:15 PM

My reasons for sharing these non-Philly concert photos with you are twofold: 1) I went to high school with the Mates of State's guest guitarist, Kenji Shinagawa, and therefore cannot review the show without getting an F in journalism school; and 2) I want to know if anyone knows WTF is up with the random monsters that appeared onstage during the Mates' finalfinalfinal encore number. If anyone has any sort of backstory to go along with the presence of these muppet-y mascots, share it in the comments. If not, just enjoy the quirkiness of it all.

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Jon Solomon

Posted 2010-07-20 13:21:58

That's the "cast" of Yo Gabba Gabba!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4EZU1V8ihY

Carolyn Huckabay

Posted 2010-07-20 15:52:05

OHH! This makes so much more sense now.

Posted by Carolyn Huckabay @ 4:15 PM Permalink | Post a comment

NOW SEE THIS: Ultimate Pon de Warrior

POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 3:21 PM

Filed Under: Music | Now See This Philly Bands

Why are all "Pon de Floor" mash-ups hilarious? RELATED >> NOW SEE THIS: Al Bundy shakes it to Major Lazer h/t Philadelphia Will Do

Posted by Molly Eichel @ 3:21 PM Permalink | Post a comment

Shaq goes up against the Philly-ified in season two of Shaq Vs.

POSTED: Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: TV

We're not exactly sure why, but Shaquille O'Neal's reality show Shaq Vs. — in which Ben Stein's BFF goes up against pros in their field — is back for a second season this summer. Apparently, getting his ass whooped by every athlete he went up against in season one wasn't quite enough. This season, Shaq will battle athletes both traditional and not so much. Eagles' wide receiver DeSean Jackson clearly fits into the former. Jackson will team up with Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Chris Johnson of the Tennessee Titans and Shaq to try and defeat Jason Gay in a 200-meter relay race (or they could just giggle about this for hours). But the real battle to see is the Big Aristotle versus 2007 Wing Bowl champ Joey Chestnut. No word on what they'll scarf down yet but we're putting in our bid for Jake's 5-lb. Philly Challenge. Either way, we're not watching. That is, unless all of the three following episodes come into fruition:

Shaq vs. Jet Li in a Shaq-Fu style fight to the death.
Kazaam vs. Robin Williams in a Rappin'-Genie-with-Attitude slam dunk contest.
Iron Chef America. Secret ingredient: Shaquille O'Neal

Shaq Vs. season two premieres Tue., Aug. 3 at 9 p.m. on ABC

Posted by Matthew Cahn @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

CONCERT REVIEW: XPoNential Music Festival @ Wiggins Park, 7/17-18

POSTED: Monday, July 19, 2010, 9:26 PM

Filed Under: Music | Concert Review concert photos

Julia Askenase

Dr. Dog

We all know that WXPN is a member-supported public radio station. Truly, "support" is the optimal word to describe the affable atmosphere of the station's annual XPoNential Music Festival this past weekend. I was almost taken aback by the friendliness that pervaded the waterfront. Everyone just seemed to be looking out for one another, ensuring good times were had by all. The vibe was infectious. I couldn't make it out to Day 1 of the three-day excursion, but reports from the crowds later informed me that I missed dynamic performances from Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and Fishtown's own Free Energy. Bummer. Next time. On Saturday, I heard a surprisingly refreshing rendition of BeyoncÃ©'s ballad "Halo" by NYC-band Harper Blynn on the Camden County River Stage, where I stayed for most of the festival. The lawn was filled with multi-colored lawn chairs and blankets, reinforcing the festival's mellow tone. Still, there was standing room right in front where devotees could get extra-close to the artists and jump and dance as they pleased. I'd never heard Jersey girl Nicole Atkins before, but she reeled me in with the extra kick she adds to the female singer-songwriter bit. She has some serious pipes and a great rock energy to her set. The Walkmen — whom David Dye introduced as a self-proclaimed "big fan" — gave a commanding performance that resonated most with the younger rock-oriented crowd who were familiar with such visceral anthems as "The Rat." I enjoyed their diverse set which drew from across their catalog and into new material, including the slow and dreamy "Stranded," which featured Walkmen leader Hamilton Leithauser's wife Anna in the brass section. Hoboken, N.J. three-piece, Yo La Tengo ended my day with their eclectic repertoire and quirky sense of humor ("You've caught me with my laminate on!" exclaimed Ira Kaplan, quickly removing his performer lanyard for the band's encore.). The indie vets played new(ish) material like "Periodically Double or Triple," off Popular Songs, but also older favorites like "Little Honda." They were accompanied through much of the set by the Sun Ra Arkestra, who danced and played in in sequined attire as YLT shredded on distorted guitar.

Julia Askenase

Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen

Sunday felt the most packed with people, and I got to spend some more time just milling around the grounds and people-watching. It became evident that the 35-and-older set, often with kids in tow, matched or even exceeded the younger crowd. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes closed their much-anticipated set with that whistling pop confection "Home," and I was glad to hear the romper lilting throughout the park. Before leaving the festival, I took in Dr. Dog's effervescent and well-played set, as beach balls soared through the crowd and the sun set behind the stage on the Delaware. As they left, they thanked XPN "for being so kind to us over the years," before an encore performance of "Jackie Wants a Black Eye." I had continually heard artists thank the station for playing their music and radio personalities profess their fandom for their favorite local (and even not-so-local) bands. But this mutual support didn't come off as some kind of sickening PR ingratiation; it felt sincere. And you could feel it among the XPN members and casual attendees, too. Before Dr. Dog took the stage, I turned to retreat from the standing area to get a better view, when I almost bumped right into World Cafe host Dye, who happened to be standing directly behind me. Dye, the host of XPN's most well-known and nationally syndicated show, seemed just to be eagerly awaiting a beloved Philly band. He wasn't standing off in the wings of the stage, he was right out there with his listeners.

Posted by Julia Askenase @ 9:26 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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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
Q&A with Goon’s Seann William Scott
ICEPACK ILLUSTRATED: The Archbishop meets the Geator, the Mayor goes suit shopping, Le Bec Fin fin.

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.

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@mission2denmark | @emilygee

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