Susan Elgin is a lying liar full of deceit. She has never listened to Neutral Milk Hotel, damn it.
With that out of the way, allow me to talk about Foxboro Hot Tubs. They've been cool enough to put up a whole 6-song EP for free (legal!) download right here. Check it out.
Now let me tell you who they are:
That's The Network, a futuristic synth-rock group with song titles like "Supermodel Robots" and "Spastic Society." What do they have to do with FHT, a band with its sound and aesthetic clearly rooted in the 1960's?
Well:
That's right. Both bands come from the pop-punk juggernaut of Green Day. Like Billie Joe Armstrong could keep that voice hidden for long.
So, I think it's time I'm honest with the entire Arts staff, and anyone else reading this blog. While my heart will always belong to Jim Halpert, I've been harboring some seriously less-than-kosher feelings for someone else...
Yes, Andy Samberg. I'm an SNL purist, and the recent seasons have been grating on my die-hard love for the show, but I'll be damned if Samberg doesn't bring it EVERY TIME. He's a more adorable/less annoying Jimmy Fallon (not that I didn't also possess DEEP feelings for Mr. Fallon). His digital shorts (which he writes with Lonely Island buddies AkivaSchaffer and almost-as-cute JormaTaccone) are the highlight of every Saturday's broadcast. He brings a youthful touch to an aging show. He's the silly in a sarcasm sandwich, and I love him for it. Though he hasn't been a member of the cast for long (relatively), Samberg has already made a significant contribution, and has made SNL bearable (along with Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler, who never miss in my book).
Don't believe me? Judge for yourself...
Here's one for you ZacEfron fans.
*Oh, and I know we here at the Arts Blog are pro WGA in the Writers' Strike, but I'm going to post Samberg clips anyway. I think since he's a writer/performer, my karma's clean.
This may be in poor taste, but it's an OC parody. And I love Imogen Heap. And ShiaLeBeouf. He's decently hot too, definitely good for a third-base makeout (can I write that?).
This little gem won an Emmy. I love any excuse for Justin Timberlake, the word "dick," Andy Samberg, and Kwanzaa (my favorite holiday) to be united. And I'm especially fond of the early '90s vibe with the suits and facial hair.
Unfortunately I just have to link to the rest of these because they're on NBC.com
Jake Gyllenhaal+Adam Levine+Andy Samberg+embattled Iranian President in NYC= Comic gold.
I have something to admit: I am far from being cool (shhhhh...) It's an assumed requirement for the DI Arts editor to carry at least a little pretension when it comes to music and movies, but I have to say, I've dropped the ball this semester.
So, if I don't read Pitchfork or listen to The Hype Machine, where do I find new music, you wonder?
As an avid watcher of sports television, I see an awful lot of the advertisements airing on these channels. However, I really don't feel like they affect or are targeted at me at all. Rather, they pertain primarily to men. Is this sexist? Somewhat - but that's not my issue today.
What I'm concerned with is the type of advertisements being shown on these channels, especially those for the military. When the average teenage male sits down to watch his Hawkeyes or another team of choice, what he doesn't realize is that these advertisers are taking advantage of their situation. Sports are one of the primary socialization agents of males. They encourage aggression, dominance, any many other hyper-masculine traits. Thus, when a military commercial airs during the middle of a football game, the male is already jacked up on testosterone - and now he wants to kick someones @$$ - essentially join the military.
There are about a zillion reasons why I love wintertime. I love the lights, the snow, Christmas presents (nothing else about the holiday, just the gifts). I even love the way I can see my breath when I'm outside (it's the only way this asthmatic can ever come close to smoking). What I love most is the music. I love that big albums come out just in time for Black Friday. Let me explain; record labels like to save the best albums for the end of the year, often because they know it will be a great way to make up for sales shortcomings during the rest of the year. Holiday shoppers love buying CDs (not as much as they love free downloads or being in front of the checkout line, but you know, they love buying CDs during the holiday season more than during any other time) and us greedy kids love getting them under the tree (or whatever gift-giving ritual you may have). This year, almost all of the awesome releases from big artists promised to us before Christmas Day have been pushed back or put on hold until after the new year. THAT SUCKS. I can't unwrap a free music download. I can't pull some crappy, half-finished version of an album out of my stocking. For whatever reasons, releases from Mariah Carey, Kylie Minogue, and Lenny Kravitz (to name examples that will cover the tastes of everyone reading this) have been pushed back. There's a great article about this in the Jay-Z issue of Rolling Stone that came out a few weeks ago, so I won't attempt to take on the issue. But I will say while I'm waiting for my new album by Mimi, or MC, however you choose to refer to that crazy hand-waving diva, I'm reaching into back catalogues to hold me over.
Here are some older albums that I've been listening to, and videos courtesy of some fabulous ladies;
-Annie Lennox, Medusa Song: "Waiting in Vain"
-Mariah Carey, Butterfly Song: "Breakdown"
-Madonna, Ray of Light Song: "Drowned World/Substitute for Love"
-Sheryl Crow, The Globe Sessions Song: "My Favorite Mistake"
Whatever, at least "Charlie Wilson's War" is still coming out on Christmas Day. Aaron Sorkin never lets us down (unless you include about eight episodes of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.") So here's a movie trailer too:
Mike Nichols, Aaron Sorkin, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Merry Christmas.
In theaters today, New Line Cinema's The Golden Compass is a $180 million project based on a series of children's books entitled His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman. The movie is ironically being compared to The Chronicles of Narnia - interesting, since the Narnia books feature a Jesus-like lion, Aslan, while the book The Golden Compass is outwardly atheist, the whole plot being for the child hero, Lyra, to kill God.
However, despite the symbolic undertones of theology Pullman weaved into the books, a recent article in The Atlantic Monthly exposes how Hollywood eliminated the atheism that lies at the heart of the story - don't want to offend American Christian audiences around Christmastime, now do you?
The controversy surrounding this latest epic-style movie is intriguing, and I think revealing about the way our society views religion. Yesterday's 80 Hours cover story also approaches this issue, looking at the different ways people celebrate (or choose not to celebrate) the holiday season - atheists included.
So even though Facebook groups such as "Do NOT support The Golden Compass" have popped up with over 180,000 members, the movie could prove to be a thought provoking experience - not necessarily to convert someone to atheism, but as a a movie worth intellectual discussion because of its social value in today's religious climate.
The Top 100 Highest Paid Celebrities Click on the link and check out the list. What right do they have to complain? And WHY isn't George Clooney higher up on the list?
Here is a really dumb party song about getting drunk. It's called "Caribou Lou" by Tech N9ne.
What I actually like about this: the chorus is a recipe. It's useful! Keep an ear out for my smash hit coming soon, "Chocolate Chip Cookies."
Also, Tech is from the metropolis of Kansas City, MO. And he mentions it a LOT. And it never fails to amuse me. The Caribou Lou recipe, with actual proportions, is easy enough to find online (I feel like I might get in trouble for putting it here), and is always listed as the first and only drink to originate in KC. Whoo.
Also also, at 2:30ish, he references Ferris Bueller's Day Off which is AWESOME.
It's been almost six months since the release of Wild Hope, Moore's latest album. Coverage, her album before that, was released in 2003. Will it be four more years til her next release?
Call me crazy, but I happen to like Moore and her music. Sure, there was the two-year period where she dated Andy Roddick and I disliked her, but that was just jealousy. Even as a young girl she had a phenomenal, strong, soulful voice. I first fell in love with her after viewing A Walk to Remember, in which she played Jamie Sullivan, a teenage girl dying of cancer. And since then I've been hooked. Whether it be movies (my favorites being Chasing Liberty, How to Deal, and Because I Said So), music, or her clothing line Mblem, I just can't get enough of her.
And, unfortunately there's never much press coverage of her. I suppose in the realm of today's paparazzi that's a good thing, since all the photographers and reporters seem to gossip about are celebrity's negative qualities. So props to her for being one of the few celebrities that have managed to stay in the limelight. They do say any press is good press though. I hope her lack of coverage doesn't hurt her career. I'd be sad to see such a fine singer, songwriter, and actress fade away.
