A Running Commentary

Say what you will about Rupert Murdoch. He is arrogant. He is too powerful. He has a lot of money that would surely be spent more admirably by Microsoft-free Bill Gates. By I have to hand it to him; he was right about The Wall Street Journal.

Sphere: Related Content

[Read more →]

Perhaps the most insidious piece of historical propaganda advanced by those on the political left is the notion that Fascism is a conservative philosophy. Entire generations of social studies middle-schoolers and political science co-eds have been falsely taught that Socialism and Fascism are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, Socialism being the ultimate […]

[Read more →]

“To be honest, I haven’t been following that anymore. I lost my interest.” – 50 Cent (the rapper who initially endorsed Hillary, then flipped to Obama, and now seems to have lost interest entirely)
Does anyone really care what celebrities think? Musicians, actors, directors; what credible thoughts do they bring to the table? […]

[Read more →]

Gnarls Barkley – The Odd Couple (Downtown/Atlantic)
Producer: Danger Mouse
Rating 3.5 of 5
Top tracks: A Little Better, Open Book, Whatever, Who’s Gonna Save My Soul,
Cool, but not Crazy
Follow-up albums are tough. Fleetwood Mac followed up their 1977-benchmark album Rumours by spending over $1M (in 1979 dollars) to produce Tusk, which their label considered a […]

[Read more →]

“Some of you are going to lose your friends for watching this film. Some of you may even lose your jobs.” – Ben Stein (Expelled trailer)
On April 18, 2008, Ben Stein declares war on Charles Darwin. Or, more accurately, that is when he launches the theatre offensive. War was declared the moment […]

[Read more →]

Comedian Lewis Black has a great bit about how Democrats and Republicans consistently present opposing “facts” on the same issues. Black’s demand that “there have to be some FACT facts” illustrates the subjectivity that exists in every speech, interview, and article (including this one). Nowhere is this more evident than the innumerable rants […]

[Read more →]

Bell X1 – Flock (Yep Roc)
Producer: Roger Bechirian
Rating 3.5 of 5
Top tracks: Flame, Bigger Than Me, Rocky Took A Lover
Having missed the foreign release in 2006, the stellar press stoked my hopes for the expanded release of Bell X1’s Flock. Q labeled it “majestic and elegant”, NME a “brave new marker”, and PASTE claimed […]

[Read more →]

Vampire Weekend – self-titled (XL)
Producer: Rostum Batmanglij
Rating: 5 of 5
Top tracks: Walcott, Oxford Comma, A-Punk, M79
The hype was heavy but the record unquestionably delivers. The warm, organic feel and eclectic range recalls Paul Simon’s Graceland seasoned with the progressive edge of The Clash. Vibrant and playful, the Vampires deliver hip indie pop ala The […]

[Read more →]

U23D
Directed: Catherine Owens, Mark Pellington
Starring: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Unlike U2’s other theater release, 1988’s art-styled Rattle & Hum, U23D is neither pretentious nor protracted. Produced in conjunction with National Geographic, the movie is as much jaw-dropping Discovery channel fare as concert experience. Captured with the largest […]

[Read more →]

Jumper (Regency / FOX)
Directed: Doug Liman
Writers: David S. Goyer, Jim Uhls, Simon Kinberg
Starring: Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Diane Lane
Rating: 4 of 5
Based on the 2002 novel by Steven Gould, this film is a slick X-Men-meets-Unbreakable special effects romp. Though very short, the movie is thoroughly enjoyable for it’s ultra […]

[Read more →]

Funniest Moment – Chalk white country singer picks fight with Kanye West.
You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video
Country star Vince Gill, upon receiving the Grammy for Best Country Album from Ringo Starr, took a long pause and then, gazing across to where Kanye West was sitting, said:  “I just got […]

[Read more →]

Dan Wilson – Free Life (American)
Producer: Dan Wilson (Rick Rubin exec)
Rating: 4 of 5
Top Tracks: Breathless, Against History, Cry
Former Semisonic frontman’s latest solo effort, his first since Dixie Chick co-write accolades, predictably benefits from Rick Rubin’s executive production. Rubin’s formula appears simple enough: push great artists to fully utilize their strengths while forcefully shunning […]

[Read more →]

It was an overseas flight. The 14-hour kind. Long enough to exhaust my first two in-fight movie choices and still leave 5 hours to kill. Thus, I found myself watching “Man Of The Year”, the film in which Robin Williams’ Jon-Stewart-meets-Bill-Maher TV personality answers the call of the people and runs for […]

[Read more →]

Now that the year is officially over, it can be said unequivocally that Miss South Carolina’s performance was the low point for 2007:
You need to a flashplayer enabled browser to view this YouTube video

Sphere: Related Content

[Read more →]