Even in an age when most records are available online for weeks before their official release dates, Tuesday still is a magical day for music fans because this is when your friendly neighborhood record store gets re-stocked with rockin' new tunes. Here are some of the more notable titles coming out toda
Beck, Modern Guilt
Melvins, Nude With Boots
Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis, Two Men With The Blues
Legendary experimental filmmaker and music video pioneer Bruce Conner died in San Francisco yesterday at age 74, following a long illness. Conner's 1958 film A Movie combined found footage and a pop soundtrack, distilling the essence of of how it felt to be young and awake in post-beatnik America. (Because of its cultural significance, A Movie was added to the Library Of Congress' National Film Registry in 1991.) Other Conner landmarks include Report, a 1967 deconstruction of TV's coverage of the Kennedy assassination, and early music videos for the likes of Devo, David Byrne and Brian Eno. Conner was also instrumental in creating the light shows for San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom--all part of his career-long effort to use the detritus of American culture to create a kind of waking dream.
What, did everybody get a variety show today? Hot on the heels of the announcement of Elvis Costello's Spectacle comes news of The Osbourne Family Smile-Time Variety Hour [Ed. note: Actual title may contain significantly less Simpsons references] slated to debut with a Christmas special later this year. The show is "envisioned as a throwback to variety classics hosted in the 1970s by Sonny and Cher and by Donny and Marie Osmond," and will reunite the entire Osbourne clan--adorably acid-fried Ozzy, strident Sharon, "adrenaline junkie" Jack, probably contagious Kelly--in a show that "taps into what the Osbournes do best, which is be themselves." Some of the ideas being tossed around are:
"Audience-participation segments, bits pre-taped outside the studio and a mini-game show, as well as musical performances by the Osbournes and guests. Another is a segment dubbed "The Osbournes Meet the Osbournes," in which Ozzy and his bunch would spend time with another family of the... read more
Singer-songwriter-all-around-charming-fellow Elvis Costello has already taped four episodes of his new variety showSpectacle: Elvis Costello With... that will air on Sundance Channel in the U.S. (along with CTV in Canada and Channel 4 in the U.K.) According to Billboard, the format for the series will see Costello have conversations and collaborations with his guests. Elton John, Tony Bennett, Lou Reed and Bill Clinton are among the guests. A broadcast schedule hasn't been announced yet.
Benefiting greatly from having no real competition whatsoever, the Will Smith-starring Hancock opened big this weekend, despite middling to outright bad reviews from just about everyone (except, um, us). The anti-superhero flick picked up $66 million over the Friday-to-Sunday period, placing it squarely at No. 1 and almost doubling its take since it started showing at early screenings on Tuesday night before officially opening last Wednesday.
Last week’s No. 1, Wall-E, fell 47 percent to the No. 2 spot with $33.4 million, and Wanted fell 60 percent to No. 3 with $20.6 million. Kung Fu Panda, The Incredible Hulk, and Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull make up the chart’s middle region, joined by latecomer Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, which opened in limited release last week. Upon wide release, the Abigail Breslin-starring kiddie flick grossed a modest $3.6 million, enough to land it at No. 8 (up from No. 23, though it had only opened in five theaters at that...
Friday Buzzkills: Extra-Patriotic Edition