The A.V. Club - Newswire

TV: Newswire:Funeral Friday

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:58:00 -0600

Congratulations on making it to the end of another week! Unfortunately, these people didn’t. Light a candle for Funeral Friday. It’s no Branson or anything, but the sleepy little burg of New York City certainly doesn’t lack for legendary venues. And even by those heightened standards, few can compete with The Village Gate in terms of cultural impact. Flashy nightclub impresario Art D’Lugoff transformed an erstwhile flophouse for transients stinking up the crossroads of Bleecker and Thompson Sts. into a veritable nexus of popular culture, hosting an incredible—and incredibly diverse—array of talents that came ...

Best Of The Decade: Newswire:The A.V. Club’s Best Of The Decade features start next week

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:17:00 -0600

Jeez, is it really the end of the ‘00s already? Why, it seems like just yesterday we were wondering whether or not Freddie Prinze Jr. and Claire Forlani would make a love connection in Boys And Girls while rocking out to “Meet Virginia.” And look at us now: All grown up and getting reflective. But before we disappear into misty-eyed nostalgia, let’s collectively take a cold, hard look at the decade that was by assessing the best of everything pop culture, one element at a time. November (and the early part of December) is the perfect time for looking ...

Music: Newswire:DOOM and Madlib working on follow-up to Madvillainy: check out new music from Madvillain

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:04:00 -0600

According to the good folks over at Stones Throw, one of the niftiest independent labels around, DOOM and Madlib are reportedly in Los Angeles working on a follow-up to their 2004 cult classic Madvillainy. Details are scarce but Stones Throw artist J.Rocc previewed some new Madvillain during a recent appearance on Eastvillageradio.com's "Fat Beats Live". Check out snippets of new Madvillain goodness below. As big DOOM and Madlib fans, we are wildly optimistic about this fortuitous development.

Music: Newswire:DMX backs out of upcoming boxing match

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:43:00 -0600

Allhiphop.com is reporting that, in a rare burst of sanity, rapper/neophyte pugilist Earl "DMX" Simmons has backed out of an upcoming boxing match with actor Eric Martinez. According to the article, DMX opted out of exchanging fisticuffs with the moonlighting actor either out of safety concerns or because the promoters wouldn't throw the fight in his favors. Promoters are reportedly looking for another rapper to take DMX's place for the December 12th bout in Alabama. Might we suggest MC Paul Barman? He has a mean left hook and fights dirty.

Books: Newswire:Two more chances to see The A.V. Club read from Inventory

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:58:00 -0600

As you might have heard somewhere or the other, we have a delightful new book out called Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined By Saxophone, And 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists. Man, it’s a fantastic book, really. And it would make a great holiday gift. And affordably priced? You bet! Wait. What was I talking about? Oh yeah! We’re going to be doing two more, probably final, appearances reading from the book next week, one in Milwaukee and one at our home base in Chicago. Details, you say? Tuesday, November ...

Music: Newswire:Echo & The Bunnymen cancel U.S. tour

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:58:00 -0600

Thanks to a new IRS rule that would claim a shocking 30 percent of their show profits, Echo & The Bunnymen have canceled their upcoming U.S. tour, according to a statement from the band's publicist. The tour was set to begin Nov. 15 in Atlanta. Expect to see a siren on The Drudge Report soon saying something to the effect of "You see what happens in Obama's America, liberals? EVEN FOREIGNERS ARE OVERTAXED." The doomed itinerary is below. Nov. 15, Atlanta, Masquerade Nov. 17, Washington D.C., The Black Cat Nov. 18, State College, Penn., The State Theatre ...

Film: Newswire:Danny Boyle to make movie about rock climber Aron Ralston

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:40:00 -0600

According to Variety, Danny Boyle is set to direct a film about Aron Ralston, the rock climber who was stranded in the Utah desert for four days with his arm pinned by a giant boulder, before he ultimately amputated it himself with a dull blade and climbed down a 65-foot rock wall. The film is called 127 Hours, presumably because Between a Rock and a Hard Place was already taken by, well, anyone who's ever written anything about Aron Ralston. Boyle, who recently swept the Oscars with his hit Slumdog Millionaire, will be re-teaming with Slumdog producer Christian Colson ...

TV: Newswire:From the annals of semi-self-promotion: Comedy Central joins forces with Onion News Network for upcoming sports spoof

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:28:00 -0600

Good news everyone! According to The Hollywood Reporter and, to be fair, The Onion's suave and dynamic CEO Steve Hannah, Comedy Central will be collaborating with the Onion News Network to produce a half-hour comedy based on the sports segments of the beloved comic institution's wildly popular video series. If you haven't checked it out yet, here's a taste of the hilarity in store: In other news involving The A.V Club's sister site and shameless semi-self-promotion, the funny folks over at the Onion and the good people over at Scribner have just released Our ...

Books: Newswire:Wyclef Jean to write tell-all book

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:38:00 -0600

Sohh.com is reporting that Wyclef Jean has inked a deal to write a tell-all memoir chronicling his time in The Fugees. Anthony Bozza, who recently co-wrote Tracy Morgan's memoir, will co-write the book, which will be released by It Books, an imprint of Harper Collins, The book will reportedly cover Jean's childhood in Haiti, breakthrough with the Fugees, solo career and incestuous relationship with Mamas and The Papas frontman John Phillips. Boy, that guy really gets around. Sohh.com goes on to report that Q-Tip is reportedly working on a tell-all as well. Finally, we shall all ...

Music: Newswire:No Doubt expands the war on video-game avatars

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0600

The sturm and drang over Kurt Cobain's avatar appearing in Guitar Hero 5 to sing songs by other artists has settled, but the war may be just beginning: Billboard reports today that No Doubt is suing Activision, the makers of Guitar Hero and the new Band Hero, for unauthorized use of its members' likenesses in songs by other artists. Just as Cobain could rock out some Bush jams in Guitar Hero 5 (and nearly destroy the space-time continuum), No Doubt leader Gwen Stefani can sing the decidedly less embarrassing "Honky Tonk Women" by The Rolling Stones (among others) in ...

TV: Newswire:Kirstie Alley to star in reality show for A

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:53:00 -0600

Variety reports that zaftig walking punchline Kirstie Alley is close to signing a deal to star in her own reality show for A&E. According to the venerable trade rag, the meaty thesp's show will follow her heroic attempts to provide clean water and life-saving medical supplies to impoverished communities in the third world. Just kidding! The show will actually chronicle, for our edification and amusement, Alley's efforts to lose weight while raising two teenagers. Will this upcoming masterpiece of the television arts restore dignity and substance to the vast wasteland that is reality television? We remain, as ...

Music: Newswire:EMI sues website selling 25-cent Beatles MP3s

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:34:00 -0600

While music-lovers keep watching for signs that The Beatles catalog is about to come to iTunes ("Is that new yellow iPod tied to 'Yellow Submarine?' Is Steve Jobs wearing a Sgt. Pepper jacket?"), a previously obscure streaming-music site called BlueBeat.com has quietly begun selling Beatles MP3s for a quarter apiece, claiming in their FAQ: Our mp3s are fully-licensed audio-visual works and BlueBeat.com pays all applicable royalties. ... For more information about what defines an audio-visual work, read the Copyright help file at http://www.copyright.gov/eco/help-type.html Now, Variety reports that EMI has filed a lawsuit against ...

Film: Newswire:Wait, someone wants to host the Oscars after all: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:22:00 -0600

And as predicted, the search for an Oscar host has quickly been concluded: According to Variety, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, co-stars of the upcoming Meryl Streep romantic comedy It's Complicated, have picked up the hosting gig that was turned down by Hugh Jackman, Ben Stiller, and Robert Downey Jr. Las Vegas oddsmaker Johnny Avello had Steve Martin at 25 to 1 (well behind Whoopi Goldberg), so here's hoping you all had money riding on him. Regardless, this is almost certainly good news. Baldwin is funny on 30 Rock, and Martin has recently shown he's still got ...

Film: Newswire:No one wants to host the Oscars

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:41:00 -0600

Poor shiny Oscar; everyone has their eyes on him, but no one really loves him. It's a tradition at this point for every major media outlet to assign someone on staff to watch the annual Academy Awards ceremony and write the next morning about how disappointing the host was, no matter what happens during the broadcast — some of those articles have probably already been pre-written for the 2009 awards (which air in March 2010), even though the host hasn't been determined yet. Maybe that relentless criticism of whoever volunteers to shepherd the always-bloated ceremony explains why no one ...

Music: Newswire:Chris Brown continues making bad decisions

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:52:00 -0600

The cover art for Chris Brown's new album, Graffiti, has found its way to the Internet, and it's a doozy. The two people I've conversed with about it so far IM-ed exactly the same message: "What the fuck?" For the comments section, might I suggest a crude version of The New Yorker's caption contest? Winner gets nothing but a sense of accomplishment.

TV: Newswire:Jim Belushi and David Tennant set for a couple of courtroom shows

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:37:00 -0600

Jim Belushi is teaming up with Diane English and Barry Levinson to create a show about a defense attorney based on the lawyer and television commentator Mickey Sherman, according to Variety. Belushi is coming off of eight seasons of his, for lack of a better term, hit sitcom, According to Jim. English created the respectable Murphy Brown, and Levinson's got quite a few notches in his belt; he executive produced Oz and Homicide: Life on the Street. Combine the vibe of those gritty crime shows with the levity of a sitcom about a straight-laced careerwoman, plus just a splash ...

Music: Newswire:Today in geek chic merchandising: Weezer introduces signature Snuggie, Daniel Johnston gets own Iphone game

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:06:00 -0600

The nice thing about being in a band like Weezer is that you never have to worry about looking cool. So the band won't lose any hipness points by introducing its very own line of Weezer snuggies, the wearable blankets your grandma loves so goddamned much. Each Weezer snuggie comes with a free copy of the group's cringe-inducingly titled new album Raditude. Also cringe-inducing? A guest roster that includes Li'l Wayne and Jermaine "Sinful Dwarf" Dupri and and song titles like "Can't Stop Partying," and "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want ...

TV: Newswire:Gordon Ramsay to produce and star in an amateur cookery contest for Fox

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:58:00 -0600

As part of Gordon Ramsay's ongoing effort to have a show on Fox in every business quarter, yesterday it was announced that the award-winning British chef (and famed reality TV shouter) is heading up a new series based on the overseas program MasterChef. The concept? Amateur chefs from across the country compete to impress a panel of judges with "the perfect dish." After an initial round of try-outs (during which we'll inevitably see judges spit food out and/or make hilarious retching noises), a group of finalists will attempt a series of team-based or individual challenges in order ...

TV: Newswire:Apple reportedly in talks with TV networks about offering monthly subscriptions

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:58:00 -0600

Peter Kafka's latest "Media Memo" at the All Things Digital site leads with a provocative question: "Would you pay $30 a month to watch TV via iTunes?" According to Kafka, Apple is in talks with the major networks (and their attendant cable properties) about offering a Netflix-style subscription service that would allow users to watch recent shows via iTunes for a flat monthly fee. Even though a lot of networks put their shows up on their own websites (or Hulu) for free, and many sell or rent episodes through iTunes or Amazon already, the subscription service would replace the ...

TV: Newswire:Studies show that almost half of DVR users can't locate the FF button

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:26:00 -0600

In the middle of a story about DVR use and its impact on the TV business in this past Sunday's New York Times, reporter Bill Carter relayed this interesting tidbit: Against almost every expectation, nearly half of all people watching delayed shows are still slouching on their couches watching messages about movies, cars and beer. According to Nielsen, 46 percent of viewers 18 to 49 years old for all four networks taken together are watching the commercials during playback, up slightly from last year. Why would people pass on the opportunity to skip through to the next chunk of ...