An Introduction To: Reeves and Mortimer
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Comedy, Culture Shock, Issues, OMG British R Coming, TV |By Aila Slisco
The best kind of laugh is the kind which seemingly comes from nowhere. It’s the product of an inexplicable kind of humor, which no amount of analyzing can explain adequately, and something, which from a comedy performer’s point of view, is just as likely to confuse an audience as it is to make them break down with laughter. Preferably it will do both. This is exactly the kind of comedy the UK comedy duo Reeves and Mortimer have made their specialty.
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No More Heroes: Happy Mondays/Psychedelic Furs
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Concert Reviews, Issues, Music, Reviews, We Miss The Nineties |By Emily Carney
The Ritz, Ybor City (Tampa) FL
September 29, 2009
When I discovered that the Happy Mondays were coming to town (shortly after the Gogol Bordello War of 2009), I was beyond psyched. I was a massive fan of this band in the early 1990s. While my fellow middle-school-aged peers in Florida were jamming along to the sounds of Stevie B. and Taylor Dayne, my musical world was fully entrenched in “Madchester”—with bands like the Stone Roses, the Inspiral Carpets, and of course, the Mondays. So one can imagine my excitement as I commuted an hour away from my apartment in St. Petersburg, Florida, to see the band; I even momentarily forgot that the Psychedelic Furs were also on the bill that evening.
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The Flaming Lips, Embryonic
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Current Faves, Issues, Music, Music Reviews, Reviews |By Adam McIntyre
Nothing makes me sicker than hype, and people hyping things up unnecessarily, so I’m going to make this review as short as possible because there is about to be a tsunami of nauseating hype surrounding the new Flaming Lips album, Embryonic.
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Cosgrove Hall Animation: Danger Mouse And Count Duckula
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Cartoons, Culture Shock, Issues, OMG British R Coming, TV |By Lisa Anderson
My love for things British goes way back. Like many people my age, I grew up with Nickelodeon, the cable children’s programming network. One of my favorite shows was Danger Mouse, the first British cartoon to break into the American market, and its later spin-off, Count Duckula. Both were from the animation studio Cosgrove Hall.
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You Weren’t There: A History of Chicago Punk 1977 – 1984 DVD
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Current Faves, DVD, Issues, Reviews |By Noreen Sobczyk
You Weren’t There sheds light on the consistently underrepresented punk scene of Chicago. It wasn’t only in New York and Los Angeles that American freaks gathered together to listen to the latest records by punk bands in sweaty dive bars. This well-made and engaging film conveys the excitement many in Chicago felt about the new music bursting forth from the underground.
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I Love Those Slags: One Fan Explains Her Obsession With The Mighty Boosh
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Comedy, Culture Shock, Issues, OMG British R Coming, TV |By Noreen Sobczyk
A few years ago I was ill and staying at my parents’ home in the wonderful land of superfluous cable channels. While stirring around under the covers, feverish, I stumbled upon a British program that was surreal and involved an alternate universe and a cab ride with Death himself, but I could find no information regarding the show. It was so wondrous that I thought it may have been a dream.
Sync Diary: Music, Movies, Madness!
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Issues, Movies, Music, Underground/Cult |By John Lane
Dark Side of the Rainbow (also known as Dark Side of Oz or The Wizard of Floyd) refers to the pairing of the 1973 Pink Floyd music album The Dark Side of the Moon with the visual portion of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. This produces moments where the film and the album appear to correspond with each other.
—“Dark Side of the Rainbow,” Wikipedia
Character Actor In A Movie Star’s Body: Roger Livesey
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Culture Shock, Issues, Movies, OMG British R Coming, Retrovirus |By Michelle Patterson
Acting isn’t that hard to figure out; either you keep it simple or you make it seem simple without giving away your hand. While I’m not an actor, I do know that as a woman in day-to-day life, I have to be able to become a different woman to different people. This is something we all do; people can tell when we really believe in what we are saying and when we do not. Life is full of performances, which makes it that much easier to decide who is a good actor and who is not. The act itself is invisible and instead of seeing a character, we see a person.
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Top Five Alternative Holiday Songs
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Holidays, Issues, Listicles, Music, Staff Picks, Top Five Lists |By Lisa Anderson
Carols are an inevitable part of the holiday season. Most of us have carols, whether sacred or secular, that we love, and others that we hate. It’s not unusual to end up sick of all of them by the end of the season, either—especially for someone who works in retail. I’ve decided to make a list of five of my favorite contemporary holiday songs. They all take a fresher and more realistic view of the season, as well as not being so overplayed that they barely register.
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Top Five Female Television Characters
Published on November 29th, 2009 in: Feminism, Issues, Staff Picks, Top Five Lists, TV |By Noreen Sobczyk
1. Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in The Avengers, 1965 – 1968
When I was younger I wanted to be Emma Peel. Who am I kidding? I still want to be Emma Peel. She has a killer ’60s wardrobe, and for my money is the best dressed female character in television history. She’s intelligent, self assured, sharp, and sexy; a woman who can take care of herself, often rescuing her male partner John Steed. Using her wits as well as her martial arts skills, she solves crimes and fights villains, a great feminist character. (Earlier and later seasons of The Avengers held no interest for me as they did not feature Emma Peel.)
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