Poof, apparently into thin air. Well, before we point fingers at Tom Cruise and Grand Wizard of the Scientology cult, John Travolta, who've been known to weild their power around Hollywood. I mean, we did see him cast his spell on Oprah, right! Reitman told the NY Times that the scene was accidentally cut when two reels were spliced together in Los Angeles as filmmakers prepared a print for Smoking's four festival screenings. 2. Um. Why is Jamie Foxx getting his own TV special? I mean, we all know Jamie Foxx as a man of many talents. A comedian, a, ahem, dramatic actor, singer, Wanda on In Living Color and damn, I think he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night ... The other night, the Oscar and Golden Globe winner gave NBC his first-ever musical special, showcasing songs from his top-selling album "Unpredictable" as well as performances with guests like Snoop Dogg and Mary J. I'm betting, Jesus, sorry, I mean Kanye showed up too.
3. So, Kobe lighting up the Toronto Raptors on Sunday in the Lakers' 122-104 come-from-behind win in L.A. is sorta old news by now. But how about this for interesting stats. He scored 1.9 points per minute, since Kobe actually sat six minutes at the end of the game. He took 66 shots! 66!!! I'm betting there were seasons, that Manute Bol didn't get that many shots. 46 field goal attempts( 28 made) and 20 free throw attempts(18 made). Man, it's like that scene in Bad News Bears when all the other kids just sit down, and give the ball to Kelly. Bill Simmons wrote a funny article about it on ESPN, which included this line,
"The best reaction belonged to Jackson, who seemed amused, supportive and somewhat horrified, like how Halle Berry's husband probably looked after sitting through his first screening of "Monster's Ball." You can read the rest of his article here 4. While we're on the subject of the NBA. How about that Ron Artest deal. Holy snikes! Peja Stojakovic goes to the Pacers, and after unwillingly accepting the deal sending him to Sacramento, Artest packs his bags. While Artest is immensely talented ball player on the court, it's his antics off the court that have made him the most legendary bad-boy since Dennis Rodman. The Pacers get a good player in Stojankovic, despite being bothered by a sprained finger, a strained groin muscle and a protruding disc in his lower back which hinders his running, jumping and shooting.
But man, what a trade. That's like sending away happy go lucky Heidi Klum with her cute accent and getting volatile Naomi Campbell post Wardrobe Malfunction in return. 5. So I really think everyone needs to hear this Clearlake album. I know I talked about it at the end of last year. But man. I cannot stop listening to this thing. A highly anticipated follow up to 2003's Cedars,
Amber is both beguiling and adventurous. Filled with wonderfully crafted melodies, dense textures and haunting crescendos, they've made their finest work yet. The distorted guitars and driving drum beat that introduces album opener No Kind of Life only leads to the wonderfully layered vocals and the band's more muscular sound, citing, Queens of the Stone Age, Neil Young and My Bloody Valentine as being an influence on this recording. Jason Pegg's haunting vocals have never sounded more melancholic than on the tearjerker, Dreamt that You Died. "Neon" is a bluesy number complete with some harmonica licks, Finally Free is arguably the catchiest song they've ever written and album closer Widescreen, places perfect punctation on Amber, with its powerful guitar riffs. 6. I think we all knew Germans were really stange people. But this video just shows how fucked they are. Watch it, and be prepared to laugh and be shocked in amazement. Hasselhoff Wow...Um... So, my thought is. Who thought of this.
Did Hasselhoff just get really fucked up one night on pain killers and he's like, "Can you guys make me fly. I want to fly! And I want two of me!" Whoa!7. Broken Social Scene at Webster Hall last night. The show was fantastic. There were never less than 7 people on stage, and most of the time there were 12 or 13 on stage, topping out at around 16 or 17. They played a ton of the new record, despite only being lucky enough to have Emily Haines in the house to do the female vocal parts. Feist's parts were done by another back up singer. The band sounded great. Really full and lush. Fuzzy guitar squals coming from every angle, mulitple percussionists. A guest horns section. The Canadian collective makes anthemic indie rock and their live show is a party on stage, with new visitors popping in left and right for a chat.
Listening Pile
I've been listening to this Nine Black Alps Everything Is album, a bit lately. I saw them put on a fantastic show at the Mercury Lounge last week. The Manchester quartet makes a loud and deafening raucous. Everything Is' is a frenzy filled 30 minute blast with unabashed energy, but hugely influenced by growing up in the urban sprawl of Manchester. First time I heard this album, I instantly thought of grunge acts of the mid-nineties. And I guess there's a sort of new grunge movement out there, not only in the UK, but the US as well. Until they learn to absorb their influences and transcend it into their own identifiable sound, all this hype and intensity might go for naught. A good start, but I need a little more.
And if get a chance check out their video for Shotdown . They are about to embark on a tour with Cribs and Giant Drag and they are scheduled to play Coachella as well.
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