CHOKE (2008, directed by Clark Gregg, 89 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC How could it have taken Hollywood a near decade to adapt another novel from shock writer Chuck Palahniuk, when most readers of Maxim would describe Fight Club as the most kick-ass film ever? There was a brief attempt to mount an adaptation of Palahniuk’s 1999 novel Survivor until the events of 9-11 gave the studio cold feet, now finally the drought is broken with Choke, the story of a sex addict whose desire for intimacy and extra cash leads him to fake choking attacks while dining […]
BREAKING: McCain Blinks, Palin Wins Pageant
WASHINGTON POST: The news that John McCain will debate Barack Obama tonight in Mississippi is a concession by the Arizona Senator that his attempt to score a quick political victory on legislation to bail out the financial sector did not pan out as he had hoped. McCain suspended his presidential campaign with much fanfare on Wednesday, insisting that the crisis in financial markets and the seeming stalemate on Capitol Hill required that politics be set aside for the good of the country. But, over the intervening 24 hours, McCain saw what looked at first like a brilliant political gambit turn […]
MEDIA: A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: We sat down with the comedians for a provocative talk about the political landscape, the way they (and other, more traditional media outlets) cover it, and whether or not we’ll ever see the alleged ”change” we’ve been promised by every candidate. ”Do you mean change we need, or change we can believe in?” asks Stewart. ”Any change is as good as a vacation at this point,” says Colbert, who set his conservative TV pundit character aside for the chat. ”I don’t know if you’ve paid much attention to the past eight years, but it has been a shitburger […]
PIMPIN AINT EASY: Goode Thug Bitchslaps Reporter
PHILLY CLOUT: The Fox 29 News Vs. W. Wilson Goode Jr. mess appears to have turned physical today. Here is video from the Fox 29 News web site of reporter Claudia Gomez chasing Goode after his comments in Council today. A man wearing a fedora — no, really — appears to step in her way several times. Then we get this exchange: Gomez to man in hat: “You just slapped me!” Man in hat: “No I didn’t. I put my hand up and you ran into it.” MORE MYFOXPHILLY: Click To Watch Video PREVIOUSLY: Goode Aide Calls Fox29 ‘Racist’ For […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR When President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran spoke at the United Nations this week, his translator was Hooman Majd. But Majd isn’t a professional translator. He’s been a record executive, a film producer, and a writer. Based in New York, he’s written for GQ, The New York Times, The New Yorker and Salon.com; he’s also a contributing editor at Interview, and he contributes occasionally to The Huffington Post. His new book is called The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran. RADIO TIMES Hour 1 Farnaz Fassihi, the Wall Street Journal’s deputy bureau chief of the Middle […]
JUST A JELLO SHOT AWAY FROM THE PRESIDENCY: Sarah Palin To Watch Friday’s Debate At The Irish Pub
MYFOX: Palin will be at the Irish Pub on Walnut Street on Friday night for a public debate watching party, if the debate between John McCain and Barack Obama continues as planned. DEVELOPING… CITIZEN MOM: So, you know how I hate to be a contrarian, but it’s worth disagreeing with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, who last week told City Paper’s Tom Namako that the upcoming election is “not about Sarah Palin.” I know what Dean meant, of course — that Democrats have to focus on running against John McCain, not the Moose Shootin’ Mama. Except it looks like […]
PAPERBOY: ‘More Popular Than Jesus-Rock’ Edition
BY DAVE ALLEN Like time, news waits for no man. Keeping up with the funny papers has always been an all-day job, even in the pre-Internets era. These days, however, it’s a two-man job. That’s right, these days you need someone to do your reading for you, or risk falling hopelessly behind and, as a result, increasing your chances of dying lonely and somewhat bitter. That’s why every week, PAPERBOY does your alt-weekly reading for you. We pore over those time-consuming cover stories and give you the takeaway, suss out the cover art, warn you off the ink-wasters and steer […]
EARLY WORD: Hang On To Your Lego
American Swedish History Museum Battle of the Bands Building Challenge Featuring: The Spinto Band, The Sw!ms, National Eye, The Brakes Thursday, October 16 from 4-8 pm 1900 Pattison Avenue in South Philadelphia (near the Sports Complex) See your favorite bands design and build sculptures made from LEGO ® bricks at the ASHM. Bands scheduled to get in on the building action include The Spinto Band, The Sw!ms, National Eye, and The Brakes. Museum visitors can watch band members build from 4-7 pm, then vote for a “People’s Choice Award” for their favorite creation and see prizes given out around 7:30 […]
WORD: The Best Way To Rob A Bank Is To Own One
JOHN K. GALBRAITH: Today, the signature of modern American capitalism is neither benign competition, nor class struggle, nor an inclusive middle-class utopia. Instead, predation has become the dominant feature—a system wherein the rich have come to feast on decaying systems built for the middle class. The predatory class is not the whole of the wealthy; it may be opposed by many others of similar wealth. But it is the defining feature, the leading force. And its agents are in full control of the government under which we live. Our rulers deliver favors to their clients. These range from Native American […]
PALIN Vs. COURIC: Deer Meets Headlights
Lord help us all. RELATED: Why Won’t John McCain Release His Medical Records?
WAR ON ERROR: Phanatic Mistaken For Evil Doer
ASSOCIATED PRESS: PHILADELPHIA — After a bomb scare at the Philadelphia Phillies’ ballpark, authorities pointed the finger at a fuzzy green suspect: The Phillie Phanatic. Hours before the Phillies-Atlanta Braves’ game on Wednesday night, a film crew shot a commercial of the mascot shooting heavily wrapped hot dogs from a launcher. But someone inadvertently left three of the duct taped hot dogs outside the ballpark, sparking security fears. Stadium employees were evacuated and the bomb squad was called in. Only after the packages were blown up did authorities realize they’d just exploded some sausages. MORE
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
MIDAS TOUCH: Santogold, TLA, Tuesday Night [Photo by TIFFANY YOON] BY JONATHAN VALANIA There is an old, cruel joke that goes: Those that can’t do, teach. The local version, factoring in Philadelphia’s Don’t-Call-Us-The-Sixth-Borough inferiority complex, goes something like: Those who can’t make it in New York settle for Philly. Well-worn from overuse, this canard tends to rub locals the wrong way, especially the city’s creative class, so it was an awkward moment when Philly native Santogold, AKA Santi White, daughter of John Street bundler Ron White, made a point of announcing to the near-capacity crowd at the TLA Tuesday night […]
All Of This Happened While You Were Sleeping
A CHANGE IS GONNA COME: Michelle Obama, Mayor Nutter & Jill Biden, Francis Meyers Recreation Center, West Philadelphia, 6:32 PM [photo by TIFFANY YOON] BY JEFF DEENEY You might have noticed that the Obama campaign doesn’t spend much face time in the ‘hood, at least not for cameras. The conspicuous absence of the black community on Obama’s campaign trail comes as no surprise as the candidate has been forced to walk a tightrope with respect to the race issue, trying to not seem “too black” for undecided white voters. But Mayor Nutter made it clear while introducing Michelle Obama by […]