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BY TONY ABRAHAM Following the release of their debut album It’s a Corporate World this past June, Detroit natives Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. have been gradually gaining momentum in the industry despite a band name that frontman Daniel Zott considers both a curse and a blessing. Conceived in songwriter Josh Epstein’s basement, the band creates catchy electronic folk-pop tunes with melodies that replay like a scratched 45 in your head, including Earnhardt Jr. himself who is a fan. To the uninitiated, I would describe them thusly: Pitch-controlled Neil Diamond circa Tap Root Manuscript, backed by a flanged-out 808 and ten […]

FRESH AIR: In the FX TV series Louie, comic Louis C.K. plays a divorced father of two struggling to balance his comedy career with being a single dad. The show, which has just been picked up for a third season, is often based on events that have happened to C.K. in his own life. C.K.’s boundary-crossing humor has always appealed to other comedians, but in the past year, the stand-up comic has also racked up a series of honors from more mainstream sources. GQ recently called him the “funniest comic alive” and named him their “Comic Genius of the Year.” […]

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…Alec Baldwin.

Appreciate a good story well-told?  First Person Arts will host a series of holiday-themed Story Slams this month in a continuation of its campaign to cultivate Philly’s narrative talent. Attendees may choose to participate or sit back and listen to the foibles of others. The more critically inclined may join the panel of judges who will rate performers on delivery and story content. For these events, you may want to procrastinate on your nightly viewing of X-Factor, as digital recordings will not be issued for these events. The evening starts off with a guest storyteller chosen from previous StorySlam winners […]

ASSOCIATED PRESS: Penn State has long cast itself as embodying the highest standards of personal conduct coupled with academic excellence, as captured in its school song: “May no act of ours bring shame to one heart that loves thy name.” And few bled the school’s blue and white colors more than Sandusky, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees there and began his Nittany Lions coaching career in 1969. In retirement, Penn State football continued to play a big role in Sandusky’s life; he just wasn’t pacing the sidelines at games. He received celebrity treatment from adoring fans and football […]

THAT IS ALL from John Hodgman

The American people, at least the great majority who constitute the middle class, are no longer perceived as the wholesome backbone of America; the middle class is now perceived simply as prey; the domestic source of revenue for corporations to exploit with impunity. In the past, Americans have relied on the institution of Congress as a social backstop to protect the interests of the people from organized exploitation. But now, that institution has failed miserably as a protector of the public. This failure is further exacerbated by the practice of allowing private money to finance Congressional candidates who in turn […]