THINK PROGRESS: Though he never joined the military himself, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) disparaged his Democratic opponent’s military service at a town hall on Sunday, saying that she’s not a “true hero.” Walsh is running against Tammy Duckworth, a double amputee who lost both her legs in Iraq when insurgents hit her helicopter with an RPG in 2004. The Tea Party freshman opened the Elk Grove town hall by arguing that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was reluctant to discuss his own military service in 2008, which made him a “noble hero.” By contrast, “Now I’m running against a woman […]
CINEMA: Zack Galifianakis Presents Craigslist Joe
When the country’s economy and sense of community was crumbling, one guy left everything behind to see if he could survive solely off the goodwill of America’s new town square: Craigslist. America is a wealthy, diverse and technologically sophisticated country – yet some say we’ve lost the sense of community that used to carry us through tough times. Today it’s every person for themselves. Have we become so caught up in our own lives that we don’t notice life outside of our bubble? 29-year-old filmmaker Joseph Garner decides to find out. He cuts himself off from everyone he knows […]
RIP: Andy Griffith, Folksy Sheriff Of Mayberry RFD, Gone To The Great Fishin’ Hole In The Sky
NEW YORK TIMES: His fame was never as great as it was in the 1960s, when he starred for eight years as Andy Taylor, the sagacious sheriff of the make-believe Southern town of Mayberry, running weekly herd on a collection of eccentrics like his ineffectual deputy, Barney Fife, and the simple-minded gas station attendant Gomer Pyle while, as a widower, patiently raising a young son, Opie. “The Andy Griffith Show,” seen Monday nights on CBS, was No. 4 in the Nielsen ratings its first year and never fell below the Top 10. It was No. 1 in 1968, its last […]
OUT ON ASSIGNMENT: No Sleep ‘Til Brooklyn
Have to head up to Brooklandia today to talk to these guys, so posting will be light to non-existent. The good news is WE WILL BE GIVING AWAY A PAIR OF TIX TO SEE GBV AT THE TROC ON FRIDAY. Look for it this afternoon. In Bob We Trust. By the way, if you think this song is a little too Emerson, Lake & Palmer for its own good, you are not alone. But I have heard the new album and I am happy to report that neither the devout nor the newbies will be disappointed.
TONIGHT: This Machine Kills Fascists
Artwork by DWIGHTYAOKAMFAN AMERICAN ROUTES: On this special edition of American Routes, we herald the 100th birthday of our nation’s greatest roving troubadour and social commentator, Woody Guthrie. We’ll visit with friends and relatives who share tales of Guthrie’s trials and triumphs, from Okemah, Oklahoma to Coney Island, New York. Guthrie’s children, Nora and Arlo, reflect on their father’s life, scholar Guy Logsdon discusses Guthrie’s Dust Bowl days and Pete Seeger shares the backstory to Woody’s anthem for the “down and outers.” Plus music and memories from Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Moses Asch, Bob Dylan and so many others. MORE PREVIOUSLY: […]
GEEK SQUAD: Arachnophilia
BY RICHARD SUPLEE At the risk of sounding like an employee of the Department of Redundancy, The Amazing Spider-Man is amazing — so amazing, in fact, that Andrew Garfield, the new Peter Parker/Spider-Man, will make you forget all about Toby Maguire. Still, haters will probably call the new movie a rip-off of the Maguire films, but most of the shared elements are essential to who Peter Parker is so similarities were inevitable. As resident geek here at Phawker, it falls to me to compare and contrast the new The Amazing Spider-Man, which opens here on Tuesday, to both its […]
ECUADORIAN STANDOFF: Assange Defies Scotland Yard’s Demand That He Surrender For Extradition
THE GUARDIAN: The diplomatic standoff over Julian Assange is to lengthen after he refused to co-operate with a police request to surrender himself to a central London police station. Unable to leave the Ecuadorean embassy for fear of being arrested and deported, the WikiLeaks founder had a statement read out on his behalf by a supporter outside the building in Knightsbridge, central London. Assange is wanted for questioning by the Swedish authorities in connection with accusations of sexual assault and rape in Stockholm in 2010. He fears that once there he would be extradited to the US in connection with […]
LIVE REVIEW: Fiona Apple @ The Tower
Photo by PETE TROSHAK There was a crack in the dark middle of Fiona Apple’s set Wednesday night where the light got in. After a mesmerizing 30-plus minutes of accusation and self-flagellation, Apple took a moment to soak in the adulation of the crowd, the declarations of love called out by eager fans, and then wrapped her arms around herself and smiled deeply while gazing longingly into the dark night of the theater. Shining moments like this are probably why Apple is still out there, willing to spill out her demons and raw feelings on record and then on stage, […]
TONIGHT: The Odd Couple
Tonight at midnight EST Odd Future will unveil the brand new short film Sam Is Dead at oddfuture.com. Directed by Wolf Haley and featuring himself, Domo Genesis and Lee Spielman of Trash Talk, Manface, Lionel “L-Boy” Boyce, Brick Stowell and Lucas Vercetti, the film will feature an original score composed by Tyler, The Creator.
GBV: The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
At the Troc July 6th. Standby, we’ll be giving away a pair of tickets. PREVIOUSLY: Funny how Gen. X used to mercilessly mock its predecessors for endlessly revisiting the Woodstockian ecstasies of its youth, as if nostalgia was a generational affliction instead of a universal symptom of aging. Now that the gray-bearding of Gen. X has commenced, it has proven no less immune to the impulse to revisit the pleasures of its gloriously misspent youth than the Baby Boomers. Exhibit A is Guided By Voices’ sold out Hallway Of Shatterproof Glass Tour which reunites the so-called classic line-up of the […]
SH*T MY UNCLE SAYS: Life’s Rich Pageant
BY WILLIAM C. HENRY So the other day I was, for reasons unclear, daydreaming about a Mitt Romney inaugural parade that celebrates the forces stacked against what’s left of the middle-class — or as Mitt might call it, The Envious Class — full-blown flag-waving plutocratic fanfare for the uncommon man complete with flag bearers, floats and a marching band. Actually, it’s not all that imaginary. It’s pretty much already underway. To wit: The Flag Bearers: Here’s a trivia question the answer to which may be one of the most unconscionable statistics ever recorded: What is the amount of money […]
HOPE: Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act
NEW YORK TIMES: The Supreme Court on Thursday largely let stand President Obama’s health care overhaul, in a mixed ruling that court observers were rushing to analyze. The decision was a striking victory for the president and Congressional Democrats, with a majority of the court, including the conservative chief justice, John G. Roberts Jr., affirming the central legislative pillar of Mr. Obama’s term. Many observers called the case the most significant before the court since at least the 2000 Bush v. Gore ruling, which decided a presidential election. In addition to the political reverberations, the case helps set the rules […]
BON IVER: FLUME
@ The Mann September 16th. Complete listing of tour dates after the jump. PREVIOUSLY: At the risk of sounding like the 21st century equivalent of the guy who booed Dylan at Newport for going electric, I should disclose up front that I am not a fan of the super-dense seven-layer cake of sound of Bon Iver’s new self-titled album, though not for lack of trying. For me, the beatific, naked-bulb bedroom folk of 2008?s For Emma, Forever Ago remains definitive proof that less is more. Bon Iver mainman Justin Vernon is in full possession of the most heartbreakingly beautiful falsetto […]