From the indispensable folks at MEDIA MATTERS.
STOP THE PRESSES: NY Times To Close Boston Globe
UPDATE: After reaching tentative agreement early Monday with several unions at The Boston Globe, The New York Times Company has postponed its threat to start the process of closing the paper in 60 days, although talks with the biggest union are continuing. In negotiations that went past the midnight deadline set by the company, deals were struck with three unions representing more than 500 mailers, drivers and press operators. More than ever, the fate of the paper appears to turn on talks with the Boston Newspaper Guild, which represents more than 600 newsroom, advertising and business office workers. The company […]
OFFICIAL: It’s Here — Now What?
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Health officials confirmed Pennsylvania’s first case of swine flu Sunday in a 31-year-old man in suburban Philadelphia’s Montgomery County. Gov. Ed Rendell told reporters at a late afternoon news conference that the man had recently arrived from Mexico but had recovered. State health officials said they are investigating seven more probable cases of the illness, including the first outside of the Philadelphia area , two cases in Philadelphia, two cases in Montgomery County and one each in Bucks County, Lycoming and Luzerne counties. Pennsylvania Health Secretary Everette James urged residents to remain calm and said officials are taking […]
LIVE REVIEW: Philadanco’s Movers & Shakers
BY AARON STELLA There are some works of art, so exquisite and unique, that they warrant a review fitted to their specific abstraction. Such was the case April 30th of my viewing of Philadanco’s 39th annual round of spring performances, “Movers and Shakers”, which consisted of three world premieres and one company premiere performance. And so, I give you something a little different: Red Envelope (World Premiere) The faded beige curtains ascended and the house lights dimmed to total blackness. I glanced at my program before all sources of light were extinguished, catching that the first dance was entitled Red […]
WEEK IN REVIEW: The Good News Flower Hour
The Good News Flower Hour #19 The week that was in just five minutes! Prepare to smile. You know you wanna.
CINEMA: Heavy Metal Blunder
ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL (2009, directed by Sacha Gervasi, 90 minutes, U.S.) X-MEN ORIGINS: THE WOLVERINE (2009, directed by Gavin Hood, 107 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Audiences seem torn between laughter and admiration when introduced to the Canadian metal band Anvil, the unlikely stars of this critically acclaimed new documentary. In the early 80’s the band briefly ran with giants like Metallica and Bon Jovi. Where many bands around them climbed the highest peaks of success, Anvil has soldiered on through a couple of decades of unbroken decline, still playing regularly at sports bars and weddings, […]
CONCERT REVIEW: As Emo As They Wanna Be
BY KYLEE MESSNER & DIANCA POTTS Taking the stage of the sold out Troc, Denver trio Single File subjected early show goers to subpar pop rock comprised of catchy cliché backbeats and worn out breakdowns. Would be stand-ins for emo all-stars Saves the Day, Warminster four piece the Traded Series served up a set of energetic anthems, complete with tone deaf vocals, power chords and leftover teenage angst. Prefacing their exit with a bit of self-advertising, the Traded Series’ “Let Go” failed to wow the crowd but managed to stir up a nostalgic throwback to high school basement shows and […]
BREAKING: Supreme Court Justice Souter To Retire
NPR: NPR has learned that Supreme Court Justice David Souter is planning to retire at the end of the court’s current term. The court has completed hearing oral arguments for the year and will be issuing rulings and opinions until the end of June. Souter is expected to remain on the bench until a successor has been chosen and confirmed, which may or may not be accomplished before the court reconvenes in October. At 69, Souter is nowhere near the oldest member of the court, but he has made clear to friends for some time now that he wanted to […]
HEADS UP: You Have Just One Hour Left To Talk On Your Cellphone While Mowing Down Pedestrians
INQUIRER: At 4 p.m. today Mayor Nutter is slated to sign a bill that would ban the use of hand-held cellphones while driving, as well as bicycling or skating. First-time offenders would get hit up with a $150 fine, with a $300 fine for second offenses. The law will go into effect immediately, but the city will delay enforcement while it launches an information campaign of unspecified duration, a spokeswoman said. Citing a Harvard University study, the National Safety Council estimates that drivers using cell phones are about four times more likely to get into a wreck. Five states, including […]
THE KILLS: U R A Fever
At the TLA Friday. Sweet.
PAPERBOY: Slow-Jamming The Alt-Weeklies
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 […]
LIVE AND LET DIE: Chrysler Goes Bankrupt
WASHINGTON POST: Chrysler, one of the three pillars of the American auto industry, will file for bankruptcy after last-minute negotiations between the government and the automaker’s creditors broke down last night. U.S. officials had offered Chrysler’s secured lenders $2.25 billion in cash if they would agree to writedown the $6.9 billion in secured debt that the company owed. But a small group of hedge funds refused the 11th-hour deal, forcing an imminent bankruptcy. An administration official this morning expressed disappointment, saying the holdouts had failed to “do the right thing,” but that “their failure to act in either their own […]
GADJET: More Twitter Quitters Than Repeat Tweeters
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Twitter quitters outnumber the flock of habitual tweeters on the rapidly growing online communications service, a new study suggests. Most people aren’t joining the Web site’s jumble of conversations for very long. More than 60 percent of Twitter’s U.S. users don’t return a month later, based on an analysis of traffic trends unveiled this week by the research firm Nielsen Online. The lackluster retention rate of 40 percent suggests many people don’t see the point in spending time on Twitter, which allows anyone to write about what they’re doing or what’s on their mind in messages, or “tweets,” […]