[Dig! trailer] BJM plays the Troc tomorrow night, with special guests the Asteroid #4.
MASSACRE: Gunman Kills 14 At Immigration Center
PRESSCONNECTS: At least twelve people are dead after a gunman went on a shooting spree inside the American Civic Center in Binghamton, [New York] according to preliminary information from state police. A federal law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Associated Press the shooter has been found dead in the building. The law enforcement official said the gunman entered the building through the front while firing. He had already blocked the back door with his car. At one point more than 40 hostages were being held in the building at 131 Front Street — 15 in […]
CINEMA: Our Daily Film Fest Picks
IL DIVO (2008, directed by Paolo Sorrento, 118 minutes, U.S.) No film at the Festival screams “Masterpiece” quite like this audacious docudrama about the former Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti. Andreotti is a political legend in Italy, serving as Prime Minister three times, with his last term ending in disgrace in 1992 when his Christian Democratic Party dissolved in the fallout of allegations of mob ties and the “Bribesville” scandal. You’d be forgiven for believing that this prizewinner from last year’s Cannes Film Festival would be a dry bore yet director Paolo Sorrento has transformed this political bio into the […]
NPR 4 THE DEF: Giving Public Radio Edge Since 2006
FRESH AIR Leonard Cohen is touring the U.S. for the first time in 15 years. The deep-voiced musician, best known for writing songs that straddle the folk-rock fence, has produced numerous albums and written several books of poetry. He has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the U.S. Here, Cohen joins Fresh Air host Terry Gross to talk about his poetry, his songwriting and his time at a retreat called the Zen Center. This interview was first broadcast on May 22, 2006. ROCK SNOB ENCYCLOPEDIA: COHEN, LEONARD — […]
WHY WE FIGHT: Videotape Surfaces Of Taliban Flogging A 17-Year-Old Girl For Adultery
TIMESONLINE: This grainy footage appears to show a 17-year-old girl being beaten by Islamic radicals in Pakistan’s northwestern region of Swat, where Sharia law was introduced after the government reached a truce with the Taleban in February. A local Taleban commander in the militant stronghold of Matta, 25 miles from the regional capital, Mingora, ordered the girl to be flogged a week ago after accusing her of adultery, according to local r More..eporters. But some residents of Matta have accused the commander of ordering the beating to get revenge after the girl refused to accept his proposal of marriage. “Please! Enough! […]
BEING THERE: The Good News Flower Hour
The week that was in just five minutes, hosted by a stoned daisy with the obligatory voice of gawd. Funny. Sad. Good for you. GNHF is on hiatus this week, look for it next Friday.
NEWS CLUES: Like A Celebrity Adoption Of The Truth
TECH CRUNCH: Twitter To Get Googled? Reports on TechCrunch claim that Google is in advanced negotiations to acquire micro-blogging site Twitter. Citing two separate sources, TechCrunch said that the asking price is more than the $250m (£170m) valuation that Twitter’s recent round of funding would suggest. A third source, however, recently added to the TechCrunch report, suggests that talks are only in the early stages. Twitter has recently reworked its search feature, prompting many to think that this makes the firm more appealing to potential suitors. Search facilities have been added to the ‘tweet’ pages, and users can search tweets […]
SNEAK PEEK: Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno
Possibly NSFW, depending on where you W.
CINEMA: Our Daily Film Fest Picks
KASSIM THE DREAM (2008, directed by Kief Davidson, 87 minutes, U.S.) Forrest Whitttaker produced this documentary about the unlikely journey of Ugandan born Junior Middleweight Champ Kassim “The Dream” Ouma. Kidnapped from his school at the age of six and forced to become a lethal soldier in the Ugandan army, Kassim eventually defected to the U.S. while on a military boxing tour. Kassim ended up wandering into a Virginia gym where his boxing talents gave him a recipe for The American Dream. Kassim gives us a triumphant tale yet peppers the success with the reality that a childhood this profoundly […]
NEW WORLD ORDER: Revolution To Be Accessorized
FINANCIAL TIMES: Markets surged on Thursday as world leaders agreed a sweeping package of measures to fight the global recession, including a $250bn increase in the international money supply. Gordon Brown, UK prime minister and host of the G20 summit in London, claimed that the deal marked the emergence of a “new world order” as he announced a range of moves, including a pledge to give a $500bn boost to International Monetary Fund to help struggling emerging economies. In Asia, stocks surged ahead of the summit, with Hong Kong shares’ seeing their biggest daily advance in four months.The rallies continued […]
PAPERBOY: Super Asstastic ‘Get Wells Soon’ 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 […]
SOMEBODY ISN’T TELLING THE TRUTH: Eagles Say ‘Deal’ Was Struck With City; Street Says ‘No Deal’
INQUIRER: Former Mayor John F. Street said yesterday that he had struck no agreement with the Eagles to substantially reduce the team’s $8 million debt to the city during private negotiations years ago that led to the building of Lincoln Financial Field. “I didn’t cut a secret deal. There was no deal. We didn’t make a deal. . . . And if I had agreed to a deal, I would have put it in writing,” Street said last night during a rare City Hall appearance. “The one thing I did commit to,” he continued, “is we would absolutely make a […]
What Part Of ‘On The Record’ Don’t You Understand?
Temple J-schooler notes Philadelphia police officer’s racial slurs during a patrol car ridealong in the article she wrote about it. Sh*t hits fan. To wit: The stories of police brutality are easier to believe when Thrasher and his colleagues interact. “TNS” is the code they use for many of their cases. When Thrasher arrives at Arthur’s Dog House on Germantown Avenue in response to a midday call about an escalating argument; the cook greets him by saying the fighting couple has already left. “Nobody died,” he tells her dismissively. Thrasher’s lieutenant drives by as Thrashers slides back into the seat […]