BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC One good drink deserves another and when the original Hangover grossed nearly half a billion dollars in 2009, it was a sure thing that the Wolfpack was going to be back for a second round. Phil, Stu, and Alan are definitely the guys with which you still love to party yet how ironic that a film about cutting loose should be so unimaginative about how to run wild. It’s the difference between the expectations of a film that costs 40 million dollars and has no stars and being a $80 million dollar film that’s […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
Raphael Saadiq, Electric Factory, last night by JONATHAN VALANIA BY JONATHAN VALANIA FOR THE INQUIRER If there is anything that Raphael Saadiq can’t do, it is only a slight exaggeration to say that scientists have yet to discover it. Sing? Check. Pipes of gold. Write songs? Check. Everything from classic old-school soul readymades to new-school R&B bump-and-grind. Play guitar? Check. He shreds like Ike Turner minus the coke and violence. Produce? Check. In addition to giving his own records a vintage Motown flavor, he’s twiddled the knobs for everyone from D’Angelo and Joss Stone to Macy Gray and Mary J. […]
RECKONING: Ratko Mladic, Europe’s Most Wanted War Criminal, Captured After 15 Years On The Run
NEW YORK TIMES: Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb general accused of war crimes including masterminding the massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys at Srebrenica in 1995, has been captured in Serbia after more than 15 years as one of the world’s most wanted fugitives. Serbian news reports said that Mr. Mladic had been living under the name of Milorad Komadic and that he was captured in the small farming town of Lazarevo in Vojvodina, the Serbian province north of Belgrade, after authorities received a tip that the man known as Komadic resembled Mr. Mladic and had identification […]
Pedo Priest Scandal Rocks Archdioces Run By Pope’s Right Hand Man On Reforming Abusive Priests
LA STAMPA: The latest sex-abuse case to rock the Catholic Church is unfolding in the archdiocese of an influential Italian Cardinal who has been working with Pope Benedict XVI on reforms to respond to prior scandals of pedophile priests. Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51-year-old parish priest in the village of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, was arrested last Friday, May 13, on pedophilia and drug charges. Investigators say that in tapped mobile-phone conversations, Seppia asked a Moroccan drug dealer to arrange sexual encounters with young and vulnerable boys. “I do not want 16-year-old boys but younger. Fourteen-year-olds are O.K. Look for […]
ARAB SPRING: The Trouble With Saudi Arabia
BLOOMBERG NEWS: In his speech last week on the Middle East, President Barack Obama left little doubt that America stands with the people of the region in their demand for change. This puts the U.S. on a collision course with Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has emerged as the leader of a new rejectionist front that is determined to defeat popular demand for reform. One would have expected Iran to lead such a front, but instead it is America’s closest Arab ally in the region that is seeking to defeat our policy. Though the president made no mention of Saudi Arabia […]
GASLAND: Who Died & Made Grover Norquist Elvis?
[Illustration by DONKEY HOTEY] PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: Gov. Tom Corbett may be seeking opinions from his shale commission whether the state Senate-proposed drilling impact fee is a tax, but the group whose no-tax pledge he signed has issued its decree: it breaks the pledge. “Make no mistake, this proposal is a tax increase based on any honest and objective analysis,” Norquist wrote in a letter to Sen. Mary Jo White, whose committee would need to approve the impact fee, and other lawmakers. “As such, a vote in favor of Senate Bill 1100 also represents a violation of the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, […]
BOOKS: How To Spot A Psychopath
THE GUARDIAN: It was visiting hour at Broadmoor psychiatric hospital and patients began drifting in to sit with their loved ones at tables and chairs that had been fixed to the ground. They were mostly overweight, wearing loose, comfortable T-shirts and elasticated sweatpants. There probably wasn’t much to do in Broadmoor but eat. I wondered if any of them were famous. Broadmoor was where they sent Ian Brady, the Moors murderer, and Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper. A man in his late 20s walked towards me. His arm was outstretched. He wasn’t wearing sweatpants. He was wearing a pinstripe jacket and trousers. He […]
LISTEN LIKE THIEVES: Free Bob
2011 is turning out to be quite a year for Robert Pollard. The hugely successful Guided By Voices reunion tour is doing victory laps at Pitchfork, Northside, Hopscotch and Sasquatch Festivals, a tribute album is coming out for Record Store Day (including Pollard covers by Flaming Lips, Lou Barlow, David Kilgour, James Husband, Blitzen Trapper, Thurston Moore), and, believe it not, new White House Spokesman Jay Carney declared in a press conference that he’s obsessed with Guided By Voices. January, February and March saw three remarkable albums by Pollard projects (as well as a live Guided By Voices triple-LP) and […]
ARTSY: Judith Schaecter, Local Post-Punk Stained Glass Sorceress, Tapped For Venice Biennale
[“You Are Here” by JUDITH SCHAECTER] Claire Oliver Gallery is proud to announce the inclusion of Gallery artists Judith Schaechter and Bernardi Roig in this year’s edition of the Venice Biennale. The artists’ works will be included in Glasstress, an exhibition at the Palazzo Cavalli Franchetti. RELATED: The Venice Biennale has for over a century been one of the most prestigious cultural institutions in the world. Established in 1895, the Biennale has an attendance today of over 370,000 visitors at the Art Exhibition. MORE PREVIOUSLY: Judith Schaechter is a world renowned stained glass artist who has resided here in Philadelphia […]
EARLY WORD: Maximum R&B
Raphael Saadiq plays The Electric Factory tomorrow night.
RIP: Mikey Wild, Mayor Of South Street, Is Dead
Sad news. After a years-long battle with lung cancer, Mikey passed away this morning. A celebration of his music and art will be held at Pageant Soloveev on June 18th. PHILADELPHIA WEEKLY: Some people are scared to talk to Mikey Wild. Maybe it’s because he’s a living, breathing South Philly legend. Or maybe it’s because he can be an ornery guy who threatens to burn you with his lighter if he takes a dislike to you. But some awe is in order, as Wild is the crazy dean of the South Philadelphia punk scene, making his living as a local […]
NO MERCY: T-Paw Courageously* Vetoes Minnesota Medical Marijuana For The Terminally Ill
MINNESOTA INDEPENDENT: Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill to legalize marijuana for terminally ill patients late Friday evening, saying he sides with law enforcement opposition to the bill. Bill proponents say they will introduce a constitutional amendment to bypass the governor, noting overwhelming popular support in the state on the issue. “While I am sympathetic to those dealing with end-of-life illnesses and accompanying pain, I stand with law enforcement in opposition to this legislation,” Pawlenty said in his veto letter. MORE RELATED: Joni Whiting, whose testimony of finding marijuana for her dying daughter brought tears to many legislators’ eyes, had […]
TONITE: Being Bradley Manning
FRONTLINE: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has become internationally recognized since the publication last year of thousands of secret U.S. documents. But Bradley Manning, the Army private alleged to have provided the documents, remains largely a mystery. Who is Bradley Manning? How did he come into contact with a trove of secrets and, allegedly, with WikiLeaks? And what might have motivated the largest leak of classified information in American history? Investigating those questions for tonight’s film WikiSecrets — check local listings — FRONTLINE sought to understand Manning through extensive interviews with his father, friends and others he confided in during the […]