ABC NEWS: The quake’s epicentre was only 16 kilometres from the capital Port-au-Prince. About 4 million people live in the city and surrounding area. The 7.0 magnitude quake, the most powerful to hit Haiti in more than 200 years according to the US Geological Survey, toppled the presidential palace and hillside shanties alike and has left the Caribbean nation appealing for international help. The International Red Cross in Geneva has warned that with roads blocked and almost all communication lines down, it is extremely difficult to accurately assess the situation in Haiti. It believes up to 3 million people could […]
MEDIA: Conan Vs. The Barbarians
UPDATE: Hours after releasing a statement that he will not do “The Tonight Show” if his new airtime is 12:05 a.m., late night comedian Conan O’Brien took to the airwaves pulling no punches. After receiving more applause than usual, O’Brien urged his fans to settle down, quipping that “I may not have that much time.” His employer, NBC, had planned to unceremoniously oust the host from his 11:35 p.m. ET time slot come February to make room for a Jay Leno program. “My name is Conan O’Brien and I may soon be available for children’s parties,” he announced. He then […]
New York Times Editorial Questions Penn Study Questioning The Effectiveness Of Anti-Depressants
NEW YORK TIMES: Last week, The Journal of the American Medical Association published a study questioning the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs. The drugs are useful in cases of severe depression, it said. But for most patients, those with mild to moderate cases, the most commonly used antidepressants are generally no better than a placebo. […] And the real test of an antidepressant is not just whether it can lift someone out of depression; it is whether it can keep depression from returning. For a vast majority of people with depression, the illness is chronic. Relapses and low-level symptoms between episodes […]
CELEBUTARD: Cybil Shepherd’s Son Arrested For Robbing Fellow Passengers On Flight To Philly
STAR: Cybill Shepherd’s son [pictured above in his mother’s arms, circa 1987] was grounded at Philadelphia International Airport Tuesday after being accused of stealing from the carry-on bags of his fellow passengers. Cyrus “Zack” Shepherd-Oppenheim – the 22-year-old son of the Moonlighting star – rifled through the luggage of two sleeping travelers during a flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia on Monday night, two witnesses told authorities. In one case, he allegedly stole a Canon from a woman and dumped the rest of her things – including a makeup bag – in the trash can of a plane bathroom. From […]
BACK FROM THE GRAVE: Roky Erickson Teams Up With Okkervil River For New Album
ANTI RECORDS: Legendary musician Roky Erickson triumphantly returns on April 20th with the Anti Records release True Love Cast Out All Evil his first new album in fourteen years. Produced by Will Sheff and featuring his band Okkervil River backing Erickson, the record is comprised largely of unreleased songs that Austin, Texas native Erickson wrote throughout his decades-long career — detailing with heart-breaking candor a harrowing life that has included shock treatment, imprisonment, mental illness, and irreversible loss. With a wisdom that can only be marshaled by someone who has been through all of the this, Erickson also interjects the […]
New Jersey Medical Marijuana Looks Like A Done Deal
INQUIRER: New Jersey is set become the 14th state in the nation to allow medical use of marijuana, under a bill approved yesterday by legislators. Gov. Corzine is expected to sign the bill during his last week in office. The law, which advocates have worked for years to get passed, would go into effect six months later. Last February, the state Senate approved a medical-marijuana bill with bipartisan support. But after critics raised concerns that the bill could allow marijuana to become too readily available, sponsors tightened restrictions. The Assembly voted in favor of the bill by 48-14, while the […]
CONCERT REVIEW: Julian Casablancas At The Troc
BY JAMIE DAVIS Julian Casablancas must be feeling good considering all the end-of-decade praise his band The Strokes are getting for their debut album, the generation-defining Is This It. He certainly looked like he felt good on Saturday night at the Trocadero, giving us the good old rockstar poses he perfected years ago. And really, this is part of what makes him unique, that he is willing to act like a genuine rockstar, throwing his drinks at the lights with nothing more than a sarcastic “oops.” For the last song before the encore he even climbed up on the stack […]
ARTIE LANGE: Hurt
PREVIOUSLY: God Save Artie Lange, Please
HEAR YE: Vampire Weekend Contra
Out today on XL Recordings. Now playing on Phawker Radio! SIMON REYNOLDS: Already I hear the naysayers bleating, “Something New?! But they’re so derivative!” (This, from Deerhunter fans.) No new instruments have been invented, it’s true, and here and there on Vampire Weekend, you’ll pick up a faint scent of things you might have heard before: a bounce of Beat in “A-Punk,” Orange Juice’s just-brushed sheen, Monochrome Set’s suave wit. The most common reference point (apart from Graceland, which seemingly crops up because it’s the sole example of African-influenced rock most people know) is early Talking Heads. And that’s a […]
$300 YouTube Video Snares Unknown Director 5 Million Views And $30 Million Hollywood Deal
BBC: A producer from Uruguay who uploaded a short film to YouTube in November 2009 has been offered a $30m (£18.6m) contract to make a Hollywood film. The movie will be sponsored by director Sam Raimi, whose credits include the Spiderman and Evil Dead films. Fede Alvarez’s short film “Ataque de Panico!” (Panic Attack!) featured giant robots invading and destroying Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay. It is 4 mins 48 seconds long and was made on a budget of $300 (£186). So far it has had more than 5 million views on YouTube. “I uploaded (Panic Attack!) on a Thursday […]
SPORTO: Iggles Post-Mortem
BY MIKE WOLVERTON SPORTS GUY Overmatched. Outschemed. Outmuscled. Outcoached. Outplayed. Outclassed. It seemed like the Eagles never had a chance. They did have a chance, early on, if they could have moved the ball. But apparently this offense, which set a team record for points scored, was only built to run up big numbers against crappy teams. Against the Cowboys, Donovan had no time. He was frequently able to buy time, but when he did, he would invariably let loose with an off-balance bullet that failed to hit the target. The Cowboys were carving up the Eagles’ defense, but sacks […]
CINEMA: The 12 Best Films Of A Dreadful Decade
BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC My friends shake their heads a bit when I admit my geeky love for the format of the laserdisc. The laserdisc, with its 12” LP-sized discs, was in production between 1978 (Jaws was the first title) and the year 2000 (when Sleepy Hollow and Bringing Out the Dead being the format’s final releases), giving consumers their first chance to see movies at home digitally. The format has been discontinued for a decade now but its death coincides with the a major downturn in U.S. film that has gone unnoticed in all this “Best of the […]