WASHINGTON POST: So the birthers, the anti-tax tea-partiers, the town hall hecklers — these are “either” the genuine grass roots or evil conspirators staging scenes for YouTube? The quiver on the lips of the man pushing the wheelchair, the crazed risk of carrying a pistol around a president — too heartfelt to be an act. The lockstep strangeness of the mad lies on the protesters’ signs — too uniform to be spontaneous. They are both. If you don’t understand that any moment of genuine political change always produces both, you can’t understand America, where the crazy tree blooms in every […]
CINEMA: Plan 9 From Outer Space
DISTRICT 9 (2009, directed by Neill Blomkamp, 112 minutes, South Africa/New Zealand) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC For a genre that thrives on imagining new worlds, it is disheartening to see how derivative most modern sci-fi films are, happy to cobble together their scenarios from pieces of The Matrix, X-Files, Alien or whatever other proven blockbusters are lying around. After its cryptic ad campaign I was hoping District 9 was going to be an exception, and at least its Johannesburg slum setting is a novel location for the genre. The apartheid metaphor takes District 9 a fair distance before its […]
TONITE: Passion Pit Stop
BY AMY Z. QUINN If we’re talking football — and isn’t everyone in Philadelphia talking football right now — this is the time of year for two-a-days, the brutal cram session practices designed to whip a team into shape as the season’s kickoff looms ever larger on the calendar. And while the members of Passion Pit, the Boston five-piece electro dance-pop outfit, weren’t discussing the NFL’s dramz yesterday while traveling from Canada to Philly for their first shows in town, they were in for a two-a-day here Saturday. Passion Pit, as the already legendary story goes, began as a four-song […]
HOW MANY ROADS MUST ONE MAN WALK BEFORE YOU CALL HIM A MAN: Dylan Hassled By Shore Cops
ASSOCIATED PRESS: Dylan was in Long Branch, about a two-hour drive south of New York City, on July 23 as part of a tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp that was to play at a baseball stadium in nearby Lakewood. A 24-year-old police officer apparently was unaware of who Dylan is and asked him for identification, Long Branch business administrator Howard Woolley said Friday. “I don’t think she was familiar with his entire body of work,” Woolley said. The incident began at 5 p.m. when a resident said a man was wandering around a low-income, predominantly minority neighborhood several […]
OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES: 10 Year Old Damon Weaver Interviews The President Of The United States
Putting aside, for a moment, all our well-earned cynicism about politicians kissing babies and using cute little kids as props, the fact that this even happened kinda brings tears to our eyes. Keep hope alive, Damon!
STUDY: Marijuana Is NOT A Gateway Drug
SCIENCE BLOG: Marijuana is not a “gateway” drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. Moreover, the study’s findings call into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades and caused many a parent to panic upon discovering a bag of pot in their child’s bedroom. The Pitt researchers tracked 214 boys beginning at ages 10-12, all of whom eventually used either legal or illegal drugs. When the boys reached age 22, they were categorized into three groups: those who used only alcohol or tobacco, […]
LET THE DOGS OUT: Eagles Sign Michael Vick
USA TODAY: Philadelphia Eagles spokesman Derek Boyko confirmed to USA TODAY via email that the team has signed the former Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl Quarterback. ESPN is reporting that the Eagles have signed Vick to a two-year deal. Vick’s agent, Joel Segal, confirmed the signing to ESPN. Fox is reporting that the first year of the deal is worth $1.6 million. The Eagles have a team option for a second year at $5.2 million. MORE RELATED: How Michael Vick Went Bankrupt Amount jailed star quarterback Michael Vick spent from July ‘06 to July ‘08, according to recent bankruptcy papers: $17.7 […]
ARTHUR KADE: The Journey (Part One)
First installment of the Arthur Kade mockumentary by Kevin Brueck. PREVIOUSLY: AMERICAN ASSHOLE: Q&A With Arthur Kade PREVIOUSLY: MAILBAG: Throw Another Kade On The Barbie, Mate
BREAKING: Edwards To Admit Fathering Love Child
CBS NEWS: Former North Carolina Senator and Democratic Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards is expected to admit that he is the father of the 18-month-old daughter of former mistress Rielle Hunter, sources tell CBS affiliate WRAL. MORE
THE EARLY WORD: Quoth The Raven
In preparation of the world premiere of their Edgar Allan Poe-based production Haunted Poe (October 1 – November 1, 2009), Brat Productions will host a walking tour through Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue) on August 20 at dusk. The “candle lit” tour (bring your own flashlight) of the grounds will explore Poe literature, anecdotes and his life in Philadelphia. The event is free but space is limited. To attend, RSVPs must be sent to rsvp@bratproductions.org, or call (215) 627-2577. A rain date is set for August 27. [DETAILS AFTER THE JUMP]
LOST IN TRANSLATION: Letter From Tokyo
[Photos by EVA LIAO] EDITOR’S NOTE: Longtime Phawker editrix EVA LIAO is currently living in Tokyo where she is learning to speak and write Japanese as a certified business communicator. From time to time she sends dispatches back to the home office detailing her adventures and observations as a stranger in a strange land. Dear People Who Read Phawker, If, for whatever reason, you plan on visiting Tokyo in the near future, here are the Top Ten things you should know. 1. There is no such thing as a non-smoking establishment in Tokyo. Without all the stateside taxes, a pack […]
Rock N’ Roll Game-Changer Les Paul Dead At 94
Les Paul & Mary Ford Show: World Is Waiting For The Sunrise NEW YORK TIMES: Mr. Paul was a remarkable musician as well as a tireless tinkerer. He played guitar with leading prewar jazz and pop musicians from Louis Armstrong to Bing Crosby. In the 1930s he began experimenting with guitar amplification, and by 1941 he had built what was probably the first solid-body electric guitar, although there are other claimants. With his electric guitar and the vocals of his wife, Mary Ford, he used overdubbing, multitrack recording and new electronic effects to create a string of hits in the […]
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 […]