THE RISING: The Boss with Choir, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. 2:40 PM “Lincoln was a quiet man, but when he spoke of democracy this is what he said — ‘As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.’ ” — TOM HANKS * U2: Pride (In The Name Of Love)/City Of Blinding Lights HEAR YE: First single from new U2
THEATER: Top 5 Reasons To See Mauckingbird Theather Company’s Production Of Hedda Gabler
1. Hedda Gabler, Femme Fatale and Conflicted Mistress Hedda Gabler is the portrait of a woman suffocating from boredom and dissatisfaction, not to mention struggling with feelings for other women. Her marriage, even in its post honeymoon stages, is a nattily dressed drag going quickly lackluster. Her husband, George Tesman, is clueless and insufferably gay (in the antiquated sense of the word) such that Hedda seeks out ways to avoid his company—since, well, she prefers the company of women. In fact, Hedda’s attraction to women—Eilert Lovborg in particular, a women who dresses in men’s clothes and lives life with abandon—seems […]
LOVE TRAIN: The Man Comes Around
YES WE DID: 30th Street Station, 11 AM, Saturday [Photo by VIC SUEDE] jonathan — I have some exciting news to share about the future of this grassroots movement. I recorded a personal message for you. Please take a minute to watch the video: http://my.barackobama.com/thefuture What you built can’t stop now. Together with our partners at the Democratic National Committee and its new chairman, Governor Tim Kaine, this movement will continue organizing and bringing new people into the political process. The challenges facing our country are too great, and our journey to change America is just beginning. I look forward […]
We Know It’s Only Rock N’ Roll But We Like It
RABBIT REDUX: Frightened Rabbit, JB’s, Last Night [Photo by CHRIS Z.] BY CHRIS ZAKORCHEMNY As Scott Hutchinson struck the first chords of “The Modern Leper,” adrenaline shot through my spine. It’s that moment of a quiet verve that feels like hope in your lungs. Judging by the smiles, ‘woos’ and out of tune singing of the sold out crowd around me, it was as if each one of us had “a disease I can’t shake.” Not that we wanted to. The song blistered through its four minutes, and had me wondering what this band was doing at Johnny Brenda’s last […]
WEEKEND UPDATE: The Good News Flower Hour
The Good News Flower Hour #5 After a holiday hiatus, The Good News Flower Hour returns with all the news of the week that fits — in a five minute cartoon narrated by a flower that sounds JUST LIKE ME! You’re welcome.
PHAWKER TAWK: Department Of Eagles
DEPARTMENT OF EAGLES began in 2000, when New York University assigned freshmen Fred Nicolaus and Daniel Rossen to share a room. To pass the time during an uneventful spring semester, the two began making music together, collecting samples and turning them into songs. In 2004 Daniel joined the group Grizzly Bear as a singer, guitarist and songwriter. In the meantime, Fred was working a 9-5 job and opening a savings account. However, after work he would record ideas and email them to Daniel, who was also working on a new batch of material between tours, much of which felt far […]
USELESS INFORMATION: You Need This In Your Life
[Click image to activate Internet] Just what David Lee Roth always needed: An ON/OFF switch. More fun than yarn ball in a room full of kittens!
CINEMA: Big Pimpin’
Notorious (2009, directed by George Tillman Jr. 100 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Get a jump on mid-90’s nostalgia and catch the new biopic of slain hip-hop icon Biggie Smalls, Notorious. It’s 1994, George Foreman is the heavyweight champion, Tonya Harding and O.J. Simpson dominate the headlines. West Coast-based artists Tupac Shakur and Dr. Dre are at the top of the game when Sean “Puffy” Combs and The Notorious B.I.G. drop Biggie’s debut Ready To Die, drawing attention back to the rap game’s East Coast roots. Over the next few years this East Coast versus West Coast feud […]
PROM 1984: Jennifer Aniston
[via BUZZFEED] Funny, we also went to the prom in 1984 and our date looked a lot like this. It pains us to admit it, but we looked like Duran Duran. Or tried to. Man, this is like the time we went to see Jon Stewart at the Tower and he comes and says,’Man, it’s great to be back. Last time I was here I was third row for the Alarm.’ Fuck! We where at that show! Christ, we were hoping to take that to the grave. Oh well, live and learn. Sooner or later, we all 86’d the mousse […]
FADE TO BLACK: Don’t Let The Door Hit Your Ass
CNN: As President Bush prepares to leave office, three quarters of Americans have a parting thought: “Good riddance.” Asked their view of President Bush at the end of his presidency, 75 percent said they are glad he is leaving, according to a CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll taken in December. Only 23 percent said they will miss him. MORE TOM SHALES: Only his remaining ardent supporters would probably classify last night’s TV appearance by President Bush as reality television. On the other hand, detractors — a sizable group, judging by popularity polls — would likely say George W. Bush‘s farewell to […]
IN THE DRINK: Send Lawyers, Guns And Money!
[Photo via TWITTER] NEW YORK TIMES: A US Airways plane that took off Thursday at 3:26 p.m. from La Guardia Airport landed in the Hudson River five minutes later, where it remains mostly submerged. Ferries and other boats converged to help with a rescue effort, as the plane drifted south in the water. Initial reports from police and people at the scene suggest that many of the people on the plane appeared to have escaped. MORE UPDATE: FAA reports that all passengers have been rescued, with no fatalities. Initial reports indicate a flock of geese may gotten sucked up in […]
HEAR YE: Coconut Records Davy
Now playing on PHAWKER RADIO! Get it HERE. ALL MUSIC GUIDE: Three years after his departure from Phantom Planet, musician/actor Jason Schwartzman returned to L.A.’s pop-loving circles with the solo project Coconut Records. Schwartzman had launched Phantom Planet in 1994 and served as the band’s drummer for nearly a decade, simultaneously furthering his acting career with roles in Rushmore, CQ, Slackers, S1m0ne, and Spun. The offers increased once he left Phantom Planet‘s lineup in 2003, but Schwartzman nevertheless had trouble shaking music from his system. With Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger serving as producer, he decamped to Malibu during the summer […]