|
MUSIC | Evidence |
The Weatherman LP
| By Dan
Grskovic
For
those of you who
don’t know Dilated
Peoples, you’re
missing out. And if
you don’t know
Dilated Peoples, you
definitely don’t
know Evidence, one
of the three members
of the veteran
group. In his first
solo project, The
Weatherman LP, the
L.A. native
showcases his
lyrical proficiency
over heartfelt
beats. In a genre
currently crippled
with ignorance and
catch phrases,
Evidence serves to
enlighten the masses
with intellectual
word play. With
beats provided
largely by
Alchemist, the white
MC stepped his game
up to deliver a
solid solo effort
that can be listened
to without skipping
ahead on your iPod.
Be sure to check out
gems such as
“Perfect Storm”
featuring Rakaa
Iriscience of
Dilated Peoples, and
“Chase the Clouds
Away.” 4 1/2 out
of 5 stars suckaaaa
TOP OF PAGE
SHOWS | When it
“Raines,” it pours |
By Francesca Bruno
Silver-screen star
Jeff Goldblum (“The
Fly,” “The Lost
World: Jurassic
Park,” “Independence
Day,” “The Life
Aquatic with Steve
Zissou”) is Michael
Raines, an
unconventional LAPD
detective who
focuses on murder
cases in such an
intense way that the
victims actually
begin to take shape
and communicate with
him. Is he losing
his mind? His
therapist, Samantha
Kohl (Madeleine
Stowe, “The Last of
the Mohicans,” “We
Were Soldiers”)
seems to share his
concerns. Raines
has a difficult time
accepting this gift,
as his vast
imagination helps
him track down his
victims’ killers.
Emmy
Award-winning
executive
producer-writer
Graham Yost (“Band
of Brothers,” “From
the Earth to the
Moon,” “Boomtown”)
steers this police
drama away from the
herd by adding a
blend of
Goldblum-esque wit
and charm to the
traditional
procedural.
Familiar faces
include MADtv’s
Nicole Sullivan, who
plays clever Carolyn
Crumley, a civilian
employee of the
station; the
argumentative
Officer Remi Boyer (Dov
Davidoff, “Third
Watch”); and Boyer’s
accommodating
partner, Officer
Michelle Lance
(Linda Park, “Star
Trek: Enterprise”).
“Raines” is from NBC
Universal Television
Studio. It airs
Friday nights at
9/8c.
TOP OF PAGE
MOVIES |
“Disturbia”
disturbin’ ya | By
Heather Brown
Disturbia
is a nonstop, edge
of your seat
thriller. Suffering
from the tragic loss
of his father, Kale
finds himself always
getting into
trouble; leading to
his sentence of
house arrest. Being
cooped up in the
house, Kale begins
watching his
neighbors and
discovering each of
their secrets.
However, he learns a
secret he wished he
never witnessed; a
possible murderer as
a neighbor. Packed
with endless amounts
of body jolting
scenes and graphic
violence,
Disturbia is
definitely a
thriller. Shia
LaBeouf (Kale) gives
a riveting
performance and
brings the audience
along for this
investigation of his
neighbors.
Disturbia is a
must see if you’re
looking for those
nerve-racking and
eerie scenes!
WEBSITE | “The
Dugout” | By James
Carusone
It’s
May. The baseball
season is heating
up, and you’re a
casual observer who
doesn’t know the
rules and doesn’t
really like the
game. So how can
you partake in the
hallowed national
pastime?
Enter The Dugout,
a website that
presents fictional
transcripts of Major
League Baseball
players’ AOL Instant
Messenger
conversations.
Here, the
traditional jargon
and statistics
familiar to
seamheads are
eschewed in favor of
crude yet clever
jokes and pop
culture references
galore. The
fabricated chat logs
feature Greg
Maddux’s
reminiscences of his
favorite episodes of
The Fresh Prince
of Bel-Air,
portray Derek Jeter
and Alex Rodriguez
as oft-bickering
lovers, and present
Jessie Spano’s
addiction to
caffeine pills on
Saved by the Bell
as an allegory for
Barry Bond’s alleged
steroid abuse, among
many other offbeat
storylines that
highlight the
invented AIM
personas of a wide
variety of baseball
players past and
present. To
appreciate The
Dugout, baseball
knowledge is
helpful, but a love
of bad ‘90s teen
sitcoms is
essential.
The Dugout
is located at
http:www.wordupthome.com.
TOP OF PAGE
TV
SHOWS | Boston Legal
– Barristers’ and
Buffoonery | By
James Murphy
David E. Kelley has
set the standard for
hi-brow low-blows in
this rich and ribald
comedy/drama about
the practice of law
in the hub city,
site of that famous
tea party. Yea,
christen the
prestigious legal
firm of “Crane,
Poole & Schmidt” as
the “best and
bawdiest” in
Beantown!
The
lead-in music
reverberates with
comic-like taunt,
evoking a pavlovian
smirk in
anticipation of each
new episode. Revel
in irreverence as
the courtroom of the
absurd lampoons
topical issues: the
politically correct
(pc), overzealous
conservatives,
corporate
corruption, liberal
extremism.
The
cast, both new faces
and has-beens from
the archives of
prime-time telly,
boasts a rich
chemistry of
personalities and
persuasions that
will tickle the
funny-bone of
college kids and
parents alike.
Sample a teaser
quiz: Eccentric
philanderer and law
partner Denny Crane
(William Shatner)
has a body-double
blow-up doll
fashioned in the
likeness of what
senior partner of
the firm? Are
Denny’s politically
incorrect blurts due
to his “mad cow
disease”? Can he
ever win the
affection of
Bethany, the
“midget” (mad cow
again!) short
person, he
persistently courts?
Is she his daughter?
Which of
crossdresser
Clarence’s three
personas will show
up at work today?
Why is Jerry
Espenson known as
“hands”, and why did
he try to knife
Shirley Schmidt
(Candice Bergen)?
…And
why does the wily
and iconic womanizer
Alan Shore (James
Spader) invite Denny
for sleepovers?
It
only gets better…see
you Tuesday @ 10
p.m., ch.10.
TOP OF PAGE
MUSIC | The
Caesars Paper
TigerS | By
Jared Adams
On Christmas morning
2003 I got SSX3 for
my PS2 console and
had found a love for
gaming that had been
lost on me for many
months. Not only was
it a fresh and
beautiful looking
game that was just
the purest joy to
play, the music for
the guy that I
snowboarded as was
from another planet.
This
was my first
introduction to The
Caesars, and I know:
what kind of
credibility am I
painting for them in
the mind of an
uninitiated listener
by mentioning it?
Yes it’s true; the
song was on a video
game’s soundtrack.
It was a damn good
video game’s
soundtrack, but a
video game’s
soundtrack
nonetheless.
“Jerk It Out,” was
the song that played
and never did I tire
of it. Little did I
know this song would
not tire of me
either.
It
returned to me
again, two years
later in a dream.
No, my bad, it was
on an iPod shuffle
commercial (even
more street cred!)
that debuted on
youngster-to-college
student-aged
television in the
second semester of
my freshman year of
college.
Alcohol and the
demands of scholarly
pursuits (but mostly
alcohol) had taken a
significant toll on
my mind by this
point in the year
(ok vastly,
basically entirely
alcohol) and the
nostalgia that this
song triggered was a
welcome reprieve
from the black hole
of despair that my
life had become
(yeah…completely,
totally, inescapably
alcohol).
By
late April I had
thankfully fallen
into the unavoidable
crash & burn that
accompanies all
binges and after
psychosis, terror,
excess, brush with
death,
hospitalization,
pain, suffering,
seizures, more brush
with death, more
hospitalization,
withdrawal and
recovery had run
their course…
The
Caesars new album
came out.
Paper Tigers
came to me at a time
when I was
desperately gripping
for something that
bore the slightest
resemblance to
anything that I had
known prior to
falling off the
cliff that I
descended into
throughout that
costly year of my
life.
Never had I found a
work of art so
cohesive, so
lyrically poignant,
or so beautifully,
wonderfully
simplistic. It
shuddered, and then
stood upright, it
grabbed you with a
caustic yet inviting
urgency that showed
you the morning
before the evening
had completely left
you.
It
was essentially, the
way you wished love
could be.
It
began with
hesitation, barely a
whisper, and then
the guitar’s first
chord is struck,
over and over and
over again. Seconds
later, you hear
Cesar speak for the
first time. He’s
really telling you
something, and you
don’t know why, but
somehow you believe
every word he’s
saying. That’s all
it takes. You’re
there for the rest
of the album and you
can’t wait for the
next song.
Before he had
reached the second
verse, I realized
that he was looking
for the same thing I
was. A complete,
total and
uncompromising
return to what he
had once known. To
somehow find
something wild and
alive in the
stability of the
sleepy neighborhood
streets from his
youth.
This
was a theme that
would be maintained
throughout the rest
of the album and the
rest of my summer.
I
feel like John
Cusack in “High
Fidelity,”
organizing his
albums
autobiographically.
And you know what?
It’s a good feeling.
Where’s my Cosby
sweater? I think I’m
gonna put it on.
Following “Spirit,”
the epic opener that
you need to hear to
believe, you’re hit
with “It’s Not The
Fall That Hurts.” It
was a graphic
reminder. The fall
didn’t really hurt
at all until I was
close to the end.
The initial portion
of the fall was a
hoot. Once I allowed
myself to teeter off
the edge, the ground
that would
eventually rise up
to meet me was of no
concern, I was going
to enjoy this fall
and enjoy it to the
fullest.
Sure
enough, “it’s when
you hit the ground”
are the second lines
of this hook. I find
it highly doubtful
that I would have
ever grasped the
meaning of this song
had I come upon it
at any other point
in my life.
I
have never had faith
in the abilities of
psychiatrists. I am
in no place to say
that they do not
work for some
people, but I was
convinced that they
would do nothing for
me. Even after being
diagnosed as a
chronic alcoholic
before my 19th
birthday, I refused
to subject myself to
the scrutiny of one
of those people.
But
I did attend
therapy. I attended
it every time I
played this album.
Suddenly a new drum
beat drops,
perfectly syncopated
snare and bass
compliments the new
riff. “Out There”
connects to you and
you are immediately
cognizant of the
adventurous search
that is taking place
here.
They
are using the music
as a tool for the
lyrics. What a novel
idea, huh? They are
utilizing a retro
style, a throwback
if you will, to when
rock n’ roll was in
its earliest purest
form. How much more
perfect of a method
could a band ask for
so as to rediscover
what was pure and
good in themselves
through music?
Then
there it is again
“Jerk It Out,” and
it leads a parade of
bouncing, gyrating,
mirthful tones that
explode and sizzle
only to explode
again. The title
track hits at the
album’s center,
cooling things off
after the dazzlingly
heated assault you
just endured. It’s a
calm, melodic
groove, fit for the
recovery time that
greets the middle of
a bands set at some
summer amphitheatre
in a sundown field.
Awakening once more
you’re are taken
back into the fray,
and love every
minute of it.
Then
“Winter Song”
occurs. And it just
so happens, that the
more the song
progresses the more
you understand the
album as a whole and
why everything
before it happened
in the first place.
It’s
a beautifully
treated acoustic
guitar, complimented
by chimes, string
arrangements, drum
swells and a far-off
icy echo that I just
can’t place.
As
the last three songs
progress, you
realize that these
are true masters at
their craft. You see
the entire portrait
they have painted
for you and you can
finally lay your
summer down to
sleep, kissing it
good by once its
fast a slumber.
I
never finished
listening to this
album. I’ve never
listened to the
final track all the
way until the end.
For all I know
there’s a brilliant
hidden track
following the last
sounds uttered
within “Good and
Gone.”
But
I’ll never know.
Much
like you can’t bring
yourself to read the
last few pages of
“Return of the
King,” or to wake
the Windfish at the
end of “Link’s
Awakening,” they all
means the same
thing.
Saying goodbye to
old friends.
I
followed these guys
on this journey from
track 1 to track 13.
Constructing a
perfect album, a
little bit of magic
and a personal
miracle for me. The
sun went down on my
summer with me
understanding why I
was still around.
What took place
while listening to
that album was a
remarkable
transcendence in my
mind from what I had
once thought an
album was and should
be.
I
found an album that
was made for me, and
I pray you do too.
This
one, ladies and
gentleman, is
perfect.
“…running through
these empty streets…
this city’s built
for you and me…”
Enjoy.
TOP
OF PAGE
CONCERT | Billy Joel
@ Times Union Center
| By Louis Emory
Billy Joel played
the Times Union
Center to a packed
all ages crowd
Tuesday night. He
dug up some classics
including;
"Everybody Loves You
Now" and "The
Entertainer." He
also played the
gauntlet of hits
from his legendary
catalog including;
"It's My Life," "New
York State of Mind"
and "Movin’ Out."
Kristin Werner is a
senior at The
College of Saint
Rose and has been a
Billy Joel fan since
she was fifteen
years old. She saw
him twice last year
and bought floor
tickets for the TUC
show.
"It
is really quite
amazing how just one
man can bring such a
variety of people
into one arena! I
had a family behind
me, a grandpa and
grandma in front of
me, and a drunk
group of friends
next to us. Where we
were, my boyfriend
Mike and I danced
the whole time, the
energy the guy
produces is
incredible" Werner
said.
Joel
was honored with a
banner that read:
Billy Joel 9 Shows
All Time Highest Box
Office
Sales.
It was a gesture
for the man that
played the
Knickerbocker Arena,
The Pepsi Arena, and
the presently named
Times Union Center.
Joel also informed
the crowd he played
the mythic Aerodrome
in Schenectady
during a tour with a
previous band, The
Hassels, in 1967.
Between blasting out
hits he joked with
the crowd, "I really
need the money now,
my car insurance is
ridiculous" Joel
said referring to
his infamous DUI
record.
Ever the
entertainer, Joel's
chops were still
there as the crowd
heard and saw his
fingers effortlessly
flow up and down the
keys. His familiar
voice serenaded the
fans throughout the
entire show.
However, the
sell-out-stadium
hit-making Billy
Joel was a stranger
to himself until his
roadie "Chainsaw"
belted out a cover
of "Highway to Hell"
with Joel
accompanying him on
guitar. From that
point on, the show
which everyone came
to see suddenly
crept in as the
arena swayed and
roared.
Jamie Selesky a Long
Island native and
senior at The
College of Saint
Rose enjoyed the
performance Billy
Joel gave at the TUC
Tuesday night.
"I
really enjoyed the
encore because he
played three of his
biggest hits and it
ended the show on a
great note" said Selesky.
The
one hit left out was
"Uptown Girl" but
the crowd didn't
seem to mind. The
one they patiently
waited for didn't
come till the last
encore of the 2 hour
and 20 minute
concert. The crowd
sang "Piano Man"
with energy and
passion from start
to finish. The price
of admission was
worth this moment,
it's the one parents
will tell their kids
about long after
Joel is gone.
Werner, perhaps,
summed up the
evening the
best.
"I had a great time
listening to the
best music ever. It
was worth every
dime.”
|
Set List:
Angry Young Man
My Life
Everybody Loves You
Now
The Entertainer
Summer Island Falls
Allentown
Zanzibar
Miami 2017(I've Seen
The Lights Go Out On
Broadway)
New York State Of
Mind
The Rootbeer Rag
The Downeaster
"Alexa"
Movin' Out
(Anthony's Song)
Stand By Me
|
Some People
Don't Ask Me Why
She's Always A Woman
Keeping The Faith
River Of Dreams
Highway To Hell
We Didn't Start The
Fire
Big Shot
It's Still Rock &
Roll To Me
You May Be Right
Only The Good Die
Young
(encore break)
Scenes From An
Italian Restaurant
Piano Man |
Originally featured
on The Chronicle
website the week of
April 22nd 2007.
TOP OF PAGE
MUSIC | The
Cinematics A
Strange Education |
By Lyndsay
Murdock
Glasgow based
alternative rockers,
The Cinematics, have
recently released
their debut album “A
Strange Education”
on indie label TVT
Records. Influenced
by The Cure, The
Talking Heads, and
Jeff Buckley, the
album is full of
songs with catchy
melodies which range
from dark and
mysterious to upbeat
and danceable.
Tracks like “Race to
the City” and “Keep
Forgetting” have
guitar intros that
can be likened to
fellow Brits Franz
Ferdinand and Bloc
Party while songs
like “Chase” and
“Asleep at the
Wheel” demonstrate
the full range of
lead vocalist Scott
Rinning. Other band
members include
Ramsay Miller on
lead guitar, Adam
Goemans on bass and
Ross Bonney on
drums. Overall, a
solid first effort
from a band who’s
just getting
started.
The
band has embarked on
a U.S. tour which
ends in mid-May
before going back to
their native
Scotland. Before
they head back to
the UK, however,
they’re making a pit
stop in our very own
Albany, New York to
play at the Tulip
Festival, so be sure
to swing by and
check them out for
yourself!
Rating: A- or 4 out
of 5 stars or
whatever rating
scheme we’re using
TOP OF PAGE
MOVIES | "Meet The
Robinsons,” A
Unique Experience |
By Samantha Weyant
Watching “Meet The
Robinsons” at the
movie theatre is a
very unique
experience. I can't
remember the last
time I got a cool
pair of 3D glasses
at the entrance of a
movie, or when
robots and dirt
jumped out at you
and
into your seat. The
movie is a very fun,
upbeat, and colorful
film which I
found very
enjoyable. The
graphics were good
and the characters
were
likeable. However,
the storyline was a
bit weak. Traveling
from the future
to the past was
somewhat boring and
could be confusing
for younger
children.
The movie is
about a young orphan
named Lewis who
desperately wants to
belong to a family.
He loves to invent
all sorts of gadgets
but begins to doubt
himself as many of
his inventions fail.
He finds himself
traveling through
time barriers and
into the future
where he meets the
Robinson family, a
loving and crazy
group of characters,
along the way. He
realizes that this
is his family in the
future and learns
that if he wants to
be part of the
family he has to go
back into the
present and fix his
inventions. He
understands that he
must learn from his
mistakes and grow
from those
experiences. It is a
very encouraging
film and the motto
'keep moving
forward' is a term
everyone can live by
and come away with
after watching the
movie.
The film was
loosely based on a
popular children's
book called 'A Day
With Wilbur
Robinson' by William
Joyce. The movie was
released by Walt
Disney Pictures on
March 30th 2007 and
runs about an 90
minutes. The film is
rated G and is
considered a comedy,
action and family
movie. It was
directed by
Stephen J. Anderson
and the voices in
the film included;
Daniel Hansen,
Jordan Fry, Wesley
Singerman, Angela
Bassett, Stephen J.
Anderson, Harland
Williams, Adam West,
Nicole Sullivan, and
Tom Selleck.
TOP OF PAGE
BOOKS | The Nanny
Diaries | By Tara
McDonald
The Nanny Diaries
is a book based on
the real life
experiences of two
former New York City
nannies. Without
revealing their
actual clients, they
give you an inside
look at life behind
the closed doors of
the X family who
reside in the
luxurious Park
Avenue apartments.
When the nanny is
hired by the
seemingly perfect X
family to look after
their cherished son
Grayer, she soon
realized life for
them is not perfect
at all.
The
relationship between
the spoiled
youngster and his
workaholic father
and socialite mother
is slowly dwindling
away. The nanny
signed up to look
after Grayer but
little did she know
she would become
Mrs. X’s personal
assistant and while
doing so find out
that Mr. X seems to
be hiding a deep
dark secret. The
nanny learns much
more than how to
prepare Grayer’s
food just right, she
unravels the X
family’s self
centered personal
lives and learns a
few things about
herself along the
way too. way too. way too.
The Nanny Diaries
is perfect for
anyone, not just
nannies. Emma
McLaughlin and
Nicola Kraus
fictionalize their
realities in this
outrageous novel and
make it enjoyable
for all audiences.
Inspired by the
book, Scarlett
Johansson stars in
the motion picture
coming to a theater
near you this fall.
TOP OF PAGE
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