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"Alive Day Memories":
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"Alive Day Memories":
The line:\n"You can finger it a lot of different ways."
The line:\n"It's a lot easier spinning a pencil than a hot dog."
"Californication": Showtime's new show chronicles the sex-filled life of best-selling author Hank Moody (David Duchovny). Characters' dialogue is unreserved, hook ups are plentiful, yet a sense of clarity follows each episode's conclusion.
The line:\n"One of the guys who has a great spindle and a great package tonight is Kasey Kahne."
Kanye West vs. 50 Cent: Both rappers will release new albums Sept. 11. Fiddy said if Kanye outsells him, he will quit the rap game, and Kanye challenged 50 to a live, presidental-style debate.
Make your friends think they've stepped into a real-life "Hallowee"
"Man vs. Wild": is Bear Grylls really getting outside assistance and sleeping in hotels?
The line:\n"First of all, for me personally, I am going to get more balls. So, I'm looking forward to that. I am getting more balls, trust me."
Step 1: Go balls to the wall -- A party can get awkward pretty damn fast if there is nothing to talk about. For the first hour or so of a party, your guests won't have enough liquid courage in their systems to start dancing or talking about deep stuff. Help them out by decking the walls in conversation pieces.
As ESPN wraps up it's summer-long, sure-to-be Pulitzer Prize-winning "Who's more now?" special, WEEKEND decided to come up with an equally arbitrary breakdown for the best in entertainment. Our factors to determine greatness were similar to the brilliant sports guys in Bristol. We analyzed hype, commerical appeal, sales and "what have you done for me lately." Sure, we know Lil' Wayne is the best rapper around, spitting out sick mix-tapes faster than professional sports can pump out villains this summer. We told you "Knocked Up" would be the sleeper hit movie of the summer (until "Super Bad" drops) and yes, we're sure HBO Sunday nights are the best thing on TV when our "Planet Earth" DVDs aren't spinning. Thanks to "Entourage" making a mid-season rally and two shows we're addicted to (The twisted, surfing drama "John From Cinicnnati" and two singing New Zealanders capturing our hearts on "Flight of the Conchords.") But do any of them have laser, rocket arms or have cool nicknames like King and Tiger? Not so much. These aren't necessarily the best movies, products and epic battles of the summer, but they are indisputably now. Join us as we take you through a bracket of eight to determine the nowest of the now.\nRound 1\nHarry Potter vs. Movie Trilogies\nDid you dress up in a ridiculous costume, plug your ears and avoid internet spoilers like the plague all weekend so you could have an unadultered "Spiderman 3" experience? Didn't think so. How bout for the last Potter book? If you're like most of us, you put life on hold for one weekend to see how Harry ended up. It was a big year for trilogies, with Emo Spidey and Pirates bringing in over $300 million each, but Potter had us reading again. \nHarry Potter Advances\nWhite Stripes vs. The Police\n"Icky Thump" takes the cake as song and album of the year, but the real story was The Police becoming a touring giant again. The White Stripes have made better albums before and will again, but this may be one last hurrah for a band that had been forgotten except for "Roxanne" drinking games.\nThe Police Advance\niPhone vs. Facebook\nHey there, zombie -- we both know you infected 35 chumps and your BFF threw sheep at you while you graffiti'd their wall, but how did you find out? On your iPhone, of course. It'll cost you a month's rent and the internet sucks unless you're on a wireless network, but it's the new big boy toy on the block. You better be the first to have it (obvi). Not convinced? Two words, two syllables: YouTube. \nThe iPhone advances\nSimpsons vs. Transformers\nAfter 18 years of build-up, "The Simpsons Movie's" expectaions were higher than Otto Man and, thank Jebus, it delivered. "Transformers" made bank and it should have fun toys, but it's all about marketablility, baby. 7-Eleven's going Kwik-E was the promotion of the summer.\nSimpsons advance\nRound 2\nHarry Potter vs. The Police\nThe Police are pretty great and we're happy to see classic rock band reunite, but we left their show an hour early to get in line for The Flaming Lips. And they're old. Harry Potter is alive and the suspense of the summer was, how will the story end? "The Deathly Hollows" is the fastest-selling book of all time, with 8.3 million sold in the U.S. in the first 24 hours alone. Harry Potter cast a spell on the world and ended in a way that most fans are calling "the only way it could have ended." Even the new movie was extraordinarily well recieved. This one's no contest. \nHarry Potter Advances\niPhone vs. Simpsons\nThe Simpsons are pretty "now." I mean, the movie did just pull in $72 million in its first weekend, but you can download the Simpsons movie, watch it on your iPhone, put the soundtrack on there and the only thing to interrupt would be your Simpsons ringtone. Hello, it's the Naught's.\nThe iPhone is still just a toy for that friend of yours whose dad buys them whatever they want, but once you get past your jealousy, you know you want one. It pretty much does everything but your taxes.\niPhone advances\nFinal Round\nHarry Potter vs. iPhone\nIt comes down to technology vs. classics. A battle as old as motorcycle vs. horse. The iPhone is the future of portable electronics with an all-in-one package that can do anything. The iPhone came out, like, a month ago, which makes it so not now. That's probably why Peyton lost in the semifinals of "Who's More Now." His superbowl win was, like, last semester. Old news. As badly as we wanted to give this to the iPhone, nothing compares to poring over the pages of a moving book. That's right, Harry Potter and friends have won! And won is now backwards. So it wins again. Now.
The festival technically started when Ryan Shaw took the stage Thursday evening, but things didn't really heat up until The Roots took to the main stage Friday. From there, literally everything just kept getting hotter and hotter.\nAfter performing with The Roots, Questlove took the stage again that night with Ben Harper and John Paul Johns from Led Zepplin for the evening's Super Jam. The trio set the stage on fire for more than two hours, and the weather took notice, climbing into the 90s the next day. \nPeople kept cool by attacking the water stations, splashing around in the center fountain or just seeking every square inch of shade that was available. By the end of the weekend, the seats below the bleachers were in higher demand than those on top of them. \nSaturday brought a fat stack of music, including an afternoon set that featured Ben Harper, Franz Ferdinand, Ween and Spoon -- all at the same time. When the sun set and the heat subsided, The Police lit up the earth while The Flaming Lips aimed for the stars. \nBy Sunday, the thousands in attendance shared one common sensation: exhaustion. Bodies littered the festival grounds with more frequency than garbage. The Decembrists and Wilco had to play to half-dead crowds, but The White Stripes help rejuvinate the atmosphere as the sun set on the final day.\nIn the end, the combination of heat, lack of sleep and Zepplin jams left everyone dazed and confuzed.
Where To Go:\nTo maximize your options and minimize your travel time, we reccomend Paintball Valley at Valley Branch Retreat. They have 10 different fields that feature crashed planes, gutted-out cars, bunkers and buses, all in the wooded hillsides of Nashville.\nIt's hardly more than a 30-minute drive, but just be sure to pay close attention near the final turns so you don't get lost. Go ahead and visit valleybranchretreat.org for directions or enter "Valley Branch" and "Indiana" into Google Maps.
Right Flank: The right side of the field. Also known as right tape. \nLeft Flank: The left side of the field. Also known as left tape. \nCenter 50: The very center of the field. \nMarker: A paintball gun. \nPods: Holders for extra paintballs, also known as guppie tubes. \nOPFOR: Short for "opposing force," any player not on allied team. \nDefense: The players in charge of defending a base or flag station. \nOffense: The players in charge of attacking the other bases or flag stations. \nAPV: Armored paintball vehicle, an on-field playable tank. \nHospital: The place where eliminated players go for a period of time.
The line:\n"I always use the second hole and not the first one. I need something to fill that first hole."
"You can't just pull it out and turn it. After you've taken it out, you have to push it in while you're screwing."
WEEKEND presents ... well, whatever the heck we enjoy right now -- we're cramming down your throat, but only because we love you.
JOHN BARNETT\nBEST PICTURE\nWILL win: "The Departed" / "Babel" (tie)\nI'm copping out for two reasons. The first is that while "The Departed" is the year's best film, "Babel" not only won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama but also features the kind of tour de force, emotionally draining performances that the Academy routinely honors. The second reason is that every time I bank on greatness ("Fargo," "Saving Private Ryan," "The Pianist," "The Aviator" and "Brokeback Mountain") besting mediocrity ("The English Patient," "Shakespeare in Love," "Chicago," "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash") at the Oscars, I wind up disappointed. Not that "Babel" is in any way mediocre, mind you, but I've just learned not to get my hopes up.\nSHOULD win: "The Departed"\nThe fourth-best film of Martin Scorsese's career (just short of "Goodfellas," "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver") is a case of superlative acting, writing, directing, editing, music and cinematography at once in perfect harmony. No single film of 2006, or of the last few years, was better.\nBEST DIRECTOR\nWILL and SHOULD win: Martin Scorsese - "The Departed"\nThe Academy has one clear option, which is to finally give Martin Scorsese his due. He's been nominated five previous times, losing thrice to actor-directors (Robert Redford, Kevin Costner and Clint Eastwood). It may be too little too late, and Scorsese is truly above the Oscars at this point, but it's the very least it can do.\nBEST ACTOR\nWILL win: Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland"\nThe surest bet of the night, aside from "Pan's Labyrinth" taking Best Foreign Language Film, is a victory for Whitaker's frightening, film-carrying performance as brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin.\nSHOULD win: Leonardo DiCaprio - "Blood Diamond"\nNo, DiCaprio's best acting in 2006 was not seen in "Blood Diamond," but his incendiary leading performance in "The Departed," the year's best, was awkwardly advertised as a supporting role to the Academy in order to avoid the Forest Whitaker juggernaut.\nBEST ACTRESS\nWILL and SHOULD win: Helen Mirren - "The Queen"\nNobody plays British royalty better than Helen Mirren, and no Helen Mirren performance tops her take on the pressurized private life of Queen Elizabeth II in the days immediately following the death of Princess Diana.\nBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR\nWILL win: Alan Arkin - "Little Miss Sunshine"\nDespite Eddie Murphy being the odds-on favorite, Hollywood's general animosity toward Murphy's recent career choices will lean voters in favor of the seasoned Arkin.\nSHOULD win: Mark Wahlberg - "The Departed"\nAn argument has been made that William Monahan's searing screenplay is the reason for Wahlberg's nomination, but I say it's the former rapper/model's first great performance since 1997's "Boogie Nights" that's to thank.\nBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS\nWILL win: Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls"\nRiding the "Dreamgirls" buzz train to victory will be "American Idol" loser Hudson, whose star quality leans more heavily upon vocal talent than acting talent.\nSHOULD win: Rinko Kikuchi "Babel"\nThe Japanese beauty's fearless performance as a promiscuous deaf girl is one of the most impressive director Alejandro González Iñárritu has ever conjured out of an actor.\nMICHAEL MELLINI\nBEST PICTURE\nIn a year where practically all the major categories are predictable, the big prize is the toughest to call. Gone are the days of one huge movie sweeping a majority of the awards. "Babel" leads with seven nominations, but "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Letters From Iwo Jima" both only pulled in four nods. For the second year in a row (but only second time in 30 years) it's very likely that the Best Picture winner will only take home three awards total. I think this race depends on how Best Director goes. The two usually match up, so if Marty wins, it could also go to "The Departed." "Babel" is probably the safest choice, but with no real chance in any other major categories, it might get ignored. However, that didn't stop it at the Golden Globes, where Best Picture was its only win. My fave, "The Queen," will be rewarded for Mirren's performance, not as a complete film. Just being nominated should be "Little Miss Sunshine's" win, but after "Crash's" surprise victory last year, another undeserving indie sleeper could take the prize. If it does, well, I'll hunt down Academy voters and make the last 10 minutes of "The Departed" look like childsplay. \nWILL win: "The Departed" \nSHOULD win: "The Queen"\nBEST DIRECTOR\nAll signs point to Marty (finally), but he could get screwed over yet again. "Letters From Iwo Jima" was even better than the last Clint films the Academy honored him for, so maybe they'll do it again. If "Babel" is the big winner, Innaritu could clean up as well. Not being nominated for Best Picture kills Paul Greengrass' chances for "United 93" and once again voters will use Mirren to honor "The Queen."\nWILL Win: Martin Scorsese - "The Departed"\nSHOULD Win: Martin Scorsese (based on history), Alejandro González Iñárritu (based on the actual film)\nBEST ACTOR\nIt's barely a two-man race between Forest Whitaker and the 0-for-7 Peter O'Toole. After politely declining a 2003 lifetime achievement award, the Academy most likely no longer feels indebted to O'Toole. My best actor race would've looked a lot different. Where's Sacha Baron Cohen? Matt Damon? Aaron Eckhart? So I'd go the no-chance-in-hell route and give it to Gosling.\nWILL win: Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland"\nSHOULD win: Ryan Gosling - "Half Nelson"\nBEST ACTRESS\nThe only thing stopping Helen Mirren would be her hype peaking too early. Not likely. Meryl's already got plenty. Kate's just going to have to wait a few more years.\nWILL and SHOULD win:Helen Mirren - "The Queen"\nBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR\nThere's always at least one big upset -- could this be the category? Wahlberg has a Best Picture nomination edge and Jackie Earle Haley or Djimon Hounsou would be a surprise, but Murphy will probably still take it in the end. It may have just been a James Brown impression, but it was a damn good one at that. \nWILL and SHOULD win: Eddie Murphy - "Dreamgirls"\nBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS\nI've praised the talents of Jennifer Hudson enough in WEEKEND so just know that the "Dreamgirls" best picture snub won't hurt her chances (last year Reese Witherspoon won for a great performance from a good musical-ish movie). Votes for "Babel's" Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi will cancel each other out, Blanchett just won two years ago, and it's no longer a huge shock to see children win supporting awards.\nWILL and SHOULD win: Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls"\nOLIVIA MORALES\nBEST PICTURE\nTwo of these films deserved to be nominated for best picture, the actual best picture of the year, "Children of Men," was criminally denied its rightful place. However, "Babel" was a beautiful piece of ensemble and collaborative filmmaking, while "The Departed," well, let's just say I don't really feel like adding to its nonstop publicity.\nWILL win: "The Departed"\nSHOULD win: "Babel"\nBEST DIRECTOR\nOh, happy day. Martin Scorsese will finally win his first little gold statue of a buff naked guy. Everyone who has been a fan of his for years will feel gratified, even though the blood-soaked blockbuster, "The Departed," doesn't even rank in the man's top five best career films. Sigh. \nWILL win: Martin Scorsese\nSHOULD Win: Alejandro González Iñárritu\nBEST ACTOR\nForest Whitaker's performance in "The Last King of Scotland" breathed life into a less-than-perfect film. It is the best of those nominated, and the voters have agreed all awards-season long.\nWILL and SHOULD win: Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland"\nBEST ACTRESS\nWith so much profuse talk about the brilliant "twilight years" performances of several veteran actresses, nobody seemed to remember that though Kate Winslet may not have played a head of state this year, her performance in "Little Children" is one of the most sublime and gracefully understated performances in recent movie memory. \nWILL win: Helen Mirren - "The Queen"\nSHOULD win: Kate Winslet - "Little Children"\nBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR\nOh, bleeeeeeeeeeck. What a heinously lackluster nominee pool this year. I can't believe I actually have to call this for showboat Eddie Murphy, but he is the unfortunate shoe-in. The only nomination worth noting here is Jackie Earle Haley's work in "Little Children" as the painfully disturbed social outcast struggling in the suburbs.\nWILL win: Eddie Murphy - "Dreamgirls"\nSHOULD win: Jackie Earle Haley - "Little Children"\nBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS\nA good set of pipes is admirable but should hardly be enough to secure any award with the word "best" stamped on it. Jennifer Hudson will win, will work the word "dream" into her boring speech a few times, people will clap, etc. All the while, Rinko Kikuchi will sit in the audience smiling, knowing that her moving and quite frankly jarring performance in "Babel" was about 800 times better.\nWILL win: Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls"\nSHOULD win: Rinko Kikuchi - "Babel"\nCHRIS WISNER\nBEST PICTURE \nWILL win: "Babel" or "Little Miss Sunshine"\nAfter claiming the Golden Globe last month and not likely to win any other major awards for the evening, "Babel" seems the top candidate to take home big prize at the Oscars. If "Babel" fails to win, then "Little Miss Sunshine," after taking top honors at the PGA and SAG ceremonies, seems to be the next contender. \nSHOULD win: "The Departed"\nWith the Best Director Oscar a lock for Martin Scorsese, the Academy would be hard-pressed to honor America's greatest living director with both of the big awards. "The Departed" is the best film of the year in my book, and if it wins the top prize, I'll be ecstatic, but a statue in Marty's hands is what matters most. \nBEST DIRECTOR\nWILL and SHOULD win: Martin Scorsese - "The Departed"\nNaysayers be damned, this is Marty's year. He has deserved the Oscar every time he has been nominated and thankfully this win won't be out of pity from the Academy. Scorsese proves that even at 64 years of age, he is still directing with the same passion and bravado he possessed when "Mean Streets" put his name on the map. The year 2006 was Martin Scorsese's most successful yet and that Oscar is going to look quite nice on the mantle alongside his Golden Globe and DGA awards. \nBEST ACTOR\nWILL win: Forest Whitaker - "The Last King of Scotland"\nIt's a bit too obvious at this point that Whitaker has his statue coming to him, but it seems like taking biopic roles has become the new guaranteed way to collect an Oscar after too many actors picked them up by playing the mentally handicapped. Whitaker did a great job with the role, but it is more of a supporting one than the lead when compared to how much screen time James MacAvoy has in the film. And honestly, does anyone want to see Whitaker attempt another embarrassing acceptance speech?\nSHOULD win: Leonardo DiCaprio - "The Departed"\nThat's right, it says for "The Departed." The only reason Leo didn't get a nod for the film is because voters didn't know whether to nominate him for a leading or supporting role, mainly because everyone knows Whitaker is near impossible to beat. DiCaprio deserves the statue 100 percent, but it definitely isn't for "Blood Diamond."\nBEST ACTRESS\nWILL win: Helen Mirren - "The Queen"\nMuch like Whitaker, Mirren is guaranteed her Oscar after almost every major awards show/critic's circle giving her top honors. The performance was incredible and she does deserve it, but I'd love to see an Oscar upset. \nSHOULD Win: Kate Winslet - "Little Children"\nSpeaking of upsets, Winslet has been nominated five times now and has yet to collect a statue. Her turn as a mother trapped in suburbia desperately hoping to escape in "Little Children" is the kind of performance Oscars were meant for. As she quipped in the first episode of "Extras," maybe she'll just have to finally play a "mental" to get her little gold man. \nBEST SUPPORTING ACTOR\nWILL and SHOULD win: Mark Wahlberg -- "The Departed"\nYeah, Eddie Murphy might be cleaning up all the previous awards shows, but it's a well-known fact that a lot of folks in the industry can't stand the man. Murphy on a career-comeback? His donning of yet another fat-suit in "Norbit" shows the only thing he comes back for is paychecks. Wahlberg, with roughly 20 minutes of screen time, gives one tough, fleshed-out role that has impressed the Academy -- impressed them enough to give him an Oscar. \nBEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS\nWILL win: Jennifer Hudson - "Dreamgirls"\nYet another likely lock for a statue, "American Idol's" biggest loser certainly will turn up a winner by collecting her Oscar for her debut role -- something that when it does happen usually leaves a sour taste in my mouth because it could just be a fluke. Yeah, Hudson can belt out the tunes, but does she have the acting chops to keep getting roles down the road? Only time will tell.\nSHOULD win: Rinko Kikuchi -- "Babel"\nAt first I wanted to say anyone but Hudson because I genuinely loved the other four performances, yet when it boils down to who wowed me the most last year, Rinko Kikuchi all the way. Her performance moved me to tears twice in the film and she says so much with silence that not giving her the award should be a crime.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>* Editor's note: At WEEKEND we think it is important that the reviews you read each week are the best possible. This feature, where a CD is reviewed by one writer familiar with the artist and one who isn't familiar with them, will run alongside the other reviews in the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy the diversity of opinions. EVERCLEAR welcome to the drama club/eleven seven Ryan Corazza Grade: B This isn't your mid-90's Everclear. "Welcome to the Drama Club" serves as the group's first release on Eleven Seven Music after the band's long stint on major label Capital Records. Gone are former bassist Craig Montoya and drummer Greg Eklund, replaced with four new members to back oft-troubled front man Art Alexakis. Even after the label and line-up changes, Double A still croons like he always has -- a man battered and bruised by a lifetime of love lost and drug addictions. "I am losing the fight/I hate my life/I wish that it was easier to be in love," he sings on "The Drama King." And it is in him telling the introspective, harrowing details of his rather tragic life where Alexakis has always succeeded as a songwriter. Most cuts on "Drama Club" follow suit. But where the disc fails to impress is on cuts such as the single "Hater" and "Taste of Hell," playful tunes similar to 2000's "A.M Radio." It's nothing more than flighty, uninspired pop music. So Art, stick to your heart-wrenching tales: We prefer to be "welcomed to your drama club," indeed. Brian J. McFillen Grade: F Instrumentally, Everclear's latest is yet another album of post-grunge rock-by-numbers, the likes of which are finally, mercifully dying out after 10 years of clogging the airwaves (even if Nickelback remains an invulnerable annoyance, like herpes). However, Art Alexakis' songwriting takes things into the Shatner-esque realm of unintentional comedy. While Alexakis proclaims in "Taste of Hell," "I don't want to be vindictive now," most of the songs rail against his newly-ex-wife and former bandmates with wholly-un-self-conscious bile. This could've had potential if any wit or creativity were involved, but instead, the self-pitying tone and wannabe-hip-hop lingo (check out "Hater") could've come from a MySpace blog. These, however, don't hold a candle to the album's hilariously unsexy "sexy" songs. "The only thing I want to do," Alexakis sings in the post-breakup song "Portland Rain," "is kiss you while I'm coming deep inside of you." Yeah, that'll get her back. LIONEL RICHIE coming home/island def jam Mark Perlman-Price Grade: B Lionel Richie's newest album, Coming Home, is appropriately titled, as its songs seem they should be played when you come home after a party with someone you've just met, ready for a night of Richie's shag ballads. While previous Richie classics were often in the vein of the soul and jazz styles of the early 1980s, Coming Home has the distinct touch of rap/pop production (with Jermaine Dupri appearing in the credits on the song "What You Are"). Coming Home takes Richie's familiar crooning and runs it through the mass production machine that makes it sound like every Diddy, Usher or Justin Timberlake song that can be blasted at a club. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing; All the aforementioned artists are tremendously popular, and the songs are very catchy. Richie doesn't entirely fall into the pop genre, however. He still includes a few straight ballads, some Latin-esque beats, reggae and even acoustic guitar. The mix symbolizes the wide range of music Richie has produced, and why he is popular over such a wide range. Brian J. McFillen Grade: D+ Little did I know that Lionel Richie was still alive. Okay, I knew he wasn't "dead" -- but I figured that, like many other 1980s pop stars, his music career had long since evaporated, his days now filled with whatever the Bangles do to pass time. Not so, of course, and here we are with his latest album -- in which, gentle reader, you'll find that he's not musically dead, but undead -- a spent musical force animated by heavy-duty production in the same way that electric shocks can make a corpse twitch. Not to say that the album's unpleasant. The first four songs are like listening to a faucet drip, but starting with "Up All Night," the production's beats and flourishes rise to the task of making things interesting. Yet, with incredibly clichéd songwriting, and relatively unremarkable vocals, one could reasonably ask what Richie added here that Paris Hilton couldn't. PETER FRAMPTON fingerprints/new door records Eamonn Brennan Grade: B+ This is what happens when Peter Frampton goes on a shock and awe campaign. An instrumental collective, "Fingerprints" is probably less apt a name for the album than "Frampton and Friends" would have been, as the artist brings a menagerie of musical talent into the studio to complete this ambitious, interesting, incoherent album. Instrumental from front to back, Frampton resists the urge to lyricize, opting for lengthy guitar solos and song-to-song eclecticism. Hard to settle into, the third track, "Black Hole Sun," is a cover of, of course, Soundgarden's classic, with guitar work from Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Matt Cameron. It's a jarring choice. "Blooze," which features Warren Haynes (Allman Bros., Govt Mule) is a ribs and cornbread-worthy track, a smoky, blues-country bite. "Cornerstones," featuring Rolling Stones Charlie Watts and Bill Wymnan, is ball-busting, virtuosic blues. There are down tracks here, mostly when Frampton ventures out without a friend or two to back him up, and the album, which feels free to jump from grunge to spanish guitar to southern blues to jazz and all the way back, is a tad bit unhinged. Be grateful: this is Frampton at his ambitious best, steering clear of Seger-esque formulaic nonsense. Whether through boredom or hubris, Frampton ventures out here. The result is only slightly shy of a masterpiece. Christopher Green Grade: B+ Peter Frampton is not a new name to me. But my exposure to his Coming Alive remained The Simpson's and Family Guy comedy sketches, not anthemic albums. Fingerprints impresses, but doesn't dazzle. Instrumental albums fail so often to accomplish anything, but not here. Jazz dances across most tracks, peppered in Led Zeppelin-era rock. Further down the line the album hits its height, matching the foot-stomping stylings of artists like Robert Randolph, The Red Hot Chili Peppers or Pearl Jam. It wades into tepid waters before ending on a high note. The album's low point is early on: a cover of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun fails to take a fresh approach to the song. The previous track towers above in stature. But 'Prints surprises at every turn; a worthy blend of decades of rock, blues and jazz for a guy who's musical interests span Coltrane to Timberlake, including Jimmy Buffet and Public Enemy. This is a must listen for rock fans of all types: familiar or not, at least hear it out. BARENAKED LADIES barenaked ladies are me/desperation records Brian J. McFillen Grade: B Fans expecting another "Stunt" are going to be disappointed -- "Barenaked Ladies Are Me" continues to follow in the bittersweet, ballad-oriented vein of 2003's "Everything to Everyone." But, on listening to it, you'll find that's hardly a bad thing. The band's trademark "ain't we cute" witticisms are confined mostly to the first two tracks, "Adrift" and "Bank Job" (the latter being a tale of a well-planned bank robbery undone by the discovery that the bank's filled with nuns -- how very "Monty Python"). Again, members of the BNL cult might not like this, but for outsiders (like yours truly) who always found the band's more "precious" work contrived and irritating, the result is that the other 11 tracks are a surprising treat. By dialing things down, BNL craft smart, sad songs of broken hearts and loneliness, angst about the world and growing up. Solid rainy day listening. Christopher Green Grade: D The Barenaked Ladies. Wait... didn't they sing that "One Week" song back in 1998? That's about all I know about these cats (If you see my roommate drunk anytime, ask him to sing it for you. You'll be rather entertained). I never really got into them, and quite honestly, I didn't know they were still making music. Their newest outing is titled Barenaked Ladies Are Me. I don't get it... From the start of this album, I knew it was going to be a long, long 50 minutes. Now, I'm not racist against Canadians. Canada has some pretty sweet metal bands (Despised Icon, Ion Dissonance). But these Canadians aren't what I'm looking for. This album just isn't any good at all. The songs are worth detailing; I'm sorry, but this is just hideous garbage. Fans might like it, I don't know. This is Barenaked Ladies trying to be clever and sound like the Eels (one of my favorite bands by the way), but they fail miserably. The Ladies should retire back to their igloo in Canada. I need a nap after this sleep-inducing CD. BOB SEGER face the promise/hideout records-capitol Mark Perlman-Price Grade: C+ Like many musicians popular in the 1970s and 80s who managed not to die, Bob Seger is still producing music. His new album, Face the Promise, shows he's as vibrant as ever and still able to rock. Seger reminds me of a more sorrowful, country sounding, Michael McDonald. He's got a powerful, gritty voice and waxes poetic in most of his songs about love, dreams, desire, determination, etc. Most famous for songs like "Old Time Rock n' Roll", "Against the Wind" and "Turn the Page," none of Seger's new songs seem to have the staying power as some of his greats -- that is, except for "Wait for Me", which sounds strikingly familiar to the Seger classic, "Like a Rock". The album also features duets with Kid Rock and Patty Loveless, which both add a needed change of pace. Face the Promise may evoke a "classic Seger" vibe, but it's not an album that will be remembered as one. Eamonn Brennan Grade: D Calling me familiar with Bob Seger is parallel to calling me familiar with Ford Truck commercials. I know that "Like a Rock" is a Seger classic, but Built Ford Tough isn't. (These days, even the Fords aren't built Ford tough. I digress.) Seger's new album, however, feels neither like a rock nor built tough; It's stripped down, clunky, metal guitar-slapping baby formula, which poaches some of the finer bits of country and blues but fails to meld them into anything emotionally affecting. "Wreck this Heart" is an OK song, I suppose, and "Wait for Me" feels one or two notches below excellent, but the rest of the album's tracks fall precipitously from there. The leading indication of poor quality is a duet with Kid Rock on "Real Mean Bottle." If you're looking to Kid Rock to boost your album sales and/or credibility -- while singing about the meanness of alcohol, no less -- I'm betting the wheels have fallen off the wagon a long, irreparable time ago.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>* Editor's note: At WEEKEND we think it is important that the reviews you read each week are the best possible. This feature, where a CD is reviewed by one writer familiar with the artist and one who isn't familiar with them, will run alongside the other reviews in the coming weeks. We hope you enjoy the diversity of opinions. EVERCLEAR welcome to the drama club/eleven seven Ryan Corazza Grade: B This isn't your mid-90's Everclear. "Welcome to the Drama Club" serves as the group's first release on Eleven Seven Music after the band's long stint on major label Capital Records. Gone are former bassist Craig Montoya and drummer Greg Eklund, replaced with four new members to back oft-troubled front man Art Alexakis. Even after the label and line-up changes, Double A still croons like he always has -- a man battered and bruised by a lifetime of love lost and drug addictions. "I am losing the fight/I hate my life/I wish that it was easier to be in love," he sings on "The Drama King." And it is in him telling the introspective, harrowing details of his rather tragic life where Alexakis has always succeeded as a songwriter. Most cuts on "Drama Club" follow suit. But where the disc fails to impress is on cuts such as the single "Hater" and "Taste of Hell," playful tunes similar to 2000's "A.M Radio." It's nothing more than flighty, uninspired pop music. So Art, stick to your heart-wrenching tales: We prefer to be "welcomed to your drama club," indeed. Brian J. McFillen Grade: F Instrumentally, Everclear's latest is yet another album of post-grunge rock-by-numbers, the likes of which are finally, mercifully dying out after 10 years of clogging the airwaves (even if Nickelback remains an invulnerable annoyance, like herpes). However, Art Alexakis' songwriting takes things into the Shatner-esque realm of unintentional comedy. While Alexakis proclaims in "Taste of Hell," "I don't want to be vindictive now," most of the songs rail against his newly-ex-wife and former bandmates with wholly-un-self-conscious bile. This could've had potential if any wit or creativity were involved, but instead, the self-pitying tone and wannabe-hip-hop lingo (check out "Hater") could've come from a MySpace blog. These, however, don't hold a candle to the album's hilariously unsexy "sexy" songs. "The only thing I want to do," Alexakis sings in the post-breakup song "Portland Rain," "is kiss you while I'm coming deep inside of you." Yeah, that'll get her back. LIONEL RICHIE coming home/island def jam Mark Perlman-Price Grade: B Lionel Richie's newest album, Coming Home, is appropriately titled, as its songs seem they should be played when you come home after a party with someone you've just met, ready for a night of Richie's shag ballads. While previous Richie classics were often in the vein of the soul and jazz styles of the early 1980s, Coming Home has the distinct touch of rap/pop production (with Jermaine Dupri appearing in the credits on the song "What You Are"). Coming Home takes Richie's familiar crooning and runs it through the mass production machine that makes it sound like every Diddy, Usher or Justin Timberlake song that can be blasted at a club. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing; All the aforementioned artists are tremendously popular, and the songs are very catchy. Richie doesn't entirely fall into the pop genre, however. He still includes a few straight ballads, some Latin-esque beats, reggae and even acoustic guitar. The mix symbolizes the wide range of music Richie has produced, and why he is popular over such a wide range. Brian J. McFillen Grade: D+ Little did I know that Lionel Richie was still alive. Okay, I knew he wasn't "dead" -- but I figured that, like many other 1980s pop stars, his music career had long since evaporated, his days now filled with whatever the Bangles do to pass time. Not so, of course, and here we are with his latest album -- in which, gentle reader, you'll find that he's not musically dead, but undead -- a spent musical force animated by heavy-duty production in the same way that electric shocks can make a corpse twitch. Not to say that the album's unpleasant. The first four songs are like listening to a faucet drip, but starting with "Up All Night," the production's beats and flourishes rise to the task of making things interesting. Yet, with incredibly clichéd songwriting, and relatively unremarkable vocals, one could reasonably ask what Richie added here that Paris Hilton couldn't. PETER FRAMPTON fingerprints/new door records Eamonn Brennan Grade: B+ This is what happens when Peter Frampton goes on a shock and awe campaign. An instrumental collective, "Fingerprints" is probably less apt a name for the album than "Frampton and Friends" would have been, as the artist brings a menagerie of musical talent into the studio to complete this ambitious, interesting, incoherent album. Instrumental from front to back, Frampton resists the urge to lyricize, opting for lengthy guitar solos and song-to-song eclecticism. Hard to settle into, the third track, "Black Hole Sun," is a cover of, of course, Soundgarden's classic, with guitar work from Pearl Jam's Mike McCready and Matt Cameron. It's a jarring choice. "Blooze," which features Warren Haynes (Allman Bros., Govt Mule) is a ribs and cornbread-worthy track, a smoky, blues-country bite. "Cornerstones," featuring Rolling Stones Charlie Watts and Bill Wymnan, is ball-busting, virtuosic blues. There are down tracks here, mostly when Frampton ventures out without a friend or two to back him up, and the album, which feels free to jump from grunge to spanish guitar to southern blues to jazz and all the way back, is a tad bit unhinged. Be grateful: this is Frampton at his ambitious best, steering clear of Seger-esque formulaic nonsense. Whether through boredom or hubris, Frampton ventures out here. The result is only slightly shy of a masterpiece. Christopher Green Grade: B+ Peter Frampton is not a new name to me. But my exposure to his Coming Alive remained The Simpson's and Family Guy comedy sketches, not anthemic albums. Fingerprints impresses, but doesn't dazzle. Instrumental albums fail so often to accomplish anything, but not here. Jazz dances across most tracks, peppered in Led Zeppelin-era rock. Further down the line the album hits its height, matching the foot-stomping stylings of artists like Robert Randolph, The Red Hot Chili Peppers or Pearl Jam. It wades into tepid waters before ending on a high note. The album's low point is early on: a cover of Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun fails to take a fresh approach to the song. The previous track towers above in stature. But 'Prints surprises at every turn; a worthy blend of decades of rock, blues and jazz for a guy who's musical interests span Coltrane to Timberlake, including Jimmy Buffet and Public Enemy. This is a must listen for rock fans of all types: familiar or not, at least hear it out. BARENAKED LADIES barenaked ladies are me/desperation records Brian J. McFillen Grade: B Fans expecting another "Stunt" are going to be disappointed -- "Barenaked Ladies Are Me" continues to follow in the bittersweet, ballad-oriented vein of 2003's "Everything to Everyone." But, on listening to it, you'll find that's hardly a bad thing. The band's trademark "ain't we cute" witticisms are confined mostly to the first two tracks, "Adrift" and "Bank Job" (the latter being a tale of a well-planned bank robbery undone by the discovery that the bank's filled with nuns -- how very "Monty Python"). Again, members of the BNL cult might not like this, but for outsiders (like yours truly) who always found the band's more "precious" work contrived and irritating, the result is that the other 11 tracks are a surprising treat. By dialing things down, BNL craft smart, sad songs of broken hearts and loneliness, angst about the world and growing up. Solid rainy day listening. Christopher Green Grade: D The Barenaked Ladies. Wait... didn't they sing that "One Week" song back in 1998? That's about all I know about these cats (If you see my roommate drunk anytime, ask him to sing it for you. You'll be rather entertained). I never really got into them, and quite honestly, I didn't know they were still making music. Their newest outing is titled Barenaked Ladies Are Me. I don't get it... From the start of this album, I knew it was going to be a long, long 50 minutes. Now, I'm not racist against Canadians. Canada has some pretty sweet metal bands (Despised Icon, Ion Dissonance). But these Canadians aren't what I'm looking for. This album just isn't any good at all. The songs are worth detailing; I'm sorry, but this is just hideous garbage. Fans might like it, I don't know. This is Barenaked Ladies trying to be clever and sound like the Eels (one of my favorite bands by the way), but they fail miserably. The Ladies should retire back to their igloo in Canada. I need a nap after this sleep-inducing CD. BOB SEGER face the promise/hideout records-capitol Mark Perlman-Price Grade: C+ Like many musicians popular in the 1970s and 80s who managed not to die, Bob Seger is still producing music. His new album, Face the Promise, shows he's as vibrant as ever and still able to rock. Seger reminds me of a more sorrowful, country sounding, Michael McDonald. He's got a powerful, gritty voice and waxes poetic in most of his songs about love, dreams, desire, determination, etc. Most famous for songs like "Old Time Rock n' Roll", "Against the Wind" and "Turn the Page," none of Seger's new songs seem to have the staying power as some of his greats -- that is, except for "Wait for Me", which sounds strikingly familiar to the Seger classic, "Like a Rock". The album also features duets with Kid Rock and Patty Loveless, which both add a needed change of pace. Face the Promise may evoke a "classic Seger" vibe, but it's not an album that will be remembered as one. Eamonn Brennan Grade: D Calling me familiar with Bob Seger is parallel to calling me familiar with Ford Truck commercials. I know that "Like a Rock" is a Seger classic, but Built Ford Tough isn't. (These days, even the Fords aren't built Ford tough. I digress.) Seger's new album, however, feels neither like a rock nor built tough; It's stripped down, clunky, metal guitar-slapping baby formula, which poaches some of the finer bits of country and blues but fails to meld them into anything emotionally affecting. "Wreck this Heart" is an OK song, I suppose, and "Wait for Me" feels one or two notches below excellent, but the rest of the album's tracks fall precipitously from there. The leading indication of poor quality is a duet with Kid Rock on "Real Mean Bottle." If you're looking to Kid Rock to boost your album sales and/or credibility -- while singing about the meanness of alcohol, no less -- I'm betting the wheels have fallen off the wagon a long, irreparable time ago.