Without A Net

Celebrity reactions to Whitney Houston's death

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:41:53 -0800

Looking for a collection of celebrity reactions to Whitney Houston's death at the age of 48? We have it via Boston.com's social media editor.

Ever want to meet your favorite celebrity? If it's one of these 72, you can do it in Burbank

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:50:35 -0800

This weekend, the quarterly "Hollywood Show" autograph show is back in Burbank for more.

Some of the stars include Tom Felton from "Harry Potter" (Draco Malfoy!), Billy Dee Williams, Amber Benson of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fame, the Monkees' Davy Jones, Shannon Elizabeth from "American Pie," Elvira, and, my personal favorite, the cast of '90s teen sketch comedy show "All That."

As with most fan conventions, there's also a big sci-fi presence, with numerous names that will be familiar to the hardcore "Star Wars" and "Star Trek" fanboys. There's also going to be a "Starsky and Hutch" reunion, with Huggy Bear. (Sidenote: Didn't love the "Starsky and Hutch" remake with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, but it's got some great bits. Personal favorite: Stiller's giant old school radio headphones.)

Conan O'Brien will be on hand filming segments for his late night comedy show, along with Syfy's "Hollywood Treasures."

As co-owner Kevin Martin described the convention in an email, "The purpose of this show is for fans to meet their celeb heroes." Some proceeds from the show are also donated to charity; in this case, the show's main charity is the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, while some stars have their own charities as well. The show started in 1979, with the current owners taking over in 2008.

If you can't go this weekend, no need to fear! They'll be back for more in April, August and October. They also hold regular shows in Las Vegas and Chicago.

All you need is milosc: Tuneful vintage Valentines of love (and loss) collected in new CD set

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:59:58 -0800

Forget the overpriced cards and flowers, the impossible-to-get dinner reservations and all the other corporate-created guilt-induced expressions of affection this Valentine’s Day. Instead, look back to a more innocent, freer time and serenade your sweetheart with song. Here’s a real mood-setter for you:

Oh, sorry, let me translate:

And what has become of all my joy?

Who will I now be picking nuts with?

Romantic, ain’t it? Well, that’s “Uwiedziona Dziewczyna,” which translates as “The Cheated Girl.” The Polish ditty, recorded in 1928 by Chicago-based immigrant ensemble the Franciszek Dukli Wijska Band, is one of the highlights of Aimer et Perdre, a two-CD set of songs addressing the complexities of love. Love and loss.

“With joy and exuberance comes sorrow and regret,” writes Christopher King in the liner notes, summing up these recordings compiled from his own collection of 78s, made in the 1920s and ‘30s largely by Eastern European-originated, Cajun and rural blues artists.

“Many of the songs in this collection convey the deep despair of abandonment and loss as if the only precondition of our being is our ability to suffer, to hold multitudes of contradictions such as regretting having done and not done the same thing at different times and under different conditions,” he adds.

And so in this package (being released by the great archival label Tompkins Square on, of course, Valentine’s Day) we get, in Cajun French, the set’s opening/title track, recorded in 1929 by Louisiana legends Joe & Cleoma Falcon, the very first lines of which, translated, are:

Oh dear little one, I loved you!

I lost you by wandering on the roads.

See what I have done to myself, sweet one.

If that’s not Hallmark-ready, what is?

And we get (in English) the Carter Family’s famed “I Never Will Marry,” Emry Arthur’s “She Lied to Me” and Dock Boggs‘ “False Hearted Lover’s Blues.” And when Cajun singer-accordionist Moise Robin, in duo with fiddler Leo Soileau, declares “Je Veux Marier (I Want to Marry),” he can’t because he’s flat broke!

Not that it’s all the dark side of the mooning here. For one thing, the music is lively and engaging, even when the words are most despairing. And since you won’t understand much of the lyrics anyway, you can make of it what you will.

And, arguably, the real treasures of this collection are several songs and dances from Eastern European weddings and, best of all, song-skits depicting the elaborate wedding scenes and ceremonies, which King says were largely targeted to the dislocated immigrant communities in the U.S. There’s the two-part “Ukrainske Wesilla w Ameryci” by the Ukrainska Orchestra Pawla Humeniuka from 1928, portraying the welcoming of the guests and the arrival of the happy couple at the post-wedding party.

Then there’s “Cyganske Vesilia (A Lemko Wedding)”, parts 2 and 3 which cut right to the, uh, chase. In this sequence from the extended Polish nuptials in a Carpathian village, the musicians serenade the couple as they are put to bed before the family and guests get on with their boisterous revels, leaving the newlyweds to attend to, well, whatever. As they are bid good night, the singer addresses the bride:

May you stay healthy my lady

We used to collect hazel nuts together.

What, again with the nuts?

(You can listen to all of disc 1 here.)

1,000-calorie, vegetarian, 'bacon milkshake' pops up at Jack in the Box

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:19:57 -0800

Put down the kale and curry tempeh, the "Bacon Shake" is here.

Jack in the Box's new off-menu secret item has popped up in California with frothy disregard for nutritional responsibility. The 1,000-calorie lactose disaster and seemingly kosher nightmare is, however, vegetarian friendly.

Not a real swine in sight, the synthetic bacon is taste trickery ala flavored syrup mixed with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and Valentine ready maraschino cherries.

Even among self-proclaimed non-food snobs, the beverage has recieved harsh reviews. SFist called the straw n' artery stopper, "horrific," noting a heavy leave behind described as, "lingering bland with a touch of smoke that doesn't go away."

Will you try it? Have you tried it? Tell us all about it in the comments.

President Obama joins Spotify; playlist includes Ricky Martin, Hootie

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:00:19 -0800

The 2012 Obama campaign is trying to use some of the social networking zeitgeist they seized upon in 2008 with social media like their huge MySpace following (quit laughing, that was still a thing then). Obama's already on Tumblr and Instagram, which are de rigeur for most hipsters these days, but now he's on Spotify, too. (Or at least someone in his office set one up for him.)

The official playlist runs the gamut with everything from country to R&B. It also includes some artists that have been used for numerous political campaigns, like Bruce Springsteen and U2. A couple artists even get two songs: Sugarland and Darius Rucker (of Hootie & The Blowfish fame).

Here's the full rundown of songs:

Raphael Saadiq: "Keep Marchin'"

Noah And The Whale: "Tonight's The Kind Of Night"

Bruce Springsteen: "We Take Care Of Our Own"

Zac Brown Band: "Keep Me In Mind"

Aretha Franklin: "The Weight"

U2: "Even Better Than The Real Thing"

Ricky Martin featuring Joss Stone: "The Best Thing About Me Is You"

Dierks Bentley: "Home"

Ray LaMontagne: "You Are The Best Thing"

Earth Wind & Fire Experience featuring Al McKay Allstars: "Got To Get You Into My Life" (Live)

Booker T. & The MG's: "Green Onions" (Single/LP Version)

Wilco: "I Got You"

The Impressions: "Keep On Pushing" (Single Version)

Jennifer Hudson: "Love You I Do" (from Dreamgirls)

AgesandAges: "No Nostalgia"

Sugarland: "Stand Up"

Al Green: "Let's Stay Together"

Darius Rucker: "This"

Arcade Fire: "We Used To Wait"

Florence + The Machine: "You've Got The Love"

James Taylor: "Your Smiling Face"

REO Speedwagon: "Roll With The Changes"

Sugarland: "Everyday America"

Darius Rucker: "Learn To Love"

Electric Light Orchestra: "Mr. Blue Sky"

Montgomery Gentry: "My Town"

No Doubt: "Different People"

Ledisi: "Raise Up"

As the playlist notes, it features picks by the Obama campaign staff, so it's not exactly handpicked by the president himself, but it does include "a few of President Obama's favorites."

How does Obama's taste compare with former President George W. Bush's? Bush gave the New York Times a peek at his iPod in 2005. Like Obama's official playlist, it included a good dose of country, though more traditional artists (George Jones, Alan Jackson and Kenny Chesney) than the newer artists in the Obama list (Zac Brown Band and Sugarland). Bush used the iPod primarily during bike workouts at the time, according to the Times.

The Obama campaign also has a playlist with those working on the campaign sharing their stories, as well as discussion of the relaunched campaign site, BarackObama.com.

You can listen to Obama's 2012 Campaign Playlist here.

Vin Scully on why he wants to work forever and touring Santa Monica and Venice Beach with comedian Bill Burr

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:02:05 -0800

You should watch this epic tour of Santa Monica and Venice Beach by comedian Bill Burr, the latest in a series of Burr tours shot by Without A Net's very own TV junkie Tom Lewis. I agree with Laughspin; Bill Burr should have his own show on the Travel Channel. (Warning: The language is not safe for work, young ears, or, well, most places.)

Well this is the most depressing reason ever to keep working forever: Dodgers announcer Vin Scully says he doesn't want to retire because "I don't want to lose my friends," as he says he knows he'll never see his friends at the office again once he retires. "Some people die twice: once when they retire, and again when they actually pass away."

Zooey Deschanel: Awesome or awful? I'm personally a fan, but I also liked Natalie Portman in "Garden State," so, I'm clearly a sucker for "manic-pixie dream girls," as they're known.

Ms. Deschanel is also hosting Saturday Night Live this weekend. Check out the awesome promos for her appearance, featuring jazz hands.

Speaking of Saturday Night Live, you should read about the spectacle of polarizing hipster musician Lana Del Rey's L.A. appearance at Amoeba Records following her album release and recent SNL crashing and burning.

Great interview with the showrunner from one of my favorite cable series, AMC's "The Walking Dead," including how he first got his start by calling people he knew in New York and asking "Do you have a cousin in Los Angeles?"

We're hosting an Un-Grammys event here at KPCC tonight (which you guys should all RSVP for free and go to); we'll have more coverage of the Grammys here and on our Twitter account @WithoutABlog this Sunday, but the L.A. Times has a great piece on how the category most important to a comedy nerd like myself has changed! (Comedy. That category is comedy. In case you haven't figured it out yet.)

Puppy Bowl VIII: 'The Cutening' has a Los Angeles MVP

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:20:25 -0800

I don't care about the Super Bowl.

Yes, I know, it's the most watched thing on TV. It's a uniquely American event, causing humans of all shapes, colors and sizes to put aside petty squabbles (kind of) and come together under the holy trinity of nachos, beer and television.

In fact, some might say there's only one denominator more common than sitting down and watching the Super Bowl. Only one thing everyone — EVERYONE — will pause in their daily routine and stare at.

Puppies.

My side job is at a doggy daycare in Hollywood and whenever I pop a photo of one of our puppies on Facebook, the comment section explodes. My friends care hilariously more about Nacho riding on my shoulders or Penny chewing a hole in the stairwell than they do me, you know, getting a new apartment (or anything else in my life).

Which is why, every January, I blow right past the two dozen versions of ESPN Comcast forces on me if I want my Nicktoons TV and I land squarely at Animal Planet. It's there that I worship at the altar of the Puppy Bowl.

The Puppy Bowl is the most perfect two hours of television ever dreamt up by a network executive. It is literally nothing more than puppies batting around a fake football for two hours. Just to put this in perspective, Casablanca is 102 minutes. Puppy Bowl is almost 20 minutes longer than Casablanca.

Oh, it may seem like Puppy Bowl is just a truckload of puppies dumped onto an oversized ping-pong table, batting around an inflatable football-shaped chew toy — and it is. But Puppy Bowl is so much more.

Puppy Bowl is a nuclear warhead of adorableness, one whose happiness fallout is guaranteed to contaminate your bloodstream for years afterward (or, like, an hour or two). It's like that scene in Pulp Fiction where Uma Thurman gets an adrenaline injection straight into her chest, but with puppies instead of adrenaline and happy instead of terrifying.

What are the dogs competing for? The Bissell MVP award. I'm pleased to report that this year the prize went away clenched in the underdeveloped jaws of Fumble — an spcaLA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles) foster dog, born and bred on the concrete streets of South L.A., clawing his way to the top with typical Angeleno attitude.

All of which you would know if you watched the Puppy Bowl, instead of people doing things in tights.

Don't worry. Puppy Bowl VIII ("The Cutening") may be done, but there will always be Puppies Vs. Babies. (This is an actual Animal Planet TV show.)

Justin Bieber pranks fans, Catwoman pepper sprays Ozzy and the Voice vs. American Idol

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:21:18 -0800

An Ozzy Osbourne impersonator ended up with a face full of pepper spray after harassing the Catwoman on Hollywood Boulevard. So, remember kids, only accept the original in your Ozzy Osbourne needs. (Hat tip: Comics Alliance)

An excerpt of this was featured in a Super Bowl ad, but you can see OK Go's music video shot in the desert outside L.A. where they used a car to help play instruments and make this video. (You may know OK Go from all their other awesome viral videos.) (Hat tip: Geeks Are Sexy)

In other Super Bowl ad news, you can compare and contrast the Matthew Broderick pseudo-Ferris Bueller sequel with the original film. (Hat tip: The Daily What)

Pop Matters reviews They Might Be Giants' recent L.A. show. I saw them a couple years ago and had a blast, but sadly didn't get to check them out this go-round. Here's a classic TMBG TV performance from David Letterman:

The Atlantic Wire on why "The Voice" isn't as fun as "American Idol." They argue that Idol's nationwide search gives it a more organic feel, while a bunch of singers showing up and instantly performing for L.A. crowds on "The Voice" falls a little flat. (As a devotee of both shows, I claim no allegiances.)

A fun look back at the straight to cable movie "Mean Guns," shot at downtown's Los Angeles County Prison. Here's a clip:

What's your favorite part of L.A.? The city wants you to talk about it on their impressive new MyHistoricLA site, which uses a variety of digital tools to make talking about the city fun. (Hat tip: L.A. Observed)

Not certain what to say about this one. Justin Bieber pranks young women on behalf of... Proactiv? OK, sure. (Hat tip: Justin Bieber's Facebook page. Yes I like Justin Bieber on Facebook.)

Roseanne runs for president, Drake gets sued and comedian Joe Mande trolls politicians

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:12:32 -0800

Rapper Drake is getting sued by his ex-girlfriend Ericka Lee, who says she was promised proceeds from the song "Marvin's Room" after her voice was used on the track. They were supposed to meet in L.A. to work things out, but apparently that didn't happen.

On the heels of the Riot L.A. festival hitting its Kickstarter goals to bring a new alt comedy festival to town, Los Angeles may be getting its very own comedy podcast festival this October; they're currently raising money on Kickstarter. (Hat tip: The Comedy Bureau)

Google is testing a mystery "entertainment device" in their Mountain View, California hometown, as well as New York, Cambridge and right here in L.A. Is it something to do with Google TV? I'll bet brain control device. Hey, why do I suddenly feel like Google is the best company ever?

How does L.A. take care of its public art? L.A. Weekly delivers the answer. (Hat tip: Los Angeles, I'm Yours)

Before I lived in L.A., I lived in Seattle, and my dad and little brother still live in southern Washington state. My former home is bringing me shame, as, apparently, high school kids aren't all nerds like I was (and by "was," I mean "am") and can't answer pretty simple questions. (This better not be my high school.) (Hat tip: The Daily What)

Roseanne is running for president in the Green Party. First Stephen Colbert, now Roseanne; I'm hoping that in 2016 we get an all comedy primary. You can follow him on Twitter at @JoeMande.

Speaking of politics and comedy, comedian Joe Mande has made a name for himself by, in part, trolling celebrities on Twitter. Politico takes a look at some of his attacks on politicians and other political personalities.

Anthony Bourdain loves food and hates "Midnight In Paris" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." Read the famous chef and excellent writer's thoughts on the desk of the Oscar nominations.

Finally, a fantastic music video featuring a violinist rocking the score from "The Lord of the Rings." The video was produced in New Zealand and even includes helicopter shots. Quite epic. (Hat tip: The Mary Sue)

American Idol hits Portland, Pee-Wee Herman on Top Chef and Howard Stern hates Jay Leno

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:26:26 -0800

L.A. graffiti artist David Choe got the chance to ply his trade at Facebook headquarters in 2005, for which he was paid with company stock. After their IPO filing, those shares may now be worth $200 million. (If anyone with an awesome social network wants me to go make funny Tumblr pictures or something for them and pay me in stock, let me know!) You can watch Choe below, along with Mark Zuckerberg getting in on the action:

I think the way artist Geoff McFetridge described this time-lapse video of his art show being put together is pretty appropriate: "Neat!"

Geoff McFetridge at Cal Poly University from University Art Gallery on Vimeo.

L.A. alt comedy festival Riot managed to hit its Kickstarter goal, raising $20,000 to fund the event. It's already been endorsed by a wide variety of fantastic comedians, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

American Idol went to my old hometown of Portland last night, and you should read Dave Holmes' hilarious recap.

I don't watch Top Chef, but the fact that Pee-Wee Herman was a guest judge really makes me wish I did. Check out a photo gallery here.

Apparently Mitt Romney is quoting Thomas Paine as saying something that scholars say he didn't say, so the folks at Buzzfeed suggested some other options for things Romney could say that Paine didn't.

Buzzfeed also had an article on Romney's Republican primary opponent Newt Gingrich, who apparently edited Callista Gingrich's Wikipedia page 23 times.

Howard Stern and David Letterman still apparently aren't happy about Jay Leno. On Letterman's 30th anniversary show, they talked about the polarizing late night host while detailing where things are at between Letterman and Leno after their long feud. (I'm a Colbert man, so don't ask me.)

Kevin Smith hosts live podcast in theaters nationwide, new TV special Feb. 11

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:00:24 -0800

Director/writer Kevin Smith is hosting "Kevin Smith: Live From Behind featuring 'Jay and Silent Bob Get Old'" tonight, a live broadcast of the podcast he does with his friend/frequent co-star Jason Mewes, aka Jay. It's available in theaters around the country, including a number here in California. (You can view a full list of theaters showing the film here.)

Smith has long experimented with digital media, new ways of getting his content out there and more. He hosts online morning radio shows, puts out a variety of popular podcasts and hosts live tapings on a regular basis at the Jon Lovitz Podcast Theater in Universal City. He's long nurtured a popular message board community and has 2 million followers on Twitter.

His last film, "Red State," was distributed independently, with a nationwide tour of the film featuring live Q&A's with the director, a release to on demand and only limited theatrical showings for a film that Smith didn't feel would be profitable if distributed in a traditional way.

Smith also has a new TV special coming to EPIX, a one-man show called "Kevin Smith: Burn In Hell." It premieres Saturday, Feb. 11, and it's available on demand starting Friday, Feb. 3. It features a live Q&A filmed in Austin about the reaction to both the film and the distribution of "Red State," including his interaction with the Phelps family, known for protesting military funerals and other high profile events.

Watch a clip with Smith sharing his experience (or lack thereof) with groupies:

Wall Street Journal's guide to LA, Watchmen gets a prequel and David Letterman turns 30 (kind of)

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:44:14 -0800

The Wall Street Journal offers their guide to Los Angeles; what do you think of it? (Hat tip: Los Angeles, I'm Yours)

With Starbucks bringing the expanded "Barbucks" menu to Southern California, including beer and wine, my friend and Portland blogger Meagan Williams argues why we shouldn't encourage this.

The Occupy movement has made it all the way to Archie Comics; Occupy Riverdale is becoming a reality.

In other comics news, ever see Watchmen? Well, the legendary 1980s comic and recent movie is getting a prequel, despite strong objections from writer Alan Moore. Also, the Mary Sue did an excellent article looking at the various disputes over the rights to Watchmen and why Alan Moore is so mad.

I'm not the wine expert that my colleague Matt DeBord is (as seen on the DeWine Report), but I'm at least mildly intrigued by this new Princess Bride wine. It's a California Cabernet named "Inconceivable Cab" and a California blend called "As You Wish White."

Today is David Letterman's 30th anniversary as a late night host, so Vulture did a great look back with videos of some of Letterman's highlights. You can check out a couple of those videos below.

Paula Abdul is the latest judge axed from X Factor

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:47:01 -0800

Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell's Randy-less relationship was TMZ fodder on Monday when the gossip site reported that Abdul had been straight up fired from "The X Factor" by her good pal Simon.

Sans finger-pointing, the dancer/singer confirmed her empty seat on Tuesday citing "business decisions" for the departure. Paula took it to the tweets and issued a series of statements in 140 characters or less:

Yes, it's true; I won't be returning to The X Factor next season…I’ve learned through my longevity in this industry that business decisions often times override personal considerations...Simon & I, along with Fox & Fremantle, have been communicating about this for a while now, & I have absolute understanding of the situation…Simon is, and will remain a dear friend of mine......and I’ve treasured my experience working this past season with my extended family at Fox and Fremantle…I want nothing more than for The X Factor to exceed ALL of their wildest dreams. This truly has been a blessing and I am most grateful.

Rumors and shtick have shadowed Simon and Paula since the American Idol days, with the duo occasionally poking fun at the idea that they were secretly a real-life couple, notes Yahoo's Lyndsey Parker in her meaty, juicy, and downright bloody histories of X Factor USA and American Idol.

Survey said buzz to judges Steve Jones and judge Nicole Scherzinger who will also not be returning for the next season of the adapted UK talent show.

'SouthLAnd' star Michael Cudlitz on the show, sharing a squad car with Lucy Liu and more

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:42:13 -0800

TNT's "SouthLAnd" (Tuesdays at 10 p.m.) makes the convincing argument that there isn't a better cop show on TV and there hasn't been one this good in quite a while. The crew for this show is constantly moving from location to location across Los Angeles, bringing recognizable scenes to our TVs every week. This is a show that tells its stories from street level, from inside the squad car and from the homes of the officers and detectives portrayed in the series.

Series star Michael Cudlitz has been there from the beginning, playing the seemingly solid Officer John Cooper, the most experienced character of the ones we follow on the show. "Seemingly" solid because last season Cooper's regimen of self-prescribing medication for a bad back led him to stealing painkillers or scoring them in the lavatory of the local cops' watering hole.

This season, the fourth for "SouthLAnd," Cooper has returned to the force, looking trim and very fit after a stint of physical rehab to repair his damaged back. But Cooper appears very cautious, dare we say vulnerable, as he resumes his duties. He's now teamed up with Officer Jessica Tang, played by Lucy Liu, who joined the ensemble as a handful of characters were written off the show during its most recent hiatus.

As the show airs, you will see Cudlitz on Twitter, week in, week out, promoting his show, just as he has from its first season, and during production Cudlitz continues to tweet away from curbside scenes across Los Angeles. Cudlitz has been vocal about supporting the show, particularly during its somewhat tumultuous transfer from NBC to TNT between the first and second seasons. [NBC made two seasons of the show, but only aired one. TNT bought the show and the rights to air the second season.]

"SouthLAnd" is one of a handful of shows that not only made a transition from one network to another, but have done so successfully and continue to expand upon that success. The addition of a superstar like Liu, who has been excellent as Officer Tang, should help this gritty show continue to succeed. We spoke to Cudlitz by phone last week.

SCPR: A couple weeks ago we embarked on the second season of "SouthLAnd" on TNT.

Michael Cudlitz: Correct, it's the second season on TNT and the fourth season overall.

You're back as Officer John Cooper, after a falling out with your partner, Officer Ben Sherman [played by Ben McKenzie], and there are some big changes. Cooper had been in a lot of physical pain but his method of self-medicating had not been working…

Michael Cudlitz: Yeah, that was not working. [Laughs]

So from the premiere episode a couple weeks ago, you play a very changed man. Physically speaking, you look great!

Michael Cudlitz: [Laughs] Thanks! A lot of work went into that!

So was that a good thing for you, in your personal life as well?

Michael Cudlitz: Yes! Obviously, it's always a good to be in shape and to be fit. We had made a decision last year in the show that John was going to really spiral out of control and manifest that physically. So I kind of went off my diet and decided I wanted to put on some weight and from episode 5 on, I cut out the cardio, and by the end of the season I had put on about 12 pounds. That combined with the way I carried John and I think in episode 8 or 9, when you see him sitting in the car, he's a mess, he's disgusting.

Contrast that with the pilot episode where he says "Look sharp, act sharp, be sharp." I was about as dull as they come at that moment last season. The showrunners came to me about two months before we started and we decided that John would be completely fit when he comes back. We're not going to follow John through rehab and we're going to push all these relationships forward.

They wanted to see what John Cooper was like as a fully fit and active officer. We wanted to see what that re-entry process was like for him within the force. So the time frame has been moved forward about eight months since the end of last season. It was a really great excuse to crank it up at the gym, we rarely get those incentives in life. I've got to say my wife is really happy! [Laughs]

The big new dynamic John has to deal with is his new partner, Officer Tang, played by Lucy Liu.

Michael Cudlitz: John is very on edge. To sum up everything, John left the force, took a leave of absence, and got his back fixed. He knows people talked, he knows that he has become everything that he despised in an officer. What's happening now is that rumors are circulating, he knows that Ben is the only one that knows about the drugs, specifically, but because of the rumors he doesn't know what everybody knows.

He has a re-entry period and he's very much on eggshells. He had been the guy in charge, he was the go-to guy, he was the most tightly wrapped officer in the division. Then he became... not that. So when he's coming back he doesn't get all the privileges he had before so he has to re-qualify.

Officer Tang is put in there to make sure that he is ready physically - but since they don't know anything else, they don't come into play, so that's all in John's head. John is physically fit but John, mentally, is still dealing with what kind of officer he is going to be. He is extremely disappointed in himself, so we'll see how he moves past that, or if he even does.

How does John perceive his new partner? Is he going to trust her? What about the mistakes that haunt her past?

Michael Cudlitz: Her big mistake [of getting assaulted while arresting a suspect] was one that John made in an earlier season, he let someone get the jump on him. But since he isn't tiny like she is, it wasn't as bad for him, but it's the kind of lesson you learn once, for obvious reasons. There's no judgement in that.

But I'd like to use this interview with you as an opportunity to clarify something because some people had posted to my Twitter account that they thought it was disgusting how the cops were making fun of her and the dash-cam video [in which we see her assaulted] because they were calling her Pootie Tang "because she had been beaten."

These two things are very separate: she is being harassed as a woman because she is a beautiful woman who happens to be a cop; but the comments the cops make about the videotaped beating, about it being "mindblowing," it's mindblowing because she was almost beaten to death on camera.

The comments that the cops are giving her have absolutely nothing to do with the tape - they are giving her those comments because she's hot. There were some people who were upset because they thought those things were connected but that would be misconstruing what had happened. But ultimately I was impressed by how upset people were because that means they care about the characters and the show.

Let's talk a bit more about your partner - how did it come about? How has it been working with Lucy Liu?

Michael Cudlitz: It came about because even though we're a TV show, we're trying to closely mirror the mechanics of the LAPD. The LAPD does have their own divisions and we have ones that loosely kind of mirror them. Within the actual mechanism of the LAPD, there's this thing that they call "wheeling out," and that's when you've served enough time within the division and then you move on to another division.

This is done, from what I understand, to prevent any sort of Rampart-type thing, to make sure that corruption isn't happening. Wheeling out can really help cut down on things like favoritism or people being stuck in certain neighborhoods.

Cooper's old partner Ben has served his time as a trainee and is wheeling out to another division. So I had to have a new partner, and this is something that is also very common in LAPD, it's not as big a deal as they make it out to be on television.

But when the show mentioned that Lucy might be coming on as my partner, I didn't really know all of her work. I knew about "Ally McBeal," the Kill Bill movies, and a couple other things but not enough to say "Oh, great!" or "Oh, the horror!" I was just like, "OK, a high-profile name, that can only help the show," and I was excited to be paired up with a female officer because it was going to bring out a different dynamic in John.

She's been fantastic, she jumped in, and it's a hard show to jump into. We have a long history, there are many people that fought very hard for the show and to have an outsider come in, because we lost a lot of people who were close to us to get the show to where it is, to lose these people and to bring in somebody new is a hard thing to do. But she did it extremely well, with a tremendous amount of humility, and did everything she had to do to take her rightful place in the cast.

I think she's doing a great job and I think she's happy with the work and she's doing some really cool stuff, and I think it's stuff that she hasn't done in a very long time. I guarantee you that this is not the glamorous Lucy Liu that we've seen in ads for Kill Bill or Charlie's Angels. It's much grittier and much more grounded situation. I've spent a tremendous amount of time with the woman and I've been having a great time with her.

She's got the hair pulled back, a bulky bulletproof vest, a utility belt—

Michael Cudlitz: And somehow, yet somehow: she's hot! She's doing great, and I don't mean this in a condescending way, as somebody that's been doing this for four years and knowing how rough and demanding this show can be physically, she's doing just great.

It also seems that what's been written for her doesn't seem to be scene-stealer content.

Michael Cudlitz: She's become part of our ensemble, there's no focal light shone on anybody except for when their story is being told, and she will have time for her story, just like everyone. We're never going to have, "Tonight, on a very special episode of 'SouthLAnd'..." We are an ensemble.

You mentioned the work you guys had to do to keep the show going and more often than not, you seem to be associated with the ongoing effort to keep the show in the public's mind: keeping it in front of people on Twitter, responding to fans, talking to everybody who is interested in the show, doing interviews like this one...

Michael Cudlitz: I was the first one from the cast on Twitter and now, ironically, Ben McKenzie and Regina King have surpassed me in terms of Twitter followers. In a very real way I have been completely eclipsed by the numbers of people that follow them.

But way back in the beginning I was the only one on Twitter and I made a point of taking a stand about what NBC was doing - they were putting out misinformation about the show. I had no problem with the show being cancelled by NBC but I had a problem in the way that it was being cancelled and the kind of statements they were making about the show.

We had all worked so hard, as anybody does in any show, but we produced the show they asked for: don't say the show was darker than you ordered when you were the ones who were approving the scripts that we were doing. You can't make that up, it's not the truth. Just say it's too dark and you don't want it.

The lifespan of any show is to end in cancellation. We will, at some point, no matter what, be cancelled, and that's no surprise. But it was the way they did it at the time, so I went on to social media and I said that there was a chance that the show will be sold so let's get behind it.

I told people to find articles written about the show and to post on them, let people know that you are upset about the show being cancelled so that potential purchasers will hear about the fanbase of the show. I don't know what is attributed to me, I'm just happy we are all working, I just feel a passion for this project that we are involved in.

A lot has been said about the reality of "SouthLAnd" but there is this element contained in the characters that you've created, the empathy, there are people that we like to watch, in order to see what's going to happen to them, and there's characters we don't like, but that we still want to see.

Michael Cudlitz: I had the good fortune of being in a miniseries called "Band of Brothers." We had done a lot of footage of "war," a lot of buildings getting blown up, a lot of big things going on. That just served as a backdrop, there is no real emotion in watching these buildings blowing up. The emotion comes from people, people's faces, people's eyes.

All of this cop stuff that we're doing, all of this tension that we're building doesn't mean anything if you don't care for, or hate the people that we're following. You want to go on a ride with these characters and the show is not afraid of changing things up. It leaves the judgement of good and bad to you.

I want to remind people that there is no soundtrack in "SouthLAnd," there is no scored music or soundtrack telling you what you're supposed to feel. You are shown something and are left to interpret that however you are going to interpret it. There must be a lot of different interpretations across the country because of this. You're going to experience something form what you see and you will be left to interpret it yourself. I don't know if we're the only show doing this, but it's not typical and I love it.

---

"SouthLAnd" airs on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on TNT.

Stephen Colbert rakes in donations, LAPD patrolling for Super Bowl drunkenness and Kristen Bell loves sloths

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:09:06 -0800

Stephen Colbert announced in FEC filings released at midnight that his Super PAC has managed to pull in over a million dollars in donations. That's a lot of money for a political organization whose primary purpose seems to be comedy, though they're also trying to educate people about the influence of money in politics. Its donors include a number of celebrities, such as Bradley Whitford, who donated $250, as well as California's own lieutenant governor, Gavin Newsom, who gave $500.

In other Bradley Whitford news, he's starring in the Pasadena Playhouse's play "Art," which he talked about with KPCC's Patt Morrison last week. My tweet about spotting him, for all you West Wing nerds:

Just saw Bradley Whitford here at work at @KPCC; he's on air right now. He's that @JoshuaLyman lookalike, right? @Pres_Bartlet

— Mike Roe (@MikeRoe) January 27, 2012

Adele is back! She'll be making her grand return at the Grammys. Be sure to check us out for Grammys coverage here and on our Twitter.

The talented but sadly underused Paul Brittain is leaving "Saturday Night Live" without even finishing out this season, after a season and a half of small roles. A recent hysterical sketch he starred in as Lord Wyndemere:

In other comedy news, "Key and Peele" debuts on Comedy Central tonight. It's being compared to "Chappelle's Show" in the way it tackles race head on (Real world example: billboards around town saying that if you don't watch, you're racist). You can read our earlier thoughts about "Key & Peele" and watch a video here.

OK Go is trying to hit every demographic. First up, they'll be featured in a Super Bowl ad this weekend. (Hat tip: Laughing Squid)

They're also on "Sesame Street" teaching kids about primary colors. (Hat tip: The Daily What)

Hey, guys? The Super Bowl is this weekend, and you really, really shouldn't drink or drive. Please. Do this for me. We're pals, right? Kind of? The LAPD is also going to be helping to make sure you don't do such a stupid thing by conducting DUI checkpoints over Super Bowl weekend. (Hat tip: L.A. Observed)

Finally, something happy: Kristen Bell loves sloths so much that she can't keep it together at the very feeling that a sloth might be near her. I hope that I find something eventually that makes me this happy. (Hat tip: The Mary Sue)

Still silly after all these years: Paul McCartney tackles classic love songs, delightfully

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:20:34 -0800

Okay, who else cringed a bit when Paul McCartney announced not long ago that he was putting out an album mostly made up of standards -- classic mid-20th century love songs dedicated to his new wife, Nancy Shevell? Perfectly natural reaction. After all, the last thing we need is another aged Baby Boomer rocker doing a standards album. Thanks, Rod Stewart, for ruining it for everybody.

And Macca’s not even the first Beatle to do that, with Ringo’s earthily charming Sentimental Journey coming way ahead of the curve, back in 1970, a collection of tunes he recorded for his “mum.” Not to mention that McCartney wrote a whole bunch of romantic songs (some sublime, some famously silly) that long ago achieved standards status.

Well, McCartney’s album Kisses on the Bottom is here, the complete set debuting on NPR’s “First Listen” stream. (The official album release date is Feb. 7.) Having been preceded by release of the adequate, well-meaning original “My Valentine” (with lilting acoustic guitar by Eric Clapton), the whole turns out to be a bit of a delightful surprise.

Revelations? Well, no, but would you expect any? But Sir Paul nicely coos rather than croons, lending earnest intimacy to the songs, with Diana Krall and her small combo providing the warm, jazzy moods ranging from somber (“Always”) to giddy (“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive”) to playful (“My Very Good Friend the Milkman” to glowing (the opening, tone-setting “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter”).“Bye Bye Blackbird,” by the way, is the only song that Ringo also did on his album 42 years ago. A second original, “Only Our Hearts,” closes on an intimate note with Stevie Wonder helping out on harmonica. Of course, all the notes on the album are pretty intimate.

But heck, listen for yourself:

Paul McCartney's Kisses on the Bottom

Correatown -- Pleiades -- Album Review

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:38:05 -0800

Correatown -- Pleiades

&amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://correatown.bandcamp.com/track/valparaiso" _mce_href="http://correatown.bandcamp.com/track/valparaiso"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Valparaiso by correatown&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Angela Correa is a woman of changes. Her self-titled debut—recorded live almost five years ago—featured a ten-track collection of striped-bare country ballads, just a girl, a guitar and a lot of minor chords. Fast forward to 2011 and Correatown’s third album, Pleiades, wastes no time wrapped listeners in waves of electric blips and synth hums and vocal countermelodies. It's a far stretch from the slo-folk murder ballads of yore, but Correa's latest venture into the wide world of raised production values is thankfully more like a fresh breeze through an open window than a wall of smog (through an open window in the Valley).

In many ways, Correatown picks up where the ethereal, plaintive Spark. Burn. Fade left off. Haunting female backup vocals and countermelodies still characterize a wide swath of her sound. Correa's voice is apparently designed for this kind of ambiguous, serious calm, that low, almost-murmur that people use when they're trying to tell you something important that they're not sure they want to say. (This is especially evident in earlier tracks like the slow burn "Everything, All At Once" or the vaguely ominous "Isomer" that preceeds it). When Correa asks "If I was lost and never found, what would you do?" your first response is to call the fire department, cuz she sure seems to mean it.

&amp;lt;a href="http://correatown.bandcamp.com/track/isomer" _mce_href="http://correatown.bandcamp.com/track/isomer"&amp;gt;Isomer by correatown&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Luckily, the same holds true when the album ventures into some straight-up rock-out electric powerpop territory. Correa never sounds quite as comfortable on upbeat tech-heavy thunderbirds like "Turn On, Turn Up" or "Play" but boy, she sure does sound like she's having fun. The group as a whole makes excellent work of the "tide comes in, slow build, wave crashes, tide goes out" movement (or, as I like to call it, the Florence Effect). If the percussion was just a little more pervasive, it could serve to drive the crashes all the more and push it into workout music territory.

The first lyrics of the album are "we were younger, we were brighter, we were soft and unwise" and Correatown seems to hold that thoughtful appreciation for the past with optimism for the future throughout Pleiades. The layers of electrical blips and hums and undercurrents and overtones that have been carefully laid across every track edge to the point of being distracting but positively never cross it. They're like the best kind of wallpaper or embroidery, unnoticeable until somebody points it out to you, and then all the more appreciable for how delicate it is. At the end of the day, the entire album is like that; a shocking amount of delicate threads woven together into a deceptively solid whole, proof that quiet doesn't equal weak, and that soft doesn't haven't to be fragile.

Loch & Key: the musical couple dish about LA, a town of dreamers with no curfew

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:36:56 -0800

Musical vets Sean Hoffman and Leyla Akdogan had been making beautiful music together for almost five years before the couple ventured into the audioscape as Loch & Key. Complicated chords and bossa nova jazz intertwine on their 2010 debut "Jupiter’s Guide for Submariners" but a more striped-down sound awaits listeners on their next release. Hoffman and Akdogan sat down with us at the downtown bar where she bartends (and suggests wines) to hash through the old and dish on the new.

SH: So, I just want to warn you - we have a new record that we’re still working on. This last record came out in 2010. I was on a tour with a band called American Music Club and we were on a tour, we did a one-off in Spain. And I took Layla with me and we spent about a month there and wrote an album. So it’s really vacation-y, kind of light. It was born of a vacation.

LA: Did you tell her the story about the laundromat?

PO: He did not

LA: It’s not really a very exciting story but that’s like when we first started working on the record. He bought this really cheap guitar in Spain when we were driving. And we first got the idea, he started playing, in a laundromat on the south of France.

PO: Respective question for each of you—what is your background in music? What is the first thing you remember hearing?

SH: I know this exactly. The first record I ever became obsessed with was William Tell’s "Overture", it was the theme to Lone Ranger. I had a little 45 of it, my parents had got it for me. I was obsessed with it, I played it non-stop, to the point where my mom was like, ‘Haven’t you heard it enough?’ And I don’t know what it was… back then it was almost erotic or something. It grabbed me, it had my being! I was totally immersed in it.

PO: How old were you?

SH: I was three.

LA: I have actually answered this question before and it was Cyndi Lauper, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." And it was the first song I ever recorded. At Busch Gardens, you could go into the booth and record your own little songs. I was like six. My best friend at the time and me both recorded our own versions and hers came on first and she sounded like a chipmunk and I burst out laughing. And then mine came on and it was so much worse.

SH: She just needed a good producer.

LA: I sang my whole life, in musical theater and in little kid vocal groups where you sing “God Bless America” in the shopping mall. But I never had a real vocal lesson until 2001.

PO: What made you decide to get the lesson? When did you suddenly want to do music?

LA: I actually knew it from the moment I moved out to LA. It was a little naïve and overblown at first—like, ‘I will conquer the world with my music!’ I always knew that I wanted to do it. And I really believe that if you work hard at anything and treat it like a business and do the work then you can be successful. So that was just my plan. That I would keep doing it until something worked.

PO: What was your first performance that you can remember?

SH: I can remember this—it was in front of the PTA. The first instrument, even though I always wanted to play the guitar, was the family instrument, the clarinet. And I played "I Love You Truly" in front of the PTA with piano accompaniment by the teacher. My grandparents flew out for that gig. I still have that clarinet—I have to get it re-padded. But I always wanted to play the guitar.

PO: When did you get your first guitar?

SH: Well I got my first guitar that was my own when I was 13. It was almost like a depression-era test I had to go through to get my first guitar. He gave me the acoustic guitar he’d gotten when he was stationed in Korea and it was terrible to play. But he also gave me a reel-to-reel, and I’d take the mic from the reel-to-reel and stick it in the acoustic guitar. And if I pushed the freeze on the reel-to-reel I’d get distortion and I’d get tape delay if I started the recording process. So when my dad came down and saw me playing the acoustic guitar with a microphone in it he realized it’s time to buy this guy an electric guitar.

It’s a good way to make sure somebody wants to do something. Make ‘em earn it.

PO: So your music obsession is literally lifelong.

SH: It’s all I ever wanted to do. […] It’s a weird time to be a musician, in this economy. It’s not the easiest way to make money in this life.

PO: What about you? How long have you been playing?

LA: Well, I don’t have the kind of formal training that Sean does but I’ve been playing in bands since 2001. I was in a different band when I met Sean, and then we broke up. And I got to know him for a couple of years but he was always working on other side projects when we were dating. He does all of the music writing and then I write some of the lyrics.

I get frustrated if I can’t do something well. And I’m an artist, that’s what I studied in school, so I kind of felt like I do want to learn and it’s still important to me to learn… but people are already so far ahead that I will just never be as good as someone like Shawn doing what he does. You just let the person that’s awesome at what they do be awesome at what they do and you sort of humbly bring what you can bring to the table—

SH: That’s not necessarily true. (LA laughs) She was gifted with pitch for a singer and it’s a good place to start. She’s been able to pick up everything very fast. So she’s always been singing, she has good pitch, she had piano lessons when she was a kid.

LA: Well, thank you. I really love playing piano. I’m getting much better at it.

PO: How do you think the second album will differ from your first one?

SH: Second record I spent a lot more time as an engineer sonically crafting it. First record I kind of did it Prince-style—just throw a microphone up, be like "Okay, that’s good enough, let’s move on." I’m not saying its poor quality but I didn’t sit around and really mess with the sonics. We wrote songs, we got them done, and we just finished it.

This one we’ve been sitting around and obsessing with it, thinking of all the different things we can do. I don’t know if that’ll make it better, but that’s what we’re doing. (laughs) We’re putting our guts into it. It sounds a lot more simple, kind of like Nick Drake. Simple but effective.

LA: We're also doing a lot of art, visual art tie-ins. I'm animating a music video for one of the songs - hopefully that will be up in February. It will! It will be up in February.

PO: Does being in LA effect your music at all?

SH: The way I feel about Los Angeles is—there’s no curfew. There’s no bedtime. People always complain about the bars closing at 2:00 but there’s always a party, and I mean like every night. I always just feel the buzz of activity. Like when you drive around in the middle of the night and see the bright lights of a film shoot. Or just knowing that people are always up doing something. And the fact that it’s a town of dreamers. There are people that come up here and really fail and hate the place. But a lot of people come up here and just want to live an exceptional life.

Loch & Key’s 2010 album, ‘Jupiter’s Guide for Submariners’ can be found on Amazon and iTunes. They – along with L.A. staple correatown - will also be guests at the Crawford Family Forum on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

How Angela Correa got to Correatown by way of No. Cal, Denmark, SXSW and San Diego

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:28:43 -0800

California native Angela Correa has been making music since her childhood among the “weed plants and peach crops” of Yuba City. Her guitar has followed her like a faithful lab from Northern California to Denmark to San Diego, finally crash-landing among the cracked sidewalks and churro carts of L.A.’s eastside. She's gotten props from LA Weekly, LA Underground and Americana UK for her "hooky balladry" and "purty voice" but now she's looking to make a change, branching out into the world of synths and pedals.

I sat down with Angela as she was getting ready for a hike with her boyfriend.

PO: Let’s start at the beginning—when did you start playing music?

AC: I always sang growing up. I did a lot of vocal stuff, choral things in afterschool programs. Singing was always a big part of what my family did. I first starting to play music w/ the intention of a band when I was 18, but I didn’t know how to play the guitar. I ended up taking a guitar when I went to study abroad in Denmark, thinking I’d have all this free time. And I did! I didn’t know anyone in the country.

Still, I always thought, ‘Oh, this is a nice hobby, but time to focus on college.’ Wherever I travelled took my guitar with me. It wasn’t until grad school when I realized I spent so much more time playing music, sitting in my room listening to four tracks, thinking about songs…I spent more time on that than on anything else. I never had that model of artist or creative type in my family. I grew up in a small agricultural town (Yuba City, Ca.). We’re known for having weed plants and peach crops and one movie theater. It’s not teeny tiny but I didn’t have a lot of artists around me… so it didn’t occur to me until a really long time later that playing music was a thing you could do for a living.

PO: What’s the first piece of music that actually stuck with you?

AC: Honestly? Songs in musicals. It’s so dorky but I would watch a lot of AMC, TCM. Like, "West Side Story" there’s this song the Jets sing— “When You’re a Jet.” My friends and I would sing that constantly but, y’know, contrasted with the Smiths. (laughs)

PO: This was around the same time?

AC: Oh yeah. My cousin made me a mix tape with the Smiths, the Dead Milkmen, and that. I was really young, super blown away by everything. I was in middle school. Just hearing that type of music…it was very exciting.

PO: Was there a moment when you really realized ‘Oh, wait, I can do this’?

AC: There wasn’t like a moment… I’d always had my guitar with me. I would write songs or play guitar but I never told anybody about it. When I moved away to school, it just wasn’t a part of my identity. It was kind of this secret thing that I did. It’s like people who doodle but never think of themselves as artists, and then you look at their notebooks and they’re full of these incredible drawings.

I remember my friends invited me to SXSW and I remember being in a few shows and having my chest hurt. It was really exciting, really fun to be at these shows hearing music, but there was this painful thing… Later I realized I wished I was doing that. There was a part of me that wanted to be playing music.

PO: How has your music changed since you came to L.A…if it’s changed?

AC: Oh, it’s definitely evolved. When I first picked up the guitar and started playing songs again, it was very folky Americana. I was listening to a lot of folk music at the time and it was where my head was at. Coming from a small agricultural town I could identify with the imagery and stories (still when I sing, I tend to have a drawl if I don’t actually think about it).

What I’m really into now is a lot of textures, sonic textures. Weird blips, electronic-y things. It’s like weaving a tapestry together. There are so many elements you can bring in. When I hear music, when I write a song, I hear all the parts in my head—all the melodies, countermelodies, rhythms, low hums, blips… It’s hard to remember to finish it. It’s like the song is a line drawing and all the color, the layers, the textures is the production. A lot of times, I see all the production but I have to remember to keep looking for that line drawing.

PO: Does that newfound interest play into the differences between "Pleiades" and some of your earlier stuff? I’m thinking especially of [2009’s] "Spark. Burn. Fade."

AC: Oh, "Pleiades" is so much more produced, filled out. It’s the beginning of that exploration, sonically. I love where we went.

"Spark. Burn. Fade." has a lot more organic instruments—guitars, drums, etc. Whereas "Pleiades" I used a lot of echos, pedals, gears, synths. Just all these ways to stretch and tweak the sound. It has a completely different feel to it, but at the core they’re still my songs, still my ideas. That’s the thread [between albums].

PO: Are there threads—ideas or themes or whatever—that you find yourself going back to again and again?

It goes album cycle to album cycle. For "Pleiades", one of the grand things I was thinking of is the idea of acceptance and growing in your own skin, being present in your life. That struggle with self-doubt… how do we feel okay about growing older? How do we reconcile our place in this world?

I’ve been making a living as a musician for five years, and I’m very blessed that I can do that, but it’s a struggle, it’s hard. Financially, it’s just not that sustainable and personally it’s difficult to feel okay with that. I’ll go visit relatives and an uncle will—without meaning to be mean or anything—he’ll say like ‘Oh, still don’t have a job?’ and I’ll be like, ‘I’m a musician, that is my job!’ It’s a job, not just a dalliance with something. Even though I know that, I still struggle with how people see it.

In our society… it’s so funny how we need art. We listen to music 24/7, we watch TV, movies, images, we consume, consume, consume. But we don’t actually place a value on it. I still—I had to get used to saying, like, ‘as an artist’. It sounds pretentious or something. I come from a very working class, middle class family… my dad has 9 brothers and sisters, mom has 3 brothers. I think where you come from has an effect on how you view yourself for the rest of your life.

Correatown's latest album, "Pleiades", is available for download at Amazon and iTunes. Angela Correa will appear at the Crawford Family Forum on Feb. 1 to play music and talk about not-love as a part of 'My Anti-Valentine.'

New Spider-Man movie comes to LA, Ferris Bueller sequel video out early, Muppets attack Fox News

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:47:13 -0800

LAPD's facial recognition software might not be as amazing as some spy movies, but it's still pretty great. (Hat tip: Los Angeles, I'm Yours)

If Homeland Security comes after me, I will assume it's due to something I've jokingly tweeted. I haven't threatened to "destroy America" yet, as a couple 20-something Brits did before coming to the States and promptly being interrogated, placed in holding cells, then sent back to their native land.

In other flight misadventures: A Southwest flight from L.A. to Denver accidentally knocked over a light pole on its way to the gate. Wait a second, I fly Southwest. Uh oh.

The new Spider-Man movie isn't out until July, but they're already trying to get the buzz going. They're promoting the movie on Twitter and hosting preview screenings around the country, including here in L.A., this weekend. Good luck scoring a ticket, though; preview passes from the official site are already sold out.

Moby has a new blog! About... L.A. architecture? OK, sure, Moby. (Hat tip: Los Angeles, I'm Yours)

Kermit and Miss Piggy fire back at Fox News after accusations that the new Muppets movie exhibits liberal bias. (Hat tip: Indecision Forever)

Anyone else as interested in the weird overly hyped career of Lana Del Rey, which I think both peaked and crashed with her recent Saturday Night Live performance, should check out this Lana Del Rey timeline from Vulture.

Sadly, there's no Ferris Bueller's Day Off sequel in the works, but there's a Super Bowl ad that plays off Matthew Broderick's classic role, with Broderick playing hooky from a movie set a la Bueller. It's debuted early online. (It also includes my Twitter pal/actor/comic book journalist Mike Romo!) (Hat tip: iFanboy)

Artist Danny Haas does some great iconographic art featuring various superheroes (including a great piece of Superman art he kindly let me use for my Geek Pilgrims podcast), and he's back taking on female icons like Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Catwoman.

Comedians Tim & Eric's new film, "Tim & Eric's Billion Dollar Movie," apparently didn't please Sundance audiences. About a third of the audience walked out. Oops. You'll have your chance to see if it's worth walking out of on March 2.

Twitter, apparently inspired by the Laser Cats videos from Saturday Night Live, produced this intentionally cheesy video intended to sell you on the idea of working for Twitter. (Hat tip: (The Daily What)