Pop Culture Buzz

The Arcade Fire continued to prove that they are one of the best live bands out there on their most recent tour stop in the bay area this past weekend. I am not a big fan of Amphitheater style concert venues but this show became an different experience for fans at the Shoreline. I showed up to the concert right as LCD Soundsystem started their set and noticed right away that the parking area was strikingly empty.

As we approached the ticket gates I noticed a mad rush of scalpers trying to unload lots of concert tickets at very cheap prices . As I was about to purchase my ticket I was told by the attendant that they were free. I soon noticed that people were giving away tickets once they realized they could not sell them. Basically the event did not sell out and if you arrived at the venue without a ticket you were pretty much guaranteed a free ticket to get in. Even though it started to rain a little bit, this stroke of luck set the mood for a great night!

What shocked me was that LCD Soundsystem blew me away with their set. I have heard of the band before this gig, but had not heard their music until this show. I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the funky dance beats and terrific singing by the lead singer. I will have to admit that I am going to go out and buy the new LCD album and put it into heavy rotation, they were that impressive in person. After the LCD Soundsystem set I became even more pumped to see The Arcade Fire which is what a good opening band is supposed to do.

The Arcade Fire’s latest album “Neon Bible” is one of the best of 2007 and it transcends beautifully on stage. The Arcade Fire’s last two albums “Funeral” and “Neon Bible” play well together live much like a well crafted opera. The dramatic touches and tightly synchronized band movements were awe inspiring to witness. I danced to almost every song and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of The Arcade Fire set. Watching the many talented musicians crafting an intricate frenzy of soaring rock music was uplifting and an awesome concert going experience. If you get the chance, go see both of these bands live!

WATCH YOUTUBE FOOTAGE OF THE ARCADE FIRE PERFORMING “NO CARS GO” @ THE SHORELINE AMPITHEATER ON 9/21/07 HERE:

1/2 STAR

I love Mila Jovovich, she has a striking face and sexy demeanor that I think rivals that of Angelina Jolie’s. Her acting style leaves a lot to be desired though. The “Resident Evil” movies have always been light fare, and pretty crappy in quality. I couldn’t tell you what the plot in the last two films was about, even though I saw them in the theaters just like I did with this turkey. The third in the series (and hopefully the last, but don’t count on it) not only sucked but it was redundant, cheesy, cheap looking and annoying.

I really like zombie flicks and I’m a sucker for a hot chick movie lead that kicks ass, so why did this movie fail? Not even zombie crow’s could make this film better, they actually made it more silly. “Resident Evil: Extinction” is bloated, uneven and ridiculous. I heard 3 different people burst into laughter during 3 “pivotal” action scenes. The movie came off like a direct to video sequel. A quarter of the way through this film I became annoyed by the silly dialogue. As the movie went on I lost count of all the continuity issues. I know this movie isn’t supposed to be Oscar caliber, but “Resident Evil: Extinction” is insulting, irritating and just plain boring.

This third movie in the “Resident Evil” franchise opened with the biggest box office numbers of the entire series so far, so I am sure we can expect another shitty “Resident” movie within a year or two. I hope that someday Mila tries to branch out and do some more quality films that show her range. Her movie choices have been less than stellar since her kick ass debut in “The Fifth Element”. With the “Evil” movies (and her last film the uber crappy “Ultraviolet”) Jovavich appears to be picking the same roles over and over. I say don’t even rent this film when it comes out onto DVD, just wait until it is on cable.

TOTAL THIS WEEKEND / TOTAL SO FAR

1.) Resident Evil: Extinction $24,000,000 / $24,000,000

2.) Good Luck Chuck $14,000,000 / $14,000,000

3.) The Brave One $7,425,000 / $25,115,000

4.) 3:10 to Yuma $6,350,000 / $37,911,000

5.) Eastern Promises $5,747,000 / $6,549,000

6.) Sydney White $5,323,000 / $5,323,000

7.) Mr. Woodcock $4,975,000 / $15,700,000

8.) Superbad $3,100,000 / $116,171,000

9.) The Bourne Ultimatum $2,793,000 / $220,160,000

10.) Dragon Wars $2,510,000 / $8,571,000

GRADE: A+

You remember Robyn don’t you? She had 3 hits in the late 90’s when the Spice Girls and Hanson were on top. She seemed to just disappear once Christina and Britney started dominating the charts. Well maybe the time away was well spent, Britney is gone and Christina is a mommy. The new Robyn c.d. is one of the best pop albums to come out in over 10 years! Much like Mika’s “Life In Cartoon Motion”, Jem’s “Finally Woken”, Annie’s “Anniemal” and Nelly Furtado’s “Whoa Nelly” Robyn’s new c.d. due in December is a pop music masterpiece of tremendous proportions.

The reason it took Robyn so long to come back is that she started her own label and production company called “Konichiwa Records”. This allowed her to take her time and craft a pop album that has so many influences and new sounds melded into it it blew me away after the first spin. I am completely impressed at the many genres that Robyn is able to tap into. The rap, techno, hip-hop vocal styles that Robyn uses are complex but simple at the same time. She creates a new, fresh sound from old techniques.

The best song on the c.d. is hands down “Konichiwa Bitches”. This animated, precise rap song is so fucking hot I can hardly contain myself. It clearly is one of the best songs of 2007. The many remixes I have found do not do it justice, the original is so much fun there is no reason to mix it any further. Listen to the words and try not to laugh out loud while tapping your feet. The next best song is the radio friendly “With Every Heart Beat”, this song has many remixes that actually work better and improve on the original. But still, these two songs are super original and fresh.

“Jack U Off” is perfectly nasty and a great way to end the c.d. “Cobrastyle” is a fierce lyrical onslaught with a thriving beat and hot pulsing under current. “Handle Me” is another creatively new sounding experiment worth checking out and blasting from your car. “Bum Like You” is a hilariously upbeat song with a dirty dance beat. “Be Mine” is fast paced exercise in obsessive pop music lyrics with a massive hook. “Crash and Burn” is fat pounding disco track I can see spawning many remixes.

I could review every song, but I won’t. Just believe me when I say this c.d. will blow you away with it’s creative technique and bubbly pop persona. Check out Robyn’s artistic, fun music video’s below and tell me I am wrong! Robyn’s voice is crisp, clear and bursting with soul. Her range and soft spoken lyrical style in her ballads and when she raps is pitch perfect. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this album take off when it is released in December here in the U.S. But then again I’ve seen this glorious type of innovative pop music fall on deaf ears before. Let’s hope “Robyn” gets its due and becomes massive.

WATCH ROBYN’S NEW MUSIC VIDEO’S HERE:

“WITH EVERY HEART BEAT”

“HANDLE ME”

“BE MINE”

“KONICHIWA BITCHES”

“CRASH AND BURN”

WATCH ROBYN’S OLD MUSIC VIDEO’S HERE:

“SHOW ME LOVE”

“DO YOU KNOW (WHAT IT TAKES)”

I loved “Donnie Darko” and it is still one of my all time favorite films. I am so excited to see Richard Kelly’s follow up to his mind bending classic “Darko”. This trailer looks just as subversive, bizarre and uber cool as “Donnie Darko” did.

This cast just wreaks of talent and the addition of movie geek/director Kevin Smith is just plain inspired. Justin Timberlake might have a film career after all if this movie is any indication. Watch the surreal movie trailer below”

*** STARS

I have watched every season of “Survivor” since it began over ten years ago. It is the grandaddy of all primetime reality shows and it started a phenomenon. This year there are some new twists and a new location in communist China. No network television show has ever been filmed in China and this is probably the best type of show in this setting.

You could tell right away that the conditions would be terrible and the risk high. Right off of the bat one cast member stood out like a sore thumb. The Christian radio talk show host “Leslie” wouldn’t continue with the Buddhist welcoming ceremony because it felt too much like a worship ceremony. When the teams were split into two tribes and they were trying to make a shelter it was easy to see who was a team player and who wasn’t. It became clear right away who the targets for the first eviction could be.

“Peih-Gee” rubbed her tribe wrong by being too assertive and bossy. The same could be said for “Chicken” who was not a team player and was just too stubborn to keep around. I am curious to see how long the Gay Mormon flight attendant and the stuck up New York waitress “Courtney” will last. They have strong personalities in a game where flying under the radar is sometimes best.

“James” & “Erik” are the eye candy this season and the resident sweet hearts. I am rooting for both of them to go far in this game. The female wrestler “Ashley” showed some spunk in the beginning but her illness on the second day hurt her chances right away as she was given two votes to leave at the elimination ceremony.

“JAMES”

“ERIK”

This season is looking to be much like seasons past on “Survivor” which to me is just fine. I am a fan of the shows physical competitions and rough climates mixed with personal human dramas. This show has stood the test of time and continues to be a ratings giant. This season will no doubt stop this trend. Good on you “Survivor”!

*** STARS

Kid Nation is a reality television show featuring forty children aged 8 to 15 years old. The show is shot at the Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, a privately owned town built on the ruins of Bonanza City, New Mexico, eight miles south of Santa Fe. In the show, the children try to create a functioning society in the town, including setting up a government system, with minimal adult help and supervision. The shows airs on CBS every Wednesday at 8 p.m.

The show stresses the difficulty in creating a viable society with children and no help from adults. The official CBS promo depicted children arguing with one another, crying, and falling over with exhaustion. But this first episode was a lot sweeter than the commercials would have you believe. This show grew on me even though the bitter cynic in me wanted to hate it. Although there was a bit of trouble between some of the age groups, there was no real drama to make this “experiment” feel contrived or mean spirited.

At the end of each episode, an elected council of kids awards the “Gold Star,” worth $20,000, to a fellow participant. This is where the brilliance of the concept takes place. These kids make the right decisions! They choose the option of more toilets over a t.v. They choose the winner of the gold star based on what that kid contributes to the “society”. Most of these kids are smart and do the right thing, go figure!

Participants were paid $5,000 for their involvement in the show’s taping but you get the feeling most of these kids are doing this show for the experience. Many of them talk to the camera in such a touching, bright manner that you forget that they are as young as 8 years old. Some of the funniest moments come from some of the hilariously adult things these kids say. There are some really big characters/personalities on this show that make it extremely entertaining and worth watching.

My favorite kids so far are; the strong willed cook “Sophia”, the cute nerdy Asian boy “Alex”, the quirky skinny boy “Jared” who reminds me of a young Seinfeld, the born leader “Mike” who wears a cowboy hat like a seasoned veteran, the youngest kid on the show “Jimmy” who has a hilarious moment with the rude bully “Greg”, the pageant queen “Taylor” and the mother of the show “Lauren”.

All in all, I really liked this show. I am excited to see how it unfolds. “Kid Nation” is more than the hype and watching kids get into harms way. This show is a safe, clean family hour of t.v. that adults should take something meaningful from. Kids don’t get the credit they deserve, they are much stronger and smarter than most adults think they are and “Kid Nation” proves it. This show is fun, entertaining and wholesome enough for all ages. You can’t help but feel lighthearted after watching this show, it has an all around good vibe to it.

This song is catchy enough, but I am getting a bit tired of the whole Emo-Rock wave of music started by such awful bands like “Fall Out Boy”, “Panic At The Disco!”, “Dashboard Confessional” etc. etc.

This song is rising of the U.K. charts at the moment, but will it make a dent over here in the states? Our market is pretty saturated with similar sounding songs, just sayin’!

Here is a picture from the set of the upcoming “Sex & The City” movie currently being filmed with the entire original cast in New York City. It is not much but it sure is exciting to see Carrie and Big back together. Chris Noth is looking dapper as usual, and Sarah Jessica is ravishing as always. I can hardly wait to see this movie!

These girls are products of the whole Spice Girl/Euro Pop craze that was started over 15 years ago and continued with groups like “Dream”, “Sugababes”, “All Saints”, “The Pussycat Dolls” etc. etc. I enjoy this type of over sexed, masogyonistic, disposable pop music as much as any gay guy, but these girls are a bit much.

And just for pop culture whores out there; Jesse Metcalfe (of “John Tucker Must Die” & “Desperate Housewives” fame) is dating the lead singer of Girls Aloud, Nadine Coyle (pictured below).

“NO NO NO”

“WAKE ME UP”

GRADE: A-

While driving with his head lights off down a country highway, Chris Pratt (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), his girlfriend and two friends crash into a stalled combine on the road, which results in Chris’ brain damage affecting his short-term memory, and death of the two friends. Four years later, Chris has to write things down to remember them. This is the initial premise of “The Lookout”.

But, “The Lookout” is a cunning, smart thriller with a youthful twist. The young cast and beautiful direction give this movie an adult feel and hard edge with a smart sensibility. This movie is not your traditional bank heist film as the title may suggest. The first half is a gripping drama with emotional twists and the second half is a crime thriller.

Levitt’s performance is spot on and he expresses an emotional roller coaster with perfect ease. I also see some possible award recognition for Jeff Daniels powerful performance as his blind roommate. The two work great together in some of the more intimate scene, but it is in the climax of the movie that we are blown away as viewers. Watching both actors convey frustration within their handicaps is spectacular.

We can’t help but feel the anxiety of the decisions that are made by Levitt’s character as he is used by his so called “friends” and encouraged to make another life changing mistake. The movie makes evaluate the wrong decisions that people make that end up effecting the rest of their lives. This movie ends up being a moral tale as well as a gripping thriller, it is worth the rental for sure! This is one of the best DVD titles of 2007 hands down!

I have become a big fan of this Swedish threesome this past summer. “Young Folks” is my summer song, and remains to be the best single of the year. I was excited to see Peter, Bjorn and John the minute I heard they were playing at the Warfield in San Francisco (which is 5 minutes from my apartment). The tickets were a mere $25 bucks a pop, which are a bargain if you buy them at the box office, otherwise you had to pay almost $15 in fees! But my ticket was free, so it didn’t matter anyway.

When I arrived to the venue I was earlier than I usually like to be. I hate opening bands more than anything! And this opening act was so contrived it was hard to not feel a bit anxious. “The Clientele” as they were called, grated on my last nerve. The blonde wispy Fiona Apple wannabe back up singer/Xylophonist looked out of place and silly. And their music is about 10 years too late as far as “indie rock” goes. The irritating blonde back up singer later came out to do do vocals on the PB&J hit “Young Folks” much to my dismay.

The band itself reminded me a lot of The Jesus and Mary Chain in the way it sounded live. As for Peter, Bjorn & John’s performance; it was energetic, fun, and a bit like that of the Gallagher brothers from Oasis. It was a brit-pop concert performed by 3 Swedish indie rockers. The crowd was a bit tired and not very responsive to much of the on stage antics. As I looked up at the balcony I could see that the venue was half full, which I have never seen before for such a hot band at this particular concert hall.

Peter, Bjorn & John played their entire new c.d. “Writer’s Block” and all of their fun hits like; “Amsterdam”, “Let’s Call It Off” and the previously mentioned “Young Folks” (which plays great live by the way). I particularly liked the Indian sitar instrumental version of “Young Folks” that played moments before the show started. The music was flawless and I was surprised to see that all 3 members sing on these tracks.

These highlights were good enough for me to enjoy the whole concert for what it was worth. The sound quality was terrific, the singing was c.d. quality and pitch perfect. If anything the boring crowd made the show seem anticlimactic. During the finale the lead singer walked off stage into the crowd still singing and walked back towards the tables and bar area uninterrupted. I couldn’t help but think that this was great showmanship and the sign of a great band at it’s heigth.

WATCH YOUTUBE FOOTAGE OF PETER, BJORN & JOHN PERFORMING “YOUNG FOLKS” @ THE WARFIELD ON 9/18/07 HERE:

WATCH THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “LET’S CALL IT OFF” HERE:

Dave Grohl is a rock god and genius. The Foo Fighters have a terrific sense of humor that is always spot on. And Grohl’s classic rock voice is perfect for the stale rock radio scene that is currently in circulation. Dave Grohl must really hate what Daughtry has done to rock music, I know I do. Check out the new single “The Pretender” off of their new c.d. below!

If you do not like gore, then do not watch this un-edited trailer for “Saw 4″. The film is coming out this Halloween just like the past 3 did. I like the premise already, get rid of the silly main character “Jig Saw” and have his style of “torture puzzles” continue past his death. It could work, check out the gory trailer below: