Gene Pool

Sat 3 May 200303:37 PM

The summer movie season effectively kicked off last night with Bryan Singer’s “X2: X-Men United.” With these would-be blockbusters, it takes a dogged determination to avoid being inundated by advance publicity; I tried my best over the past few weeks to avoid trailers, television commercials, critical reviews and entertainment journalism, all in an attempt to preserve as much novelty as possible for the 10:00p show on opening night. What little publicity I was unable to avoid seemed really positive — the ‘buzz’ was good, sometimes outrageously positive. I worried that my expectations were already being inflated but I shouldn’t have, as “X2” is a complete success.

My Stereo Runneth Over

Fri 2 May 200303:19 PM

For several months my consumption of new music has been pretty tame, but this past week saw a surge in album acquisitions; there are currently about six new sets of tracks in heavy rotation on my iPod. It’s not just the buzz around the iTunes Music Store that has me playing the part of the good consumer; I’m also gearing up to make another Squat mix, which entails gathering lots of new source material.

The One Where Chandler Goes to the White House

Thu 1 May 200301:04 AM

If you’re familiar with the concept of ‘jumping the shark’, a kind of death watch for the creative plausibility of any given television show, then you might be tempted to say that NBC’s “The West Wing” has seen the aerial view of a fin. See, they’ve gone ahead and had Matthew Perry turn in a few guest appearances, which is just the oddest ploy to boost ratings that I can imagine, in spite of the continued success of “Friends.”

The Commercial Con

Sat 26 Apr 200301:55 AM

Tonight I went with some friends to see the new movie “Confidence,” which stars Edward Burns and Rachel Weisz as a pair of con artists at odds with Dustin Hoffman. Before I get into commenting on the film, let me just tell you that what I’ll remember the most from this evening is that there’s no escaping advertising, even if you’ve paid the exorbitant ten dollar ransom on a movie ticket. Advertising is unstoppable.

Postcard from the Past

Mon 31 Mar 200305:53 PM

An old interview with Alan Moore sent me running back to my old issues of his 12-part “Watchmen” series, probably the best comic books ever produced. To do this, I had to dig through three cardboard boxes of comics from the early 80s, a dusty, aging booty from my adolescence. In my mid-twenties I nearly threw them all out, not wanting to deal with the hassle of lugging them around as I moved from one apartment to another. Luckily they were stored at my father’s house and he didn’t have the heart to pitch them.

Unfavorable Conditions

Sat 29 Mar 200307:32 PM

Richard Ashcroft, who was responsible for three of the best albums of the nineties when he was the face and voice of The Verve, has lost it. His latest album, “Human Conditions,” is competent yet soppy and unremarkable, and utterly lacking in the bravura of his older work. It made me glad that I bought it for only five under-the-table dollars from a flea market vendor on Avenue A (I also got a cheap copy of “Run-DMC’s Greatest Hits”).

I’d Like to Thank the Academy

Mon 24 Mar 200312:30 AM

Five random notes on the occasion of the 75th Academy Awards: 1. I saw “Far from Heaven” earlier today and while it was excellently made, there was almost nothing surprising about it. What’s more, Julianne Moore, while talented and beautiful, has a zillion teeth. 2. On the way back from a short vacation in Miami at New Year’s, I sat next to Adrien Brody on the plane. I remember thinking, “When’s his career going to go somewhere?” 3. What, exactly, is the point of the Best Animated Feature category if its only purpose is to honor these kinds of nominees? They may as well add a category for ‘Best Instructional Workplace Video.’ 4. “Adaptation” should have been nominated and chosen Best Picture. 5. I still hate the Academy Awards.

Remembering Superman

Mon 17 Mar 200311:03 PM

There Goes the Neighborhood

Fri 28 Feb 200308:48 PM

At the age of 74, Fred Rogers passed away on Thursday from stomach cancer. No matter how cynical, sarcastic or snobbish I might come across in my other posts, I intend none of that when I say that I find his death to be indescribably sad. With the late, great Jim Henson gone as well, losing Mr. Rogers makes childhood seem that much more irretrievable.

Kickin’ It Mascot Style

Tue 25 Feb 200309:10 AM

The music video for “We Know Something…” from DJ Format is probably one of the most entertaining videos I’ve seen in a long time — it’s both a catchy tune and a visual hoot. Directed and produced by Ruben Fleisher, this furry romp through Los Angeles employs neither flashy camera tricks nor digital-age effects/editing, and yet it’s also remarkably fresh and fun enough to make me want to watch it twice.

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Category Archives: Pop Culture

Gene Pool

My Stereo Runneth Over

The One Where Chandler Goes to the White House

The Commercial Con

Postcard from the Past

Unfavorable Conditions

I’d Like to Thank the Academy

Remembering Superman

There Goes the Neighborhood

Kickin’ It Mascot Style

Khoi Vinh’s Web site