AltWeeklies Wire
It's Hard to Assign Blame in Seattle Club Shootingsnew
Whether blame was being aimed at Chop Suey, Big Kountry Entertainment, the city's lack of attention to a purportedly growing gang-activity problem, or the music itself, grief quickly manifested itself as cries for culpability. Few viewed it as a failure of club security, but many theories abound when looking closer at the root of the tragedy.
Seattle Weekly |
Hannah Levin |
01-12-2009 |
Music
Who's the More Oscar-Ready Nazi, Tom Cruise or Kate Winslet?new
This year, in a striking reversal of roles (and award-getting strategies), the stars are playing the Nazis. The Reader features Kate Winslet as former camp guard Hanna Schmitz, and Valkyrie has Tom Cruise as a German officer, Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, trying to assassinate Hitler.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
12-29-2008 |
Movies
R&B Hasn't Only Gone Soft, It's Become Downright Bullshitnew

The watering-down of the genre is one reason R&B has been disparaged as "Rap & Bullshit" by everyone from RZA of Wu-Tang Clan to rap bloggers at Cocaine Blunts to the now-defunct music site Stylus. Another is because it's artistically moribund.
Seattle Weekly |
Ben Westhoff |
12-29-2008 |
Music
Should We Tax Our Way Out of Recession?new
Current Congressional Budget Office head Peter Orszag and Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz say we should -- and Seattle-based think tank the Washington State Budget & Policy Center agrees.
Seattle Weekly |
Damon Agnos |
12-29-2008 |
Economy
The Army's Brain Lives in Seattlenew
Cray Inc. is improving soldiers' armor, tanks, and supercomputers, thanks to millions in government contracts.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
12-22-2008 |
War
Seattle's New Way to Fetishize Coffeenew

As a marketing strategy, "cupping" is straight from the wine-industry playbook. As a means of enjoying coffee, it's mostly hot air.
Seattle Weekly |
Jonathan Kauffman |
12-22-2008 |
Food+Drink
Who Is Jonathan Richman?new

Richman's wisdom is that he knows it can be very difficult to restore the original visceral reaction we had to a piece of music after we've unceremoniously critiqued and torn it apart. It's a philosophy that seems right for a man who's dedicated to living in the moment, to having experiences rather than discussing them.
Seattle Weekly |
Sara Brickner |
12-15-2008 |
Music
Casual Video-Game Company Big Fish Catches Record Revenues During Recessionnew
It's no surprise the gift-sales-dependent retail industry is hurting, and the big video-game giants are no exception. But over at Big Fish Games, a Seattle studio that creates casual games involving jewel hunts or word puzzles, things are rosy.
Seattle Weekly |
Laura Onstot |
12-08-2008 |
Video Games
The Titles that Axl Rose Didn't Use for GnR's Long-Delayed Albumnew
It turns out that during Rose's 17-year effort to record the album, he weighed several other different potential titles. The first batch comprised more variations on the Oriental theme, but we're guessing China wouldn't have liked them any better.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
12-08-2008 |
Music
'Slumdog Millionaire' Director Talks About Mumbai Before the Terrornew

English director Danny Boyle was visiting Seattle a while back, raving about the inspiration Mumbai provided during the filming of his acclaimed new Slumdog Millionaire. Then we all know what happened in that city.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
12-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Zach Harjo Makes a Record He Actually Likesnew
Like Tom Waits, or the criminally under-referenced Randy Newman, Harjo mostly sidesteps the usual singer-songwriter trappings of personal confession, instead creating scenes and characters plucked from the dustier fringes of Americana.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J Barr |
12-08-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
After the Crash, There's Little Recourse for Those Wronged by WaMunew
The problem for plaintiffs in suits against WaMu is who to go after now. Rob Williamson, an attorney who filed a class-action suit against WaMu over what he claims were hidden and excessive fees, puts it this way: "The defendant no longer exists."
Seattle Weekly |
Nina Shapiro |
12-02-2008 |
Economy
'Transporter 3': Jason Statham Takes His Shirt Offnew
After the disappointingly shallow new James Bond movie, maybe a third helping of Frank Martin isn't a bad thing. The guy was never particularly deep to begin with.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian Miller |
12-02-2008 |
Reviews
Avoiding Wal-Mart for Your AC/DC Fixnew
Independent retailers have found ways to get around big-box exclusives.
Seattle Weekly |
Sara Brickner |
12-02-2008 |
Music
Seattle's Conrad Ford Finds Beauty in Highway 99new
The band is a hushed and ghostly Americana outfit cut from the same vintage fabric as Barton Carroll and Jesse Sykes.
Seattle Weekly |
Hannah Levin |
11-25-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews