AltWeeklies Wire
People Who Died: Our Annual Alt-Obitsnew
Death took its usual toll this year, and seemingly then some. Genocide, war, terrorist attacks, disease -- yikes. But for the purposes of City Paper's annual tribute to influential cultural notables whose deaths deserve a little extra note, it was a terrible harvest.
Baltimore City Paper |
Staff |
01-06-2009 |
Commentary
Cancer Doctor Sees Himself as a Crusading Research, Not a Quacknew
Stanislaw Burzynski has treated thousands of people from all over the world, so why can't he get FDA approval?
Houston Press |
Craig Malisow |
01-06-2009 |
Science
Country Music Rediscovers Its Whiskied Small-Town Rootsnew
Taylor Swift's recent album, Fearless, is such a triumph, both artistically and commercially, that you'd think it would be the answer to all of country music's problems. But it's not -- because it's not really a country record.
Baltimore City Paper |
Geoffrey Himes |
01-06-2009 |
Music
Ami Dang Bridges Classical Sitar and Voice with Western Avant-Garde Musicnew
It's abrupt when you hear Indian classical music as meditative and spiritual -- that is, as it is intended to be. And it's even more abrupt when it's heard woven into Western avant-garde music, each element working to develop/unshroud the other. This act is a large part of the sublime art of Ami Dang.
Baltimore City Paper |
Michael Byrne |
01-06-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
If You Like Action RPGs, 'Fable II' is Definitely Worth Your Timenew
Overall, Fable II is a game that greatly improves upon its predecessor while maintaining the elements that made it so much fun. Annoying flaws aside, there's still a lot of entertainment to be found within its world, and there's an absolute ton of content.
New Haven Advocate |
Scott Niblock |
01-06-2009 |
Video Games
Tags: video games, Fable II
The 10 Worst Films of 2008new
From An American Carol to Witless Protection, here are the past year's cinema stinkers.
Weekly Alibi |
Devin D. O'Leary |
01-06-2009 |
Movies
'Pathway to the Gods' Brings to Life the World's First Chocolate Obsessionnew
For centuries, it has captivated humans and gods. It's been associated with worship, commerce, romance and comfort. But why has it so completely seduced the world? Just what's so special about chocolate? Meredith L. Dreiss and Sharon Edgar Greenhill travel back in time to Mesoamerica to answer these questions. With recipe for Mayan Hot Chocolate.
Weekly Alibi |
Maren Tarro |
01-06-2009 |
Nonfiction
2008's P.U.-litzer Prizes: America's Stinkiest Media Performancesnew
Now in their 17th year, the P.U.-litzer Prizes recognize some of the nation's stinkiest media performances. As the judges for these annual awards, we do our best to identify the most deserving recipients of this unwelcome plaudit.
Weekly Alibi |
Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen |
01-06-2009 |
Media
Tags: media, Year in Review
Brazilian Immigrants are Leaving Connecticut for a Better Life Back Homenew
Ester Sanches-Naek, the president of Hartford's Shaheen Brazilian Community Center, guesses that at least 20 percent of the Brazilians in the state had returned home recently because of the economy.
New Haven Advocate |
Daniel D'Ambrosio |
01-06-2009 |
Immigration
The Anti-Library of George W. Bushnew
The architects of George W. Bush's legacy face a daunting challenge in the years ahead: How to build a presidential library for a man who -- Karl Rove's absurd claims of Bush's bookishness notwithstanding -- doesn't seem to read?
Philadelphia City Paper |
David Faris |
01-06-2009 |
Commentary
The Kresge Foundation Fends Off Artist Starvation and Fuels the Creative Classnew
The Kresge Artist Fellowships -- which will annually award 18 local artists $25,000 -- are one part of an $8.8 million overall commitment to arts and culture in the Detroit area made by the foundation.
Metro Times |
Kelli B. Kavanaugh |
01-06-2009 |
Art
'The Spirit' is Sublime Nonsense on an Epic Scalenew
Watching The Spirit is what it must feel like to be hit in the face with one of the hero's haymakers -- shock, then pain, exhilaration, dizziness and finally nausea.
Metro Times |
Corey Hall |
01-06-2009 |
Reviews
Can a New Generation of Visionaries Revive the Watchdog Press?new
As the traditional media contracts and struggles for survival, new approaches like Huffington Post, Spot.us, and the Public Press are trying to reinvent journalism.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Steven T. Jones and Tim Redmond |
01-05-2009 |
Media
Canada's Constantines Sail Down 'Credit River'new
Assembling a song that responds to current events is a long process, lagging far behind the speed we've grown to expect in the internet era. the best you can hope for is that changes in the world will make one of your songs unexpectedly topical and timely -- that is exactly what's happened with the Constantines song "Credit River."
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Aaron Jentzen |
01-05-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Rod Lurie Makes a Political Thriller for Our Times
Clearly inspired by Judith Miller's role in the Valerie Plame case, writer/director Rod Lurie takes dramatic liberties to allow for a provocative treatment of an ongoing battle for civil liberties exacted in the name of national security.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
01-05-2009 |
Reviews
