AltWeeklies Wire
Forget That 'Happy Chanukah' Schlock ... Christmas is Where It's Atnew
Most folks seem to think Chanukah is the Jewish Christmas. It is not. Christmas is the Jewish Christmas.
Philadelphia Weekly |
Caralyn Green |
12-29-2008 |
Commentary
2008: The Year of the Nerdnew
Barack Obama collects Spider-Man comics and knows how to communicate with Vulcans. But in a year when many a dashing high-school quarterback and perfect prom queen got wedgies from the freaks and geeks, its really no surprise he was elected.
Boston Phoenix |
Ryan Stewart |
12-29-2008 |
Commentary
Gary Hart Should Replace Ken Salazar in the Senatenew
The names have been spinning through cyberspace since the first rumor that Ken Salazar might be headed to Barack Obama's cabinet, leaving a U.S. Senate seat open. But another veteran politico whose name has yet to emerge is worthy of serious consideration: Gary Hart.
Westword |
Patricia Calhoun |
12-29-2008 |
Commentary
Christmas in the Ghettonew
Bart Starrchild: "This is your token Caucasian announcer broadcasting live from the Funky Ghetto Mall. I'm here for the premiere of the Ghetto Science Team’s Community Christmas Parade titled 'A Missing Toe Christmas,' brought you by the Ghetto Science Team Television Network."
Jackson Free Press |
Ken Stiggers |
12-29-2008 |
Comedy
Obama's Victory Was Bought and Paid for -- with Changenew
Though the American dollar is now taking a horrific beating in these financial End Times, it's still strong enough to put a man in the Oval Office.
Boston Phoenix |
Steven Stark |
12-29-2008 |
Commentary
The Year in Media Malfeasancenew
Thanks to the combination of a) the presidential race, and b) the ongoing immolation of the nation's newspaper industry -- there was a veritable cornucopia of media low points to enjoy in the bygone year.
Boston Phoenix |
Adam Reilly |
12-29-2008 |
Media
Hog Huntin' in Florida's Evergladesnew
As the state moves closer to closing a $1.3 billion deal to buy 181,000 acres of private land — mostly hog habitat — the ancient art -- or horrible slaughter, depending on how you see it -- seems poised to disappear.
Miami New Times |
Natalie O'Neill |
12-29-2008 |
Recreation
Tom Cruise Plots to Kill Hitler in 'Valkyrie'new
What truly fueled Stauffenberg's desire to kill Hitler -- his breeding, that bleeding or just his fear of the approaching Allies -- is a question for which Valkyrie has little interest.
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
12-29-2008 |
Reviews
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
Jeffrey Katzenberg's Cure-All for the Movie Industry: 3-Dnew
No longer, says Katzenberg, will 3-D serve as a cheap "gotcha" gimmick -- an exploitation hustle -- but as a way to advance storytelling and "emotionally immerse" the audience into the film.
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
12-29-2008 |
Movies
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
'Valkyrie' is an Impressive Historical Drama with a Strong Ensemble Castnew
Valkyrie tells a story that may better have been served by a television miniseries, but it's an engrossing story nonetheless.
Many Will Find 'The Reader''s Treatment of Bernard Schlink's Novel Distastefulnew
Director Steven Daldry and writer David Hare's extensive depiction of the physical nature of the affair is, in itself, redolent of the old erotic convention of the older woman and the youth craving initiation. There's a soft porn lubricity which may have been intended to convey what it is that Michael feels he has lost.
On Ponzi Capitalismnew
Two names have been wed in the news this month: Charles Ponzi, the con artist busted in 1920, and Bernard Madoff, one of America's most successful hedge fund managers and a reputable pillar of the Wall Street financial community. But I'm confused, because a ponzi scheme also describes the global economy.
