AltWeeklies Wire
State Budget Debacle: California Descendingnew
Some experts predict the state budget will quickly become unbalanced again, thanks to a persistently bad economy. But that didn't stop self-congratulations and posturing by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democratic majority leaders Karen Bass and Darrell Steinberg, and Republican minority leaders Dennis Hollingsworth and Sam Blakeslee, the so-called "big five" who worked out this latest budget.
L.A. Weekly |
Jill Stewart |
07-31-2009 |
Politics
At the Hollywood Bowl, Grace Jones Proves She's, Well, Just Differentnew
In case you need reminding after all these years, Grace Jones isn't like us. If, halfway through her astounding show Sunday night at the Hollywood Bowl, a flying saucer had descended from above and carried her away, few in the crowd would have been too surprised.
L.A. Weekly |
Randall Roberts |
07-31-2009 |
Concerts
'The Collector': A Nail in the Torture Porn Coffinnew
From the writer and director of Saw 4-6 comes this horror film about a handyman who tries to rob his employers' home but finds it rigged with a lethal maze.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
07-30-2009 |
Reviews
In 'Funny People,' A Master of Giggles Goes for Real Laughsnew
With this story about comedians, filmmaker Judd Apatow rewrites his own songbook in the key of James L. Brooks, a tricky mix of humor and heartfelt.
Austin Chronicle |
Kimberley Jones |
07-30-2009 |
Reviews
'The Stoning of Soraya M.' Preaches to the Choirnew
This impassioned work of persuasion is like a splatter film made for the Lifetime network, a screed against stoning made for audiences who already agree.
Austin Chronicle |
Marjorie Baumgarten |
07-30-2009 |
Reviews
'Unmistaken Child' Crawls Toward Enlightenmentnew
This documentary is a full-immersion glimpse into the ancient traditions of Buddhist reincarnation and one that no filmmaker has ever before explored with this level of freedom and insight.
Austin Chronicle |
Marc Savlov |
07-30-2009 |
Reviews
Syracuse New Times Founder Ken Simon Looks Backnew
It isn't a reach to boast that Simon helped invent the alternative press. When he started the paper as a brash 21-year-old senior at Syracuse University, it wasn't because similar tabloids were fledgling in Greenwich Village and San Francisco. It was because he could.
Syracuse New Times |
Molly English |
07-30-2009 |
Media
'The East, the West, and Sex': Orientalism Unleashednew
The East, the West, and Sex, which is organized both by time period and by country, examines the idea of masculine Western colonization creating an idealistic portrayal of Asian culture, particularly those aspects dealing with heterosexual eroticism.
Sacramento News & Review |
Kathleen Jercich |
07-30-2009 |
Nonfiction
Carleen Brice Challenges Readers to Stretch Their 'Must-Read' Listsnew
From her blog, "White Readers Meet Black Authors," to her genre-bending novels, Brice's writing is gaining momentum.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Jill Thomas |
07-30-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Charlie Parr: Time Out of Mindnew
Charlie Parr talks Piedmont blues, monophonic recording and internal combustion cuisine
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
07-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Down in the Dumps With the Trashcan Sinatrasnew
Scotland also has a more pastoral pop tradition. From '80s bands to more recent groups, these ambassadors can, in fact, be a pretty mopey bunch. And the Trashcan Sinatras are really no exception.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
07-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sonic Youth Contemplates Life With No Expiration Datenew
One of the great pleasures of following Sonic Youth comes from balancing the weight of its history and impact against the beauty of its ongoing metamorphosis.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Jason Notte |
07-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Immunization Bottleneck Looms in Colorado Springsnew
Few Americans now worry about measles and doctors are concerned that the immunization program that has proven effective at controlling it and other fearful diseases is fraying at the edges.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
07-30-2009 |
Science
'(500) Days of Summer' Inspires the Inner Crotchety Old Mannew
The makers of the parenthetically titled movie at hand would do well to set aside the pop-culture bells and whistles that choke their film and focus on the task of engrossing an audience in a love story between two intelligent people in their late 20s.
Orlando Weekly |
Justin Strout |
07-30-2009 |
Reviews
By the Power of Zeus, Mumpsy Takes on Religion and Boredomnew
Mumpsy mastermind Jeff Ilgenfritz is, if not a Dos Equis–style "“most interesting man," certainly in the running for the title of Orlando’s Busiest Man-Pixie.
Orlando Weekly |
Justin Strout |
07-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
