Pains of Being Pure at Heart concert

Great show. Tauni met up with me. Liked all the bands, surprised about Cymbals Eat Guitars. Two of the guys from The Depreciation Guild are also in PoBPaH, which might explain how one song from each band referenced the drum intro from "Be My Baby."

Found out Peggy of PoBPaH is good friends with Carlen, who costars in the band's video, "Everything With You." Apparently Carlen found her through MySpace and they later met for a "blind MySpace date." (Sounds like something Carlen would do, actually.) She's just as sweet as Carlen.

Tags: music, concert, friends

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Flamenco on display

My first multimedia project of the semester was on Tucson's First Spanish and Flamenco Festival. Photographer Emily Jones captured some great images while I interviewed some UA students who performed at the festival.

Tags: dance, multimedia, review, audio, photo, journalism

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Yo La Tengo proves "Popular," Frankie's brings Philly soul

This week, I review Yo La Tengo's Popular Songs album, which is not another greatest hits album.

I eat my way through the menu at Frankie's South Philly Cheesesteaks.

Tags: music, food, reviews, journalism

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Food and music is the life I live now

My apologies for posting these so late. There have been some network problems and I've been rushing from one class to another. Anyway, here they are:

Saigon Pho review: "And it is the broth that distinguishes Saigon Pho’s version of this comfort food."

On Sally Shapiro's second album: "Whereas Sally Shapiro’s Disco Romance sounded like the perfect winter soundtrack, My Guilty Pleasure rushes in like the spring snow melt."

Tags: music, reviews, journalism, food

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Talking about Disney+Marvel, pizza, "Extract"

I talk about Disney's purchase of Marvel Comics, which is a nice present for Marvel's 70th birthday. What wasn't a nice present is Kodansha ending its licensing agreement with Tokyopop, a major U.S. manga publishing company.

(Illustration by Ken Wright. Copyright Arizona Daily Wildcat.)

Mario's Pizza is better than average.

Mike Judge's "Extract" is not bad.


Tags: comics, business, food, movie, review, journalism

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Comics Corner #1

Check out my comic book column at DailyWildcat.com. I talk about DC Comic's Wednesday Comics.

Tags: comics, review, writing, journalism

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This is playing in my brain

Great Northern soul song by Bonnie Brisker:

Tags: music

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Julie & Julia review

I finished "Julie & Julia" by Julie Powell today in order to prepare for the upcoming movie. Normally, I don't read books with movie tie-ins, but I'm reviewing the movie for the Summer Wildcat. (The movie is also pulling material from "My Life in France," Julia Child's memoir of her formative years in France, so I'll have to make as much progress into that as I can.)

After reading Powell's book, I'm of two lines of thought. In one, I enjoyed reading the cooking ordeals and triumphs that Powell experiences. With the other, I found myself exasperated with many of the events.

It's admirable that Powell chose to tackle the first volume of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in order to have something more in her life than a government secretary job. This is no different than someone who decides to create an organic garden in a rented home or starts knitting sweaters for the homeless or something. We crave meaning in our lives through our endeavors. But instead of rallying to her cause, I found myself often wishing that Powell would quit whining and stop acting like such an awful person.

I guess the main problem I had with the book is that cooking looks to be mostly a horrible affair, fraught with danger and inedible treats. Even reading the triumphs were not enough of a palliative to the noxious (or is that obnoxious?) effects of book. Cooking should be seen as a fun adventure, not a necessary hassle.

Yet for the sake of the story and ourselves, what progress can there be if we start from a state of perfection, or, perhaps, a state of satisfaction? If that were the case with Powell's book, I don't think I would have had the patience to read past the first chapter, let alone finish it.

So, it has an interesting premise and moments of sympathy and humor, but I can't recommend this book to most of my friends.

Tags: memoir, writing, journalism, cooking, movies

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Your new textbooks: Comics you need to read

I recommend some comics for incoming UA students. Here's an example, a manga by Kiyohiko Azuma:

Tags: journalism, reviews, writing, comics, manga

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(500) Days of Summer review

I saw (500) Days of Summer with one of my reporters, Ali, last night. The movie follow Joseph Gordon-Leavitt who plays Tom, an employee at a greeting card company. Zooey Deschanel's character, Summer, joins the office as the president's personal assistant and the object of Tom's love interest. The story begins with Leavitt moping about the breakup with Deschanel, and from there it jumps back and forth within those 500 days of the relationship.

Too precious: omniscient voiceover, flashbacks, footage of respective childhoods, musical number complete with animated bluebird, ironic juxtapositions, and the name that comes up at end.

Good stuff: ironic juxtapositions, especially with a particular split screen sequence; color and music themes (shades of blue associated with Deschanel); female singer-songwriters and indie music including the Pixies, Regina Specktor, The Smiths, Feist, and Carla Bruni on the soundtrack; some good insights; Leavitt and Deschanel look like a believable and lovely couple (this equals good acting).

So, combine a good-looking couple onscreen with a soundtrack to appeal to the indie crowd (which would include me), and you've got a movie that is soon to be overhyped. If (500 Days) wasn't trying so hard to win your affection, the movie would come off that much better.

Tags: movies, reviews

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