QUOTE OF THE MONTH From Rob Sheffield's Pop Life column in Rolling Stone (not worth visiting since you can't search by byline) on Tara Reid's E! series, her "reality" show: "Somewhere in the sky, Ernest hemingway is trying to piece his face back together so he can shoot it off again..." … [Read more...]

From WNYC's Soundcheck here. Honk if you're oriental. SCORSESE'S DYLAN This is from Monday; if you missed this, pick it up. I coulda been harder on it, the Tom Paine Award speech is pretty much fudged over, as are all the drugs. But this is inspired filmmaking, great use of source material, every frame a treat. … [Read more...]

My No Direction Home review will go live from this page at app. 12:50 pm today, watch this space for the link later this week. Don't miss Scorsese's Dylan tonight and tomorrow. TOMORROW Beatle roundup on WNYC's Soundcheck 2-3 pm. TOMORROW NIGHT TUESDAY, SEPT 27, 7:00pm (NOT 7:30!) with Rolling Stone's Jenny Eliscu Housing Works Bookstore Café 126 Crosby Street New York, NY 10012 http://www.housingworks.org:8080/usedbookcafe/UsedBookCafe_Events.jsp Contact: Mollie Michel 212.212.966.0466 Ext. 1104 … [Read more...]

Yglesias on Roberts: Say what you will about Roberts, but he clearly wasn't very forthcoming in his testimony before the committee. Judiciary Democrats repeatedly objected to that, but they -- and especially their ranking member -- turn around and vote for him anyway, then those objections lose all force... DADA DADA Roger Miller just back from Text of Light show at Webster University in St. Louis, MO; he goes back into the studio with Burma this week... … [Read more...]

"An antiwar speech by Cindy Sheehan, the mother of an American soldier killed in Iraq, was cut short yesterday after the organizer of the event was arrested and police officers confiscated his audio equipment. The claps and cheers that had greeted Ms. Sheehan's arrival at the rally in Union Square quickly turned to furious chants of "Let her speak!" as officers ushered away the organizer, Paul Zulkowitz, who the police said lacked audio permits for the event..." (New York Times) … [Read more...]

Judge Roberts, Meet Our Expansive Senators Honestly if the Dems can't do any better than this... what a sham. I liked the word the Slate commentator used: Roberts was running a "clinic" on how to avoid questions. Read Garry Wills in the NYRB on Fringe Government, and don't say he didn't tell us. Media goes back to its pre-Katrina loafing as well. Aren't there any hungry reporters in DC who have figured out what a name they might make for themselves if the did a little digging? The idea that judges are just "umpires" in a day and age when they … [Read more...]

Too bad NPR has thrown Shearer into its slagheap of tired satirists, his Crescent City show learned me more about the town than anything else in the past couple of weeks... That one SONG taught me more... It's the Bush limbo dance: how LOW can you GO, creating unlikely heroes along the way... This was my take on "the" apology, that well-lit speech last night was appalling, restaging New Orleans as Bush uplift. Shearer pointed out that Rove was literally laid up during the admin's delay, once he got back they kicked into gear. And steadied those … [Read more...]

Tuesday, 7 September 2005, 9:30 AM Pacific A Lexus SC 430 convertible speeds down a sunny street in Cupertino. The top is down. Brushed Metal is behind the wheel, stabbing at the buttons on his mobile phone. We hear the connection ringing. Brushed Metal’s agent, Mike, answers... … [Read more...]

A hand-me-down from that whole Marie Antionette fracas, a notorious joke called The Aristocrats entered comedy culture like a virus, and mutated into an obscene way to unwind after shows in the wee hours, when pissing on the audience tasted like sweet revenge. The tired blue-collar gag itself works only because it's NOT funny; it's the ur-shaggy dog tale. Anyone telling the story does battle with its banality; it forces the teller to make funny with obvious transgression and hollow finish. That's how it became a secret handshake among comics: … [Read more...]

IT'S OFFICIAL Flickr is addictive. … [Read more...]