pop*creep suggests/wants

Oh hi there.
I was wondering if it would be cool with you guys (I use the plural perhaps a tad prematurely) if I posted an update.

Yeah?
Boss.

Alright then.
These are things I like and/or want.

Like:

FILM
Forgetting Sarah Marshall: Most of you were probably too busy watching The Forbidden Kingdom this past weekend to catch the new Apatow-produced vehicle. That's fine, I understand your desire to see Jet Li FINALLY tear Jackie Chan a new one (I hear you, and submitted to the same desire). What you missed out on was a clever, sweet, crude and thoroughly entertaining film. To be honest I haven't liked the last few Apatow movies. Knocked Up left me thinking "You know... in real life Katherine Heigl would have had an abortion" (I know, I know. That wasn't what the movie was "about", but whatever) and Superbad's post American Pie sight-gags left me a little cold (though I am a huge fan of the cast). Sarah Marshall on the other hand was a great return to the 40-Year Old Virgin blend of gross-out humor and tenderness that made me love Judd Apatow films in the first place. Stellar cast, great one-liners, and gratuitous male nudity. It'll make you want to B your L on someone's Ts.

BEVERAGE
Enviga: Yeah... it is a glorified energy drink. Yes, it is manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company and is probably Satan's elixir. But DAMN I love this stuff. It comes in three varieties: Berry, peach, and green tea. The berry is my favorite. It gives you a nice boost without the jitters you get from Red Bull or Rock Star (and it tastes much MUCH better). It is being marketed as a "Calorie-burner" which I don't give a shit about... I just like it as an alternative to coffee.

Arizona Green Tea Red Apple: While we're talking about green tea, let's discuss Arizona Green Tea Red Apple briefly. Delicious.

Snake Bite: 1/2 lager, 1/2 cider... all tasty.

EVENT
Recod Store Appreciation Day: ...was this past Saturday. I know, I know... but better late than never. I dropped more bank than I should have at four different Newbury Comics locations on records and CDs. There were in-stores and free swag. "Lucky" customers got to watch Amanda Palmer of the Dresden Dolls paint at the Harvard Square Newbury Comics, and folks on Newbury Street saw Mates of State. Regina Spektor played at a shop in Brooklyn and everyone got sweet deals. Hopefully RSAD happens again next year.

MUSIC
Constantines + Feist "Islands in the Stream": Kids born in the early '80s like me are likely more familiar with "Ghetto Superstar" than they are with the classic recorded and made famous by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (and written by the Bee Gees). Hell, the song is the same age as I am. At any rate, the Constantines and fellow Canadian Feist do the song some sweet and smooth justice on their new album "Kensington Heights" and I heartily suggest you check it out. Slow, sexy, and haunting. Do the right thing and drop some change on it.

PLACES
The Arnold Aboretum: I recently spent an evening strolling around the Arboretum. It was gorgeous and relaxing. There are fabulous views of Boston and cool trees and plants to look at.

Forest Hills Cemetary: Another great place to take a walk, especially now that the flowers are a bloomin'.

Want:

THINGS
Absinthe Lollipops: First the US prohibition on Absinthe was lifted, then some wacky candy makers in San Fransisco had a brainstorm. I haven't tried these, but the former Gawth in me is intrigued. The closest retailer is in Providence, but hell... these little babies might be worth a mini car trip.

And that is all.

I'm back

So, I disappeared for a while. Sorry about that, avid reader. Apparently it took me longer than expected to settle in after my move.
Here are some highlights from the months I didn't post:

Shows
-Magnetic Fields at the Somerville Theater: The show was on Valentine's Day and was absolutely delightful. Who wants to listen to songs about people who are happily in love?

-Daniel Johnston at the Roxy: Awesome! Just an all-around fun show that let out just in time for me to catch sight of a full lunar eclipse over Boston.

-Luminescent Orchestrii at the Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham: The more I see them, the more I love them. I'm a sucker for gypsy music and Lumi puts on a fantastically warm and welcoming show. The space was a converted firehouse.

Film
-Ratatouille and Horton Hears a Who: I'm always a bit skeptical when it comes to "children's" movies. I think that most of what is being made for the under 4-foot set is generic crap. On the contrary, these films give me hope. Rataouille is just a sweet, whimsical tale of "don't dream it, be it!" and Horton is just... oddball, surrealist fun - which is exactly what Dr. Seuss SHOULD be when it is adapted for the screen.

- Run Fatboy Run: In some ways this is a generic redemption tale, but it gets a pass because it was written by Micheal Ian Black and Simon Pegg. Simon Pegg stars and as always delivers a strong comedic performance. Hank Azaria co-stars as Pegg's competition to douche-y perfection. And the film is well-directed by David Schwimmer which will hopefully not scare you all away.

- Young at Heart: I cried on average about once every ten minutes at this screening.
This is a simply lovely documentary about Northampton's Young at Heart Choir, a group of senior citizens who sing songs by modern artists like Talking Heads, Sonic Youth, and Coldplay. Here's a clip from one of the most moving parts of the doc (and you need to see the film to understand why it is so moving):


Books
-Love is a Mixtape by Rob Sheffield: Rolling Stone writer and Boston Native Rob Sheffield's quais-memoir is out in paperback and I highly suggest picking it up. It is an easy read, but it is full of heart. Rob writes about his all-too brief relationship with his wife Renee who passed away five years into their marriage. When she died she left behind hundreds of mix-tapes that tell the story of their love affair. They are also a document of what was going on musically in the early-to-mid 1990s which is an era I find fascinating, at least literally speaking.

-Woman's World by Graham Rawle: Collage artist Graham Rawle took on the seemingly impossible task of writing a story entirely out of found words. He found the words in early 1960s women's magazines, snipped them out, and arranged them to create coherent story. The book is not only fun to read, but it is beautiful to look at.

-Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn: I waited for this much lauded Vertigo title to end its run before diving in because I knew it would be like comic-crack. I have trouble patiently waiting each month for my favorite titles to arrive at the comic store. I've only read the first trade, and I am SOLD. There are so many things I already love about the series, but I don't want to ruin anything for those of you who haven't started. Also, please no spoilers for me.

Blogs
-Modish: I'm pretty into DIY and this is a great blog if you are too. There are countless pictures of hand-made items. There are also spotlights on artisans and eco-friendly creations. I'm really not doing it justice. If it helps, the blogger updates WAY more than I do.

And that's all I've got for now.

We're closer to this than you might think....

I moved to a new apartment in Cambridge last week. Because I'm anal retentive, I changed my default location on Google Maps to reflect my new address. In doing so, I noticed that one can actually SEE MY APARTMENT in Google Maps. Which is creepy. Because I'm in a highly residential area now.

Apparently, these guys feel the same way I do:

I actually have no reason for posting this...

...other than the fact that I am a giant nerd.

cred: Stereogum,b3ta

I don't usually post about politics....

...because I don't have the mind for it. Obviously... I mean, I pretty much just post about movies and music. But I DO give a shit, and I do think actual news like this is important. Seriously. If you haven't read about the study I just linked to, do now. You'll be even more anti-Bush than you were before (if at all possible).

And for the record, I probably won't be jumping on the political train any time soon, but I am 100% pro-voting, and I urge you to be as well. If you're curious (you probably aren't, but this is my blog) I'm Green Party so I'll pretty much vote for whichever candidate shares my views on the environment (uh... we should probably, like... do something about it). Otherwise I'm not huge on talking politics. I think the president is a lying, sexist, hatemonger (ps Dan Savage... maybe you should update the site a little).

So anyway, this is likely one of the last times you'll be seeing something political here, but don't mark my words. I'll probably have more to say come October.

Until then, I'll go back to doing what I do best (well, at least marginally better): Watching movies.

An Open Letter to My Generation

Dear Peers:
Get your shit together.

Brad Renfro died of an overdose last week. He was 25. Amy Whinehouse got caught on camera smoking CRACK this week. She's 24. Heath Ledger died today. He was 28.
And we all know what Britney, Lindsay and Paris have been up to.

I hate to lump Heath in with the rest... he seemed to have his shit together, at least until recently. He seemed "normal". He was a gifted actor. He was a dad.

It makes me sad. I don't know these people, and the cynic in me questions why I even give a shit... But I'm 24. These are my peers. I probably won't ever meet them. I know that in every generation there are fuck-ups and idiots and tragedies. James Dean. Janis Joplin. River Phoenix. Kurt Cobain.

We all want to be remembered. I think Britney knows what happens to nice girls like Debbie Gibson: They end up on Broadway. And then we forget about them. Britney is essentially burning out so as not to fade away.

I'm sure people have always gone batshit... but now they're doing it for the cameras. Anna Nicole. Whitney Houston. Amy Whinehouse.

We debate who is "tortured" versus who is "pathetic". If you're tortured you're an artist. If you're pathetic. you're a pop tart.

Do you think Britney was hurt when she found out that the Associated Press had already prepared her obituary? She's 26, by the way. I don't know what to think. I shouldn't even have an opinion. I could give a shit about what Ms. Spears does. Thing is, I'm bombarded with news about her every day.

What's making them all go so crazy? Who do we blame? Is the internet making egos more fragile? Are fat pasty nerds who want pretty people to crash and burn actually being heard?

I do think that all of this is sick, though. I learned about Heath's death. I went to Defamer to figure out if it was a prank. It wasn't. A half hour later, I went back to Defamer. There were SIX posts about Heath. Video of the NYPD removing his body from his apartment building in SoHo.

So, Peers... let's say we take a nice long look at ourselves. Let's get off the drugs, stop being so fame-hungry, and take care of our children. Let's take some fucking responsibility. It may be a cliche to say so, but there are younger kids looking at us thinking the shit we're doing is cool.

I look at Britney and Paris and Lindsay and Amy and I think: Is this how I am supposed to be? Comatose in some club, malnourished with my twat on display? These girls are sick. It isn't funny. We need to stop laughing. We need to stop enabling them.

In fact, about a year ago, Craig Ferguson said it a lot better than I ever could:

Oh Wow... sad news.

According to Defamer (via page six) Heath Ledger is dead.