JeremyKotin @ January 5, 2009 # One Comment
Year Begins: Things to look forward to…
1. STAGE 9 to 5 (April 2009)
Based on the 1980 femme centric revenge film comes a new musical with new songs composed by Dolly Parton to accompany her iconic title track. It’s that last bit of information about the composer that keeps me from grousing at the idea of [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 29, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Year Ends: Not necessarily the best, but the best of what I remember…
1. STAGE August: Osage County
Beyond supporting my hometown players of the Steppenwolf Theater, this play sizzled with a fresh and new voice. Creating a complete family tree and watching them self-destruct on stage generates a fascinating and haunting night at the theater. But [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 22, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Holiday Music Edition from a Christmas Lovin’ Jew
1. SONG “I Remember” Barbra Streisand
Not at all a Christmas classic, rather a song from a rarely seen Sondheim television musical called Evening Primrose, but thanks to a new little intro, the Christmas spirit is alive and well, altering all that follows. The song mixes the excitement of [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 15, 2008 # 3 Comments
1. SHOW Liza’s at the Palace
Age may have withered her, but her innate star quality and talent shines through even when her voice and body fail her. The first act is a mash-up of standards and Liza favorites, slurring her way through “If” and spotlessly singing “Cabaret” among others. But it is the second act [...]
Andy Marino @ December 9, 2008 # 2 Comments
Everybody knows that as we get older, the awe-struck wonder of childhood is replaced by the bleak, meaningless drudgery of adult obligations.
There is no Santa Claus, only long lines and traffic jams and airport delays and family problems and a shitty economy.
But lucky for us, one supergroup of holy elves (I’m guessing at ethnicity) assembles [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 8, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. ALBUM Funhouse P!NK
Clearly breakups bring about some of the best music and P!nk packs quite a punch in this album of love lost from the hit angry single “So What,” to the heart wrenching “I Don’t Believe You.” Seriously, just try to not have your heart break when you listen. But don’t get me [...]
JeremyKotin @ December 1, 2008 # 3 Comments
1. ALBUM Day & Age The Killers
This is another excellent entry in the evolution of The Killers’ canon. Of course nothing is as catchy or anthemic as “Mr. Brightside,” but this CD has deeper roots than the pure electronic rock that dominated the previous two albums. Just listen to the opening aboriginal chant of “This [...]
Matt Lambert @ November 27, 2008 # 5 Comments
You know what there’s not? A dearth of reviews of Chinese Democracy. Well first of all, the only review of Democracy that anyone really needs to read is Chuck Klosterman’s. Secondly, this isn’t really a review, it’s a Popten list. And thirdly, Guns N’ Roses has been my favorite band since I was eleven, which [...]
Jason Reynolds @ November 25, 2008 # 3 Comments
In a country where all the good ideas have been taken by all the awesome people in other countries, we’ve resorted to repetition. I mean really, who doesn’t like their parents clothes, or music, or drug habits? It’s pretty much the basis of this whole pop culture thing. I remember being in seventh grade, and [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 24, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. THEATER Farragut North
The NY Times said this play was predictable but enjoyable. I agree with the latter, the former is a bunch of crap. While it didn’t exactly have me on the edge of my seat, thanks to a fantastic set of performances, this play about a presidential campaign went from good to fantastic. [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 21, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Let me start off this rant/review by saying that I love Stephen Sondheim. I have followed him to the ends of the earth, or rather through many S/states, both literally and artistically. Each time I go to the theater for one of his shows it’s basically a pilgrimage to the savior of modern musical theater. [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 17, 2008 # 2 Comments
1. WEB The 404
Maybe it’s because I work from home by myself that I just enjoy having the sound of other people’s chatter, but if I had to choose the chatter, I would definitely go with the guys at The 404. This live video stream of a radio show covers pretty much any topic you [...]
Jason Reynolds @ November 11, 2008 # One Comment
As I’m sure some of you know by now, international music icon, Miriam Makeba died yesterday. I could probably right 50 reasons why we should hold our heads in reverence, but I’ll spare you. Plus, it’s popten, not popfifty.
1.) The most obvious…it’s Miriam Makeba!
2.) The second most obvious…she died on stage. We always say “When [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 10, 2008 # 2 Comments
1. EVENT Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion in Central Park
This exhibition transformed me over the course of a 45-minute guided tour. Equipped with an MP3 player telling me exactly how to move through Zaha Hadid’s fantastic sculpture of a structure, I experienced modern art in a way I wish more museums would adopt. Each piece, given [...]
JeremyKotin @ November 3, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. EVENT Halloween in NYC
Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, mostly due to the gruesome nature of the proceedings in which I can freely enjoy my inner freak. But New York adds an extra layer of sumptuous crazy. I couldn’t help but smile riding the F Train to the LES with a couple Joe [...]
JeremyKotin @ October 20, 2008 # One Comment
1. ALBUM Gossip in the Grain Ray LaMontagne
Another stunner from LaMontagne, this time he returns to his folkier,‘60s horn-tinged sound that he explored back in 2004 on Trouble. It doesn’t reach the levels of lyricism of 2006’s Till the Sun Turns Black, but this is a worthy entry into what is shaping up to be [...]
chris @ October 17, 2008 # One Comment
I’m tired of politics this week, and I thought this was pretty damn funny….
hawkesklein @ October 17, 2008 # One Comment
Andy and I once discussed a screenplay where I play a sassy jazz age Hollywood girl who invents the concept of remixing and brings it to MGM, where the big boss says something along the lines of “well, you’ve got moxy kid, and I like it!” (DO NOT STEAL THIS IDEA it’s my ticket to [...]
Jason Reynolds @ October 8, 2008 # No Comment Yet
Oasis has a new album out! It’s called, Dig Out Your Soul.
I like it. It’s just a little harder than the usual Oasis stuff. But I like it.
Every review I’ve read about it, rips it to shreds.
Sounds like another case of, “Ohhh, this is soooo not ‘What’s The Story, Morning Glory, or Definitely,Maybe…’”
So silly.
[...]
Matt Lambert @ October 8, 2008 # One Comment
I always think it’s pretty lame when a music video is just a really literal interpretation of a song’s lyrics. Yet somehow when the song itself becomes a super-literal description of what’s happening in the video, it turns out to be divine:
JeremyKotin @ October 6, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. MOVIE The Earrings of Madame De… (1953)
This stunner of a film from director Max Ophuls has always been one of my absolute favorites ever since Andrew Sarris mumbled an incoherent introduction to the classic in a film course of mine. But once the screen went dark and Danielle Darrieux appeared, I was transfixed watching [...]
Jason Reynolds @ September 30, 2008 # One Comment
Yooooo, so back when I used to hang out at The Lodge which was (and is) a really dope restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, also known as Hipsterville, also known as the “other” Bedford Ave, also known as “Are you serious?! This small ass apartment is 2500 bucks?” town, I used to always see this awesome [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 29, 2008 # 3 Comments
ACL EDITION
I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Austin City Limits Festival this past weekend, so I wanted to highlight the best of the best (and I must say, the rest of the rest was really good, so it was difficult to narrow the list down after 3 days and 130 bands, but the [...]
Jason Reynolds @ September 23, 2008 # One Comment
For all of you who haven’t seen the off-broadway hit, FELA!, kill yourselves now. Or…just go see it. Now. It’s a musical about the late Nigerian activist, and father of Afrobeat, Fela Kuti. It’s rich with culture, passion, and awesome music (Antibalas plays as Kuti’s band.) Plus, Sparlha Swa is in it! And well, she’s [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 22, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. ALBUM Johnny Flynn “A Larum”
The sound is something like The Decemberists if Josh Ritter were the lead vocalist, with a bit of a country bent. Here’s a sample lyric from “Tickle Me Pink,” one of my favorite tracks: “Pray for the people inside your head/for they won’t be there when you’re dead/muffled out and [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 15, 2008 # 3 Comments
1. ALBUM Philip Glass “The Book of Longing”
I absolutely love Philip Glass. I also find his work can be redundant (rolling chords can only change so much over forty years). This recent collaboration with Leonard Cohen, however, captures some of the original fire. Cohen’s boom-y bass pops up for narration, four singers transform Glass’ music [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 8, 2008 # 3 Comments
1. MUSEUM “Polaroids: Mapplethorpe” at the Whitney, NYC
Nestled in the mezzanine of the Whitney, there is a single room filled with the most beautiful polaroids by Robert Mapplethorpe. Dating from the 70s, this work demonstrates the very early signs of what would soon become his shocking seminal works of the 80s. Never have I seen [...]
JeremyKotin @ September 2, 2008 # No Comment Yet
1. Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago”
Every now and then there’s a new sound in music, a sound that makes you sit up and ask what the hell is that, and then you ask do I like even like it. At the core this music is standard folk guitar, but the addition of such an odd [...]
Jamie Antonisse @ August 27, 2008 # 4 Comments
So I’m staring down a long dark tunnel called Thesis Year… shut in a warehouse space with ten other amazingly intelligent and amazingly distracting Interactive Media Masters students. I’ll be spending ten or more hours a day in front of a monitor, with occasional breaks for basketball (we installed a hoop in the scrap [...]
JeremyKotin @ August 25, 2008 # One Comment
1. “Elegy”
This little gem of a film is far from perfect, and yet it totally captured and captivated me. Where the story failed time and again, the performances from Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley and Patricia Clarkson carried me through from beginning to end, as did the fantastic soundtrack with its mix of melancholy piano, jazz [...]
Andy Marino @ August 21, 2008 # 5 Comments
This list doesn’t need much in the way of introduction; the only rule is that the lyrics must be taken from the first line of the first song on an album.
Here’s my attempt at narrowing about twenty-five contenders down to ten real attention-grabbers. Feel free to chime in with some of your favorites. [...]
Jason Reynolds @ August 17, 2008 # No Comment Yet
The other day I went to the record store (the place that sells music on cds, not vinyl, so I guess it’s technically the music store, though it doesn’t sell instruments…) to do my weekly Tuesday peruse. It’s been a habit of mine since high school, to always check and see what new music sits [...]
hawkesklein @ June 25, 2008 # One Comment
I am physically unable to stop singing this song in my head today, I’ve watched the video in silent like 4 times… you had my heart my soul my attention… but you walked out my life with my CD COLLECTION!
Boy bands, is this topical? Proooobably not! I used to have a t-shirt that said “I [...]