The Couch Potato Report - March 7th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on friends, jarheads, and a goblet of fire.
Some films need to be seen in a theatre. They deserve getting the babysitter, planning a night out, spending $20 for tickets, and perhaps that much for snacks, and sitting in a theatre with other people, who may or may not talk during the movie.
Yes, some films just require the cinematic experience
Some other films are just good rentals.
The kind you pick up at the video store on the way home, and maybe you grab some snacks to enjoy after you put the kids to bed, or before you press play you just microwave some popcorn in the privacy of your own home.
The made in Saskatchewan Hollywood film JUST FRIENDS is the textbook definition of a good rental.
And now it is available on DVD!
JUST FRIENDS was shot in and around Regina and Moose Jaw in late 2004. The movie's plot is simple: an overweight guy in New Jersey secretly pines for his best friend, but she only likes him as a friend.
After high school he loses the weight and moves to Los Angeles. When we meet him again he has a very successful job in the music industry.
Life is going well and he has no plans to every return home or see his high school crush again.
Through a mildly comical serious of events, he suddenly finds himself back home, just in time for Christmas.
No matter how successful, or thin, he might be, at his core he's the same guy and his one time crush still makes him nervous.
JUST FRIENDS isn't in the same class as the two funniest films of last year - THE 40-YEAR-OLD- VIRGIN and WEDDING CRASHERS - but it is the type of film that you will enjoy if you don't expect too much from it.
There are laughs in JUST FRIENDS, there is emotion in it, and there is Regina and Moose Jaw!
And on the film's DVD there is a special feature about the places in Saskatchewan where the film was shot. That feature is called "It's Friggin' Cold" and it features the cast and crew talking about the weather.
JUST FRIENDS might not be a classic comedy, but it is a good rental. As I said, it is the textbook definition of the words: "good rental."
If you are a fan of the HARRY POTTER franchise, I suspect that you won't just want to rent HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.
This is the fourth installment in the franchise, and if you are unfamiliar with my feelings on the series, let me state it once again: "Not everything is created for me. I can't like everything."
That said, there were parts of GOBLET OF FIRE that I did actually like. I truly liked the parts of the film where the kids were getting to know each other again, and as they get older, coming to grips with having different feelings for each other then they are used to.
The stares and sighs, fights and the moments that we all had as teenagers while we were trying to figure out why we were doing them.
That stuff I really liked. Otherwise, man was this film long! I know fans of the series probably enjoyed the two-hour and twenty-seven minute running time and wanted more, but to me, man was this film long!
In the film Harry finds himself selected as an under aged competitor in a dangerous multi-wizardry school competition and as I said when HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN was released on DVD, if you love Harry Potter and his adventures, my opinion doesn't matter as you've probably already bought or rented HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.
So enough about HARRY POTTER.
Let me now talk with you - briefly - about this week's other two major releases JARHEAD and PRIME.
A few moments ago I mentioned how some films need to be seen in theatres and others are good rentals. Well let me add a third group to the list: Some films just need to be skipped altogether.
JARHEAD and PRIME are those type of films.
JARHEAD is based on former Marine Anthony Swofford's best-selling 2003 book about his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and about his experiences fighting in Kuwait.
The film follows Swofford from a sobering stint in boot camp to active duty and none of it is even remotely involving.
In reality the Desert Shield and Desert Storm conflicts didn't last very long , yet somehow this movie is over two hours long.
JARHEAD is a film only for people who have nothing but time on their hands, or love watching army pictures.
PRIME is a film only for people who really, really, really, really, like Meryl Streep or Uma Thurman. I can't imagine any other reason why someone would see this film.
Personally, I have seen it twice. Twice I have seen it, and I can't even tell you why the film is called PRIME.
Its not about math, and it isn't about meat, yet it is called PRIME.
What I do know is that this film - about a career driven professional who falls for a young painter, who just happens to be the son of her psychoanalyst - should be ignored.
Yes, Uma looks great, as always, and Meryl Streep is still Meryl Streep, but PRIME has nothing to offer.
It isn't even a good rental!
But the made in Saskatchewan film JUST FRIENDS is a good rental, and it is available now at a store near you, along with PRIME, JARHEAD, and HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK early 1950s broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy. David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jr., and George Clooney, who also co-wrote and directed the film, all star.
David Cronenberg's A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE stars Viggo Mortensen as a man who becomes a hero when he kills two wanted men, and then becomes wanted himself.
And THE SPIKE LEE JOINT COLLECTION features 5 films - DO THE RIGHT THING, MO' BETTER BLUES, JUNGLE FEVER, CLOCKERS and CROOKLYN - on a 3-disc set
I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!
For iPod users, a budding problem
Seattle-based builder and author Pete Nelson blasts his iPod to drown out the sound of his power tools when he works. He cranks it up when he skis and even listens to the portable music player while working at his computer.
"I'm having a love affair with my iPod," says Nelson, whose wife, 15-year-old daughter and 13-year-old twin sons all have iPod addictions.
They're like millions of other Americans who listen to their MP3s for hours each day.
Apple has sold more than 40 million iPods since they hit the market in 2001. Last year, 14 million were snatched up in the fourth quarter alone. Those figures don't include purchases of iRiver, Sony and other brands of MP3 players.
But lately it seems a backlash may be brewing against MP3 players with claims that the gadgets, which typically are used with dime-sized, disc-shaped earphones called ear buds, can cause hearing loss:
Last month, a Louisiana man filed a federal lawsuit against Apple claiming iPods cause hearing damage.
Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., wrote a letter to the director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders in January, calling for a review of the scientific information on the effect of portable music players on hearing loss. He also asked for recommendations to help consumers avoid potential damage from MP3 players.
In France, the government has set a limit of 100 decibels in MP3 players, and Apple has made adjustments. Company executives, when contacted for this report, declined to comment on the maximum volume an American-sold iPod can reach.
But independent testing showed that maximum volumes hovered in the 120-decibel range, about the level of a jet plane taking off, says audiologist Brian Fligor, a hearing expert at Children's Hospital Boston.
According to the deafness institute, almost 28 million Americans have hearing loss. One-third have damage because of loud noise.
Very few documented cases of noise-induced hearing loss are tracked to long-term use of handheld stereos alone, but more research is needed, Fligor says.
Fligor is researching safe-listening levels in MP3s. He and colleagues published a study in 2004 that determined safe-listening levels with portable music players such as the Sony Walkman; the study found that one hour a day at about 60% volume was safe. Preliminary results of the MP3 study show figures in the same ballpark, he says.
Hearing loss is preventable
If it's not healthy, why give listeners the option to pump it up to 120 decibels? Pure pleasure, Fligor says.
"There are just some songs you want to rock out on," says iPod user and Texas musician Bob Schneider, 40, who has been performing for 17 years and concedes he probably has some hearing damage. "At this stage of the game, I still play the music pretty loud. I can still hear pretty well, but that might be a whole different story when I'm 60."
By then, it might be too late for Schneider or families such as the Nelsons who sometimes listen to their MP3s more than three hours a day.
Using earphones for hours at high volumes basically causes "shock and awe" to delicate hair-like cells deep within the inner ear that help the brain process sound, says Ron Eavey, director of pediatric otolaryngology at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. After years of abuse, those structures won't function anymore, he says.
Nelson, 43, is concerned about hearing loss and already experiences ringing in the ears, called tinnitus, which is a symptom of damage. But he says he has no plans to cut back on his MP3 use.
Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable, says Pam Mason, an audiologist with the American Speech and Hearing Association in Rockville, Md.
Mason suggests dishing out the cash for a good pair of earphones. Sound-isolating earphones made by companies such as Future Sonics, Shure and Etymotic reduce ambient noise outside the ears so that listeners don't have to pump up the volume as high.
"People think if they listen at a lower volume, they won't get the same quality of sound. But good headphones actually allow you to hear more detailed nuances in the music without the high frequencies that do damage," says Marty Garcia, founder of Philadelphia-based Future Sonics.
Boston-based Bose and other companies sell another option: noise-canceling headphones. Battery-driven, they cover the entire outer ear and work by picking up ambient noise outside the headphones and then emitting a counter frequency that cancels out the incoming noise. This technology also allows a user to reduce the volume on his MP3 because there is little outside noise to overcome.
No two people are alike, so it's difficult to predict who will develop hearing loss, experts say.
But if you have tinnitus, find that noises sound muffled, experience temporary hearing loss after a loud concert or have difficulty hearing someone 3 feet away, you need to get your hearing tested.
Apple and other MP3 player manufacturers can help listeners by reducing volume levels, experts say. But in the end, it is up to the user. Says Harvard's Eavey: "It's like using sunblock to prevent skin cancer. Ultimately, iPod users need to make the right choices to avoid hearing loss."
Sound guide to problem noise
Any sound over 85 decibels (dBs) exceeds what hearing experts consider the "safe" range. More than that and over time, there's a good chance you'll damage your ears.
Decibel level
Firearm 140+
Jet engine 140
Jackhammer 130
Sporting event 127
Live music concert 120+
Jet plane takeoff 120
Band practice 120
iPods and other MP3 players at maximum volume 120
Health club and aerobics studio 120
Movie theater 118
Motorcycle 95-120
Chain saw or pneumatic drill 100
Lawnmower 90
Subway 90
Busy street 80
Alarm clock 80
Vacuum cleaner 70
Conversation 60
Dishwasher 60
Moderate rainfall 50
Quiet room 40
Whisper, quiet library 30
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett Dies at 45
MINNEAPOLIS - Kirby Puckett, the bubbly, barrel-shaped Hall of Famer who carried the Minnesota Twins to two World Series titles before his career was cut short by glaucoma, died Monday after a stroke. He was 45.
Puckett, whose weight gain in recent years concerned those close to him, was stricken early Sunday at his Arizona home. He died at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.
"He was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the term," commissioner Bud Selig said. "He played his entire career with the Twins and was an icon in Minnesota. But he was revered throughout the country and will be remembered wherever the game is played. Kirby was taken from us much too soon and too quickly."
Puckett was the second-youngest person to die already a member of the Hall of Fame, Hall spokesman Jeff Idelson said. Only Lou Gehrig, at 37, was younger.
Puckett led the Twins to championships in 1987 and 1991. He broke into the majors in 1984 and had a career batting average of .318. Glaucoma left the six-time Gold Glove center fielder and 10-time All-Star with no choice but to retire after the 1995 season when he went blind in his right eye.
"I wore one uniform in my career and I'm proud to say that," Puckett once said. "As a kid growing up in Chicago, people thought I'd never do anything. I've always tried to play the game the right way. I thought I did pretty good with the talent that I have."
He was elected to the Hall of Fame on his first try in 2001, and his plaque praised his "ever-present smile and infectious exuberance." Yet, out of the game, the 5-foot-8 Puckett let himself fall out of shape.
"It's a tough thing to see a guy go through something like that and come to this extent," former teammate Kent Hrbek said.
"That's what really hurt him bad, when he was forced out of the game," he said. "I don't know if he ever recovered from it."
Asked what he would remember the most from their playing days, Hrbek quickly answered, "Just his smile, his laughter and his love for the game."
Puckett had been in intensive care since having surgery at another hospital. His family, friends and former teammates gathered Monday at St. Joseph's. He was given last rites and died in the afternoon, hospital spokeswoman Kimberly Lodge said.
Puckett wanted his organs to be donated. In a statement, his family and friends thanked his fans for their thoughts and prayers.
"It's tough to take," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said from the team's spring training camp in Fort Myers, Fla. "He had some faults, we knew that, but when all was said and done he would treat you as well as he would anyone else. No matter who you were.
"When you're around him, he makes you feel pretty good about yourself. He can make you laugh. He can do a lot of things that can light up a room. He's a beauty," he said.
A makeshift memorial began to form Monday night outside the Metrodome, with a handful of bouquets laid on the sidewalk.
"This is a sad day for the Minnesota Twins, Major League Baseball and baseball fans everywhere," Twins owner Carl Pohlad said.
Puckett's signature performance came in Game 6 of the 1991 World Series against Atlanta. After telling anyone who would listen before the game that he would lead the Twins to victory that night at the Metrodome, he made a leaping catch against the fence and then hit a game-ending homer in the 11th inning to force a seventh game.
The next night, Minnesota's Jack Morris went all 10 innings to outlast John Smoltz and pitch the Twins to a 1-0 win for their second championship in five years.
"If we had to lose and if one person basically was the reason you never want to lose but you didn't mind it being Kirby Puckett. When he made the catch and when he hit the home run you could tell the whole thing had turned," Smoltz said.
"His name just seemed to be synonymous with being a superstar," the Braves' pitcher said. "It's not supposed to happen like this."
Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk echoed Smoltz's sentiment.
"There was no player I enjoyed playing against more than Kirby. He brought such joy to the game. He elevated the play of everyone around him," Fisk said in a statement to the Hall.
Puckett's birthdate was frequently listed as March 14, 1961, but recent research by the Hall of Fame indicated he was born a year earlier.
Perhaps the most popular athlete ever to play in Minnesota, Puckett was a guest coach at Twins spring training camp in 1996, but hadn't worked for the team since 2002. He kept a low profile since being cleared of assault charges in 2003, when he was accused of groping a woman at a suburban Twin Cities restaurant.
The youngest of nine children born into poverty in a Chicago housing project, Puckett was drafted by the Twins in 1982 and became a regular just two years later. He got four hits in his first major league start and finished with 2,304 in only 12 seasons.
Though his power numbers, 207 home runs and 1,085 RBIs, weren't exceptional, Puckett won an AL batting title in 1989 and was considered one of the best all-around players of his era. His esteem and enthusiasm for the game factored into his Hall of Fame election as much as his statistics and championship rings.
He made his mark on baseball's biggest stage, leading heavy underdog Minnesota to a seven-game victory over St. Louis in 1987 and then doing the same against Atlanta in one of the most thrilling Series in history.
The Twins returned to the Metrodome that year after losing 14-5 in Game 5, needing to win two straight to get the trophy. Puckett famously walked into the clubhouse hours before Game 6, cajoling his teammates to jump on his back and let him carry them to victory.
Sure enough, after robbing Ron Gant of an extra-base hit with a leaping catch against the wall in the third inning, Puckett homered off Charlie Leibrandt to send the Series to Game 7.
"There are a lot of great players in this game, but only one Kirby," pitcher Rick Aguilera said when Puckett announced his retirement. "It was his character that meant more to his teammates. He brought a great feeling to the clubhouse, the plane, everywhere."
Puckett's best year was 1988, when he batted .356 with 24 home runs, 42 doubles and 121 RBIs. A contact hitter and stolen base threat in the minors who hit a total of four homers in his first two major league seasons, Puckett developed a power stroke in 1986 and went deep a career-best 31 times.
He became a fixture in the third spot in Minnesota's lineup, a free-swinging outfielder with a strong arm and a flair for nifty catches despite his 220-pound frame that made him look more like a fullback. The man known simply as "Puck" was immensely popular. Fans loved his style, especially the high leg kick he used as he prepared to swing. Public address announcer Bob Casey, who became a close friend, introduced him with vigor before every at-bat, "KIR-beeeeeeeeee PUCK-it."
As free agency and expansion turned over rosters more frequently in the 1990s, Puckett was one of the rare stars who never switched teams.
Hit by a pitch that broke his jaw on his last at-bat of the 1995 season, Puckett woke up one morning the following spring and couldn't see out of his right eye. It was eventually diagnosed as glaucoma, forcing him to call it quits that July.
He received baseball's Roberto Clemente Man of the Year Award for community service that year, and the Twins trying to boost sagging attendance during some lean seasons in the late 1990s frequently turned to Puckett-related promotions. He had a spot in the front office and sometimes made stops at the state Capitol to help stump for a new stadium.
Though he steadfastly refused to speak pessimistically about the premature end to his career, Puckett's personal life began to deteriorate after that. Shortly after his induction to Cooperstown, his then-wife, Tonya, accused him of threatening to kill her during an argument he denied it and described to police a history of violence and infidelity. In 2003, he was cleared of all charges from an alleged sexual assault of a woman at a suburban Twin Cities restaurant.
He kept a low profile after the trial and eventually moved to Arizona. The Twins kept trying to re-establish a connection and get him to come to spring training again as a guest instructor.
Puckett, who was divorced, is survived by his children, Catherine and Kirby Jr.
New CD Releases For Tuesday, March 7th, 2006
Agency Agency (AERIA)
Herb Alpert Whipped Cream and Other Delights: Rewhipped (remixes by Medeski, Martin and Wood, Ozomatli, Thievery Corporation and more; includes Alpert's new trumpet solos) (Shout! Factory)
Big Al Anderson (of NRBQ) After Hours (Legacy)
Architects Revenge (Anodyne)
Balli New Blood - The D.N.A. (Black Five)
The Bamboos Step It Up (Ubiquity)
Warren Barfield Reach (Creative Trust Workshop)
Big Rich Fill More Rich (Kela/Koch)
Ran Blake All That Is Tied (liner notes by John Medeski) (Tompkins Square)
Boom Boom Satellites Full of Elevating Pleasures (Tofu)
Boysetsfire The Misery Index: Notes from the Plague Years (w/bonus DVD) (Equal Vision)
Bonnie Bramlett Roots, Blues & Jazz (Zoho Roots)
Buzzcocks Flat-Pack Philosophy (Cooking Vinyl)
Caedmon's Call In the Company of Angels II - The World Will Sing (Brentwood)
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan (ex-Belle & Sebastian) Ballad of the Broken Seas (V2)
Larry Carlton Fire Wire (Bluebird/RCA)
Caroline Murmurs (Temporary Residence Ltd.)
Neko Case Fox Confessor Brings the Flood (Epitaph)
Centro-Matic Fort Recovery (Misra)
Chas. Mtn. Hugs (Western Vinyl)
Mike Compton and David Long Stomp (produced by David Grisman) (Acoustic Disc)
The Czars Goodbye (Bella Union)
Daddy Mack Blues Band Slow Ride (Inside Sounds)
Eric Darius Just Getting Started (Narada Jazz)
David & the Citizen David & the Citizen EP (Friendly Fire)
Kimya Dawson and Matty Pop Chart Kimya Dawson and Matty Pop Chart EP (K Records)
Jesse Dayton South Austin Sessions (Stag)
dEUS Pocket Revolution (V2)
Devics Push the Heart (Reincarnate)
Dian Diaz Dian Diaz (Strip City)
Dogme95 The Reagle Beagle (Empyrean)
Dryline Reach for the Surface (Zero Sum)
The Duke Spirit Cuts Across the Land (StarTime International)
Eastern Conference Champions The Southhampton Collection EP (Leftwing/Geffen)
Anthony Evans Letting Go (Integrity Media)
Cesaria Evora Rogamar (RCA)
Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan) Morph the Cat (deluxe CD/DVD combo available same day) (Reprise)
Paul Flaherty/Chris Corsano The Beloved Music (Family Vineyard)
Fresh Digress Fresh Digress (Beatmart)
The Game G.A.M.E. (Fastlife/Koch)
Charles Gayle Time Zones (Tompkins Square)
Ghostigital (ex-Sugarcubes' Einar Φrn) In Cod We Trust (guest Mark E. Smith of the Fall) (Ipecac)
David Gilmour On an Island (w/David Crosby, Graham Nash, Robert Wyatt and more) (Columbia)
Goldfrapp Supernature (Mute)
Half-Handed Cloud Halos & Lassos (Asthmatic Kitty)
Jeff Hamilton Trio From Studio 4 (Azica)
Kieran Hebden and Steve Reid (Four Tet and former James Brown/Motown drummer) The Exchange Sessions Vol. 1 (Domino)
Hotel Lights (w/ex-Ben Folds Five member Darren Jessee) Hotel Lights (Bar/None)
James Hunter People Gonna Talk (Rounder)
I Love You but I've Chosen Darkness Fear Is on Our Side (produced by Ministry's Paul Barker) (Secretly Canadian)
If Hope Dies Life in Ruin (Ironclad/Metal Blade)
The Impossible Shapes Tum (Secretly Canadian)
Javier Left of Center (Capitol)
Jethro Tull Aqualung Live (Fuel)
Chachi Jones Dymaxion Daydream (Reincarnate)
Huck Jones Huck (Capitol)
Juvenile Reality Check (Atlantic)
Christian Kiefer and Sharron Kraus The Black Dove (Tompkins Square)
Glenn Kotche (Wilco drummer) Mobile (Nonesuch)
Kris Kristofferson This Old Road (New West)
Jon Langford (of Mekons) Gold Brick (ROIR)
Lanterna Desert Ocean (Jemez Mountain/Badman)
Kenny Lattimore and Chantι Moore Uncovered (La Face/Jive)
Adrienne Lau Adrienne Lau (Global Village)
Ana Laura Ana Laura (Reunion)
The Lawrence Arms Oh! Calcutta! (Fat Wreck Chords)
Lil' Wayne Tha Carter II (Chopped & Screwed) (Universal Motown)
Rolf Lislevand Nuove Musiche (ECM)
The Little Willies (w/Norah Jones) The Little Willies (originals and covers of Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Townes Van Zandt) (Milking Bull/EMI)
Cheikh Lo Lamp Fall (Nonesuch)
The Lonely Hearts Paper Tapes (Tooth & Nail)
Lucky Luciano Pimps Up Hoez Down (Vista Media)
Janiva Magness Do I Move You? (NorthernBlues)
Willy Mason Where the Humans Eat (re-release of 2004 album w/bonus tracks and video) (Astralwerks)
Matisyahu Youth (DualDisc same day) (Epic)
John McBain (of Monster Magnet) The In-Flight Feature (DUNA)
Mellowdrone Box (Columbia)
Mogwai Mr. Beast (Matador)
The Moore Brothers Murdered by (Plain)
Van Morrison Pay the Devil (Lost Highway)
Most Hi-Fi Everything's Gonna Be Alright (CD/DVD combo) (Slam Jamz)
Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Cha's Hang It High, Hang It Low (Rounder)
Nicollette I Am Where the Party's at (Early)
Nightmares on Wax In a Space Outta Sound (Warp)
The Ocean Aeolian (Metal Blade)
Lee Roy Parnell Back to the Well (Universal South)
Patrizio The Italian (Universal)
Pedro Pedro (w/bonus disc of remixes by Four Tet, Danger Mouse, Prefuse 73 and more) (Mush)
Pinetop Seven Beneath Confederate Lake (Empyrean)
The Pink Mountaintops Axis of Evol (Jagjaguwar)
Pinmonkey Big Shiny Cars (Back Porch)
Planeside MILK (Exotic)
Lucas Prata Let's Get It on (Ultra)
Public Enemy Rebirth of a Nation (written, produced by and featuring Paris; guests dead prez, MC Ren and more) (Guerrilla Funk)
Revolting Cocks (Ministry's Al Jourgensen) Cocked and Loaded (guests Jello Biafra, Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, members of Cheap Trick and more) (Megaforce/13th Planet)
The Rogers Sisters The Invisible Deck (Too Pure)
Aldo Romano Chante (Dreyfus)
Gonzalo Rubalcaba Solo (Blue Note)
Scissorfight Jaggernaut (Hydra Head)
Robin Scott Woman from the Warm Grass (Sunbeam)
Seven Glory Over the Rooftops (7Spin)
Shana & Kirin The Mating Game (Quango)
Mike Shannon Possible Conclusions to Stories That Never End (Scape)
Terry Smith Fall Out (Sunbeam)
Soldier Ink The Newest and the Strongest (enhanced CD) (Thump)
Stereolab Fab Four Suture (Too Pure)
The Story Tale Spin (Sunbeam)
Streetlight Manifesto Keasbey Nights (two CDs) (Victory)
System of a Down Mezmerize/Hypnotize (two CDs) (Columbia)
Television Personalities My Dark Places (Domino)
Ten Falls Forth Excuse Me...I Believe That's My Ride (Rise)
Tennessee Boltsmokers Hydroradio (Madjack)
Trent Tomlinson Country Is My Rock (Hollywood)
Tres Chicas Bloom, Red & the Ordinary Girl (guest Nick Lowe) (Yep Roc)
Ralph Tresvant (of New Edition) RizzWaFaire (Xzault Media Group)
Gecko Turner Guapapasea! (Quango)
Vitalic OK Cowboy (Uncivilized World)
Voices and Organs Orphanage (Western Vinyl)
Voodoo Blue Smile 'N' Nod (DCide)
The Weepies Say I Am You (Nettwerk)
Witch (w/Dinosaur Jr.'s J. Mascis) Witch (Tee Pee)
The Wood Brothers (w/Chris Wood of Medeski Martin and Wood) Ways Not to Lose (produced by John Medeski) (Blue Note)
Glenn Yarbrough Come Share My Life (Increase)
Nadine Zahr Underneath the Everyday (Chirality)
VA 29 Down (BMG Heritage)
VA Hard Truth Soldiers, Volume 1 (w/Public Enemy, Paris, the Coup, KRS-One and more) (Guerrilla Funk)
VA Tunnel Trance 2 (Water Music)
OCR See What I Wanna See (Ghostlight)
OST Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King (w/Blackmore's Night, Qntal, Corvus Corax and more) (Dancing Ferret)
OST Date Movie (w/songs by Barry White, the Lovin' Spoonful, Kelis and more) (Lakeshore)
OST The Transporter (Koch)
DVD Nashville Sound (Xenon)
DVD Sin Cities (Shanachie)
DVD Agnostic Front Live at CBGB (w/bonus CD; includes documentary) (Nuclear Blast)
DVD Bad Religion Live at the Palladium (Epitaph)
DVD Corvus Corax Gaudia Vite Live (Noir)
Oscar Ratings "Crash"
Crash beating Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture was an upset. The Oscar telecast ratings shrinking was not.
As expected, a nominee slate of modestly popular movies drew modest numbers. The Jon Stewart-hosted show averaged an estimated 38.8 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research, down 8 percent from last year. The ratings decline jibed with movie attendance, which was down 7 percent in 2005.
Preferring its glass half full, ABC pointed out that a more impressive sounding 76.6 million watched at least six minutes of the 213-minute marathon.
Overall, the stats reveal Sunday's telecast avoided a 2003 disaster, when a record-low 33 million celebrated Chicago's big night, and fell in line with Oscar's 1985-87 rut, when shows honoring Amadeus, Out of Africa and Platoon--not a popcorn movie in the popper--averaged 38 million.
Regarding a potentially more pressing concern, the 2006 Oscars might have scored just enough viewers to maintain the show's annual title as TV's biggest event not known as the Super Bowl. To date, the most watched American Idol finale ever drew 34.2 million in 2003.
Where Stewart is concerned, Sunday's numbers were the lowest for a first-time solo host since Jack Lemmon got the gig in 1985. The actor, a two-time Oscar winner, was not invited back.
In newspapers such as Variety and the Los Angeles Times, however, critics suggested Stewart would be invited back.
"As the night wore on, he got more comfortable, and reverted back to his kind of humor," Variety's Ted Johnson wrote. "He need not worry. He could do another outing."
On the whole, Stewart's and Oscar's notices ranged from okay to "a butt-ugly broadcast that even the biggest film buff had to gag through." (That last one, per a widely disseminated pan on Nikki Finke's LAWeekly.com blog.)
The New York Times, echoing Variety, thought Stewart looked "a little nervous." The Associated Press, echoing the New York Times, thought Stewart is usually funnier on The Daily Show. Most everyone, Brokeback director Ang Lee included, thought the montage looking back at the cowboy movie's secret gay history was funny. ("Quite genius," raved an otherwise downcast Lee on Sunday night.)
The controversy count was low. According to ABC, its censors went to work just twice, briefly dropping out the audio during the live performance of the Oscar-winning composition, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," and briefly dropping out the audio again during Three 6 Mafia's exuberant Jesus-, Gil Cates- and George Clooney-praising acceptance speech.
Backstage, Jordan Houston, aka Juicy J, of Three 6 Mafia was unaware of the deletions. He told reporters the group changed its lyrics "completely" to accommodate the network, if not his elders. ("My mom is watching," Houston said. "I don't want any cuss words.")
And while ABC signed off on the use of "bitches," the group decided on its own to go with "witches" on show night. The audio deletion apparently concerned an unscripted spoken word at the beginning of the performance that the censor thought sounded like a no-no.
What might have sounded like a no-no, but wasn't, per ABC, was actress Taraji P. Henson's "Pimp"-sung chorus. While the ear might have heard Henson repeatedly complaining of "witches talking sh-t," ABC said she was actually bemoaning "witches jumping ship."
Playboy Hits Back at Alba
American men's magazine Playboy has fired back at Jessica Alba's claims they implied she had posed naked by placing her on their front cover, insisting many A-list stars have graced the page without appearing nude in the publication. The Sin City beauty's lawyers sent Playboy a threatening letter last Month after the mag published an promotional image of a bikini-clad Alba from her 2005 movie Into The Blue on the front of its March issue. Alba claims the choice of front cover insinuates she appears nude or semi-nude in the magazine. She said, "Playboy has violated my personal rights and blatantly misled the public, who might think I had given them permission to put me on their cover when I didn't." However, Playboy insists they placed her on the cover because she won a readers poll as being the "sexiest star of the year" and she is among other stars who grace the cover, but do not pose naked. Playboy spokeswoman Lauren Malone says, "Many celebrities have appeared on the cover of Playboy, but not nude, including Claudia Schiffer, Paris Hilton, Goldie Hawn, Raquel Welch, Barbra Streisand, Brooke Shields and Donald Trump."
The Academy Awards show you never saw
What you see on TV is not what you get offstage during the Academy Awards.
Crash's hit-and-run win
What you saw: Surprise! Crash takes best picture.
What you didn't see: Backstage workers gasp as Crash wins over favorite Brokeback Mountain. When presenter Jack Nicholson is asked if he is surprised by the win, he says, "I didn't expect it because you heard so much about Brokeback," before confiding, "and that's who I voted for." But he cheerfully escorted Crash director Paul Haggis away.
Oscar giveth - and taketh
What you saw: Ang Lee becomes the millionth or so person to use the catchphrase "I wish I knew how to quit you," while accepting his directing Oscar for Brokeback Mountain.
What you didn't see: Nobody in the darkened wings looks more surprised about Crash's win than Lee. He silently walks away as the Crash producers begin their acceptance speech, a wan smile on his face.
Wrong-way Witherspoon
What you saw: Reese Witherspoon grasps her actress award for her portrait of country singer June Carter in Walk the Line, saying, "I never thought I'd be here my whole life." She thanks her husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, and their children, "who should be going to bed."
What you didn't see: Witherspoon was lost when she came off the stage, unsure where to go next and not wanting to be left alone. Jamie Foxx came to her aid. "I'll stay right here with you," and hung by her side until she was helped by Oscar officials.
A thankless situation
What you saw: Philip Seymour Hoffman says he is "overwhelmed" by his best-actor win for his role as the author of In Cold Blood in Capote and pays tribute to his mom, who raised four kids alone and took him to his first play.
What you didn't see: Much to his chagrin, Hoffman realizes he forgot to thank his girlfriend, Mimi O'Donnell, when he heads off the stage. Presenter Hilary Swank, who famously didn't thank her husband, actor Chad Lowe, when she won her first Oscar for 1999's Boys Don't Cry, comforts him, saying, "You can't kick yourself over it." Swank thoughtfully leaves out the fact that she and Lowe are now separated.
Hey, she hustled, too
What you saw: The lively Three 6 Mafia takes the Oscar for It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp from Hustle & Flow, the second rap tune to win best song, after Eminem's Lose Yourself from 2002's 8 Mile.
What you didn't see: Backstage, Hustle & Flow actress Tariji P. Henson, who sang with the four-man crew, teases them after their win. "When do I get one of these trophies?" she asks with a pout.
Accessorizing, Part 1: Birds
What you saw: The French makers of documentary winner March of the Penguins holding stuffed versions of their stars.
What you didn't see: The filmmakers responsible for March of the Penguins were still clutching their stuffed penguins backstage. Producer Emmanuel Priou said that their distributor in Japan "made them and sent them for good luck. They were right, because we have had a lot of good luck tonight."
When stars collide ...
What you saw: Morgan Freeman struggling to say "demonstrative" while handing out the supporting-actress award to Rachel Weisz of The Constant Gardener.
What you didn't see: Terrence Howard of Crash and Hustle & Flow, rounding the corner to prepare for his presentation and, yes, crashing into Freeman, who's waiting in the wings. The two men stop, shake hands for several seconds, then briefly linger eye-to-eye before moving on. Neither says a word.
Makeup, onstage and off
What you saw: A pancake-coated Steve Carell and over-rouged Will Ferrell give the makeup honor to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
What you didn't see: Diane Kruger of foreign-film nominee Joyeux Noel walking out of the bathroom and Felicity Huffman walking in. Huffman: "You look beautiful." Kruger: "Thanks, and thanks for lending me your makeup artist."
Accessorizing, Part 2: Ties
What you saw: A not-so-animated Reese Witherspoon handing out the feature-animation prize. Co-directors Nick Park and Steve Box, the main clay manipulators behind Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, place bow ties that matched their own on their twin Oscars.
What you didn't see: About those bow ties, Park tells the reporters backstage, "We didn't know we'd be wearing these." Just kidding. Blame British designer Paul Smith for the sight gag.
Going ape over geeks
What you saw: Presenter Ben Stiller encased in green Spandex feigns invisibility, thanks to movie magic, before handing a golden banana to the visual-effects guys behind Peter Jackson's King Kong.
What you didn't see: Backstage, Weta Workshop supervisor Richard Taylor describes his award "as a celebration of the geeks of the world, which is a good thing."
Kidman gets hi-Jacked
What you saw: Nicole Kidman, handing out the first award of the night to supporting-actor winner George Clooney for his dumpy CIA agent in Syriana. "Wow, wow. All right, so I'm not winning director," quips the actor about his nomination for helming Good Night, and Good Luck.
What you didn't see: Before the show begins, Jack Nicholson prowls the wings. The notorious flirt spies Kidman and turns on the charm. After a brief exchange, Nicholson walks away grinning and Kidman plays it cool. But only until the actor is out of earshot. She smiles giddily, puts her hand over her mouth, and exclaims, "Oh, my God!"
Jon, Jon, he's our man
What you saw: Host Jon Stewart in an opening film clip, lolling in bed first with Halle Berry, then with George Clooney
What you didn't see: Four minutes before showtime, host Stewart leaves his dressing room determined to pump up the backstage crew, cheering loudly and clapping his hands. He shouts, "Let's go, Giants!" Then he tries, "Let's go, Mets!"
The hygienic Giamatti
What you saw: Paul Giamatti of Cinderella Man, confessing his secret Oscar preparations to E! host Isaac Mizrahi: "I brushed my teeth. I took a shower."
What you didn't see: Giamatti on whether he heard from Cinderella Man director Ron Howard and star Russell Crowe about his supporting nomination. "Nooooo," he joked. "What is wrong with that?" He then quickly added, "They contact me all the time, letting me know I have their support."
Even losers can have fun
What you saw: Best director Ang Lee on why he felt compelled to make Brokeback Mountain. "I read the short story and I just had to do it."
What you didn't see: Directing nominee Steven Spielberg on the carpet, sounding as if he is mentally preparing for disappointment, in a Disney princess sort of way: "This is the royal ball in the world of Cinderella, and most of us turn into pumpkins at midnight, but one in each category doesn't. It is fun to be honored by the academy, and even on a year when we are not honored, it is just fun to be involved in this celebration."
Hey, it's Steve Austin
What you saw: Big-star presenters Will Smith, Will Ferrell and Steve Carell posing on the red carpet.
What you didn't see: Not-so-big stars Gary Busey, Lorenzo Lamas and Lee Majors milling about. Majors, the former Six Million Dollar Man, says: "I am an academy member and my wife, Faith, had never been here and she wanted to come."
All Dolly-ed up
What you saw: Best-song nominee Dolly Parton (Travelin' Thru from Transamerica), pretty in pink and admitting she sprinkled herself with cheap sparkle powder. As for her borrowed earrings, "These cost $1,200,000! It's like amazing."
What you didn't see: Matt Dillon of Crash spying Parton on the carpet behind him and joking, "She's stalking me again!"
'Crash' Joins Short List of Oscar Upsets
LOS ANGELES - The previous 77 Academy Awards ceremonies have had their share of unexpected twists, though the best-picture win by underdog "Crash" over "Brokeback Mountain" ranks as one of the biggest in Oscar history.
Some other instances where underdogs have triumphed:
For best picture of 1948, the poignant drama "Johnny Belinda," a homegrown Hollywood production, seemed to have the edge, only to lose to a British upstart, Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet."
Three years later, the song-and-dance romance "An American in Paris" pulled off a best-picture stunner over dramatic heavyweights "A Place in the Sun" and "A Streetcar Named Desire."
The next year, Gary Cooper's Western "High Noon" looked as though it would ride into the winner's circle, but the splashy circus tale "The Greatest Show on Earth" came out on top.
The 1968 best-picture award went the musical route again as "Oliver!" became an upset winner over the more popular musical "Funny Girl" and the palace-intrigue saga "The Lion in Winter."
One of Oscar's biggest underdogs, the Olympics tale "Chariots of Fire," ran off with best picture for 1981 over the historical drama "Reds" and the family story "On Golden Pond."
For the 1998 Oscars, "Saving Private Ryan" had been viewed as a best-picture shoo-in until "Shakespeare in Love" showed up at the last minute in December, the latter film ultimately winning the showdown.