DVD Review: “Motown: The DVD” | Popdose

My review of Motown: The DVD was posted to Popdose today:

“Let’s begin with the facts. Motown: The DVD contains 18 vintage clips of Motown artists performing some of their best known songs. Only five of the 18 are actually live performances. Of these, Gladys Knight and the Pips’ performance of “Grapevine” at the 1972 Save the Children Concert and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles doing “Tears of a Clown” on the Andy Williams Show in 1971 stand out. The rest of the clips have been gathered from a variety of U.S. and overseas sources including the Ed Sullivan Show, the Mike Douglas Show, Hullabaloo, and Live from the Bitter End.”

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TV Review: “Independent Lens – No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Zsigmond” | Popdose

My review of the latest installment of the PBS series Independent Lens was posted to Popdose today:

“The latest installment of the vaunted PBS series Independent Lens is No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos. The documentary about the legendary Hungarian cinematographers debuts this week around the country. Check your local listings for time and channel.”

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CD Review: Artie Lange, “Jack and Coke” | Popdose

My review of Artie Lange’s new comedy album Jack and Coke was posted to Popdose today:

“Artie Lange has been a core cast member of the Howard Stern radio show for eight years. Even if you are not a Stern listener, you may have encountered Lange as a regular on Mad TV, or through one of his other, often controversial television appearances. He is also the author of the best-selling memoir Too Fat To Fish, which was published earlier this year. Lange has just released his first comedy album, the aptly titled Jack and Coke (Shout Factory).”

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CD Review: The Doors, “Live In New York”

My review of the new Rhino box set, The Doors – Live In New York was posted to Popdose today:

“Earlier this week, I posted an item to Twitter (sorry, I refuse to use the word ‘tweeted’ in regard to any action I’ve ever taken) saying that I was listening to Rhino’s latest box set, The Doors: Live in New York. The response I got was immediate, negative in tone, and came from two colleagues who know a little something about music. One took a shot at Jim Morrison, the other at drummer John Densmore. The subject of the Doors has always been, and apparently still is, a provocative one. Battle lines are drawn. Feelings are strong on both sides. In the end, the fact that a simple mention of the band evokes such reaction, 40 years after the fact, is itself commentary on the band’s legacy.”

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TV Review: “Independent Lens: Objectified” (PBS) | Popdose

My review of the PBS documentary Objectified was posted to Popdose today:

Gary Hustwit is best known (to me, anyway) as the filmmaker behind the award-winning documentary about Wilco, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, and his film about synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog, simply called Moog. He also got my attention by managing to make a very interesting film about, of all things, a font. That was Helvetica, and it was the first in Hustwit’s planned trilogy about design. Now he has returned with the second entry in his trilogy, Objectified. The new film will premiere tonight on PBS as part of the Independent Lens series. Check your local listings for time and channel in your area.

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Cratedigger: Various Artists, “The Village” (Win a Copy!) | Popdose

My latest Cratedigger column, on the tribute album The Village, was posted to Popdose today :

Please read to the end for information about how you can win a copy of this album. The Village in question is Greenwich, and 429 Records has gathered together an accomplished cast to celebrate the music that shook the world from that corner of New York City in the Sixties. Lest you think my use of phrase “shook the world” is an overstatement, I offer the first three songs on the album as evidence. Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” finds Rickie Lee Jones putting a pin in the balloon of pretension that surrounds Dylan these days. Though not of his making, it marks his every movement. Jones jabs at it with, of all things, a slide whistle, returning the humor inherent in the song.popdose.com, Cratedigger: Various Artists, “The Village” (Win a Copy!) | Popdose, Nov 2009

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TV Review: “The Prisoner” | Popdose

My review of the AMC remake of The Prisoner has been posted to Popdose:

“Beginning this Sunday night, AMC will be asking you to invest six hours of your television viewing time, over the course of three nights, in their remake of the iconic ’60s British drama, The Prisoner.”

You can read the entire review by clicking here.

Steve Earle – Ft. Worth Blues

Steve Earle – FT. Worth Blues

Steve Earle’s emotional tribute to his friend, the late Townes Van Zandt.

Blu-ray Review: “Say Anything” | Popdose

“You know the scene. Hell, if you grew up in a certain era, it’s practically tattooed on your eyelids. Lloyd Dobler (deftly played by John Cusack) stands in the driveway of the home of his beloved, Diane Court (Ione Skye). It’s early morning. He has his boom box, and his Peter Gabriel cassette. He raises the boom box above his head …”

My review of the new Blu-ray release of Say Anything was posted to Popdose today. To read the entire article, please click here.

Television Review: “Secrets of the Dead: The Airmen and the Headhunters” | Popdose

My review of the PBS documentary Secrets of the Dead: The Airmen and the Headhunters was posted to Popdose today:

The Airmen and the Headhunters is the most recent entry in the PBS series Secrets of the Dead, which has been running for nine years on the network. The documentary tells the little-known story of U.S. airmen who bailed out of their stricken aircraft over Japanese-occupied Borneo in 1944. On the island, they encountered Dayak tribesmen, also known as the “wild men of Borneo,” who kept them hidden from the Japanese until they could be rescued in 1945. These tribes were best known for hunting the heads of their enemies.popdose.com, Television Review: “Secrets of the Dead: The Airmen and the Headhunters” | Popdose, Nov 2009

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