Moovers and Shakers 2007

Earlier this year, I marveled at how my entire iPod playlist was devoted exclusively to the music made here. That was back in February, and considering that we were only two months into the new year, that might’ve seemed like a moment of breathless hyperbole. At the time, the ink…

Year’s to You

Over the past decade, year-end critic’s lists have multiplied faster than the worry lines on Ben Bernanke’s brow. By now, both the Internet and the magazine rack at Barnes & Noble are brimming with head-spinning, eye-glazing permutations of praise. If you want to parse the ranking of those records in…

Pause & Rewind

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (Warner Bros.) — It’s the collector’s-set briefcase that seals the deal, a gunmetal-gray case that all but shouts “Completist dork!” Also: There’s damned near every single version imaginable, plus a making-of doc almost as essential as any iteration of the movie itself. Film school in…

Gaming’s Greatest Hits

Best Sleeper Hit: WordJong (Nintendo DS) — It may not sell like Mario, but this mishmash of Scrabble and mah-jongg hooks you like handheld crack. Already a word-of-mouth hit, despite being released only this month, WordJong is perfect for quiet afternoons, loud commutes, or romantic walks on the beach. Best…

Now Playing

The 1940’s Radio Christmas Carol. For a while, as radio manager Clifton Feddington pitches us questions, hustles his performers and generally works to keep things on track, you can’t help wondering just why you’re watching this show. Clearly, it’s supposed to be a slice of life, as awkward, desultory and…

Now Showing

American Art Invitational. Art, like politics, can be divided into liberal and conservative camps, with contemporary art representing the left and traditional art the right. But unlike politics, where the baton can pass back and forth between the two opposites, the art world has been run decisively by the liberals…

Up and Coming

American Pie Presents: Beta House (Universal) The Brothers Solomon (Universal) Eastern Promises (Universal) Galactica 1980: The Complete Epic Series (Universal) The Heartbreak Kid (Universal) Intimate Affairs (Universal) The Kingdom (Universal) Lost and Found: The Harry Langdon Collection (Facets) Shattered (Lions Gate) WWE: The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary (WWE)…

Memories

I’m looking back at the year from a twelfth-floor suite across from Carnegie Hall, on the quiet side of 57th Street. I’ve got a bellyful of ridiculously overpriced beer, cheeseburgers and Cuban chicken from the Brooklyn Diner, and have just returned from a nice digestive stroll through the Christmas market…

Frequently Asked Preguntas

Dear Readers: Gracias, thank you, gracias for another successful year. The Mexican now appears in 32 newspapers across the country, with a weekly circulation of just over two million! As more readers join the Reconquista, many ask the same preguntas about the column’s methodology, philosophy and generous use of the…

Letters to the Editor

“Gone,” Jared Jacang Maher, December 20 Going, Going, Gone Wow! Last week’s cover story was amazing. I couldn’t put the paper down. I’ve always been fascinated with the old Gates plant, and I’ve been tempted to tour the place myself. I could not believe what happened to John Polzin, who…

Frock Out: The Video

Fresh City Life and The Fabric Lab are keeping the buzz around the Frock Out Independent Designers Challenge runway show alive with this video they posted recently to YouTube. Check it out, and if you missed the show, be sure to read Aubrey Shoe’s recap of the runway looks created…

Over The (Long) Weekend … Sleeper Horse and Kingdom of Magic @hi-dive

Sleeper Horse and Kingdom of Magic Saturday, December 22 hi-dive Better than: Staying home to get all that gift wrapping done. Saturday night was like the return of Denver’s lost sons. Former Denver residents Jonathan Byerley and Gann Matthews graced the Lion’s Lair stage, along with Blue Light. Meanwhile, in…

Best 2007 – St. Louis: Jay Farrar’s Chant and Strum

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Many St. Louis musicians hightail it out of the city as soon as they…

Best 2007 – Orange County: Aquabat Gets Eastbound and Down

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Christian Jacobs lives in a world of boldfaced, DayGlo images, a realm in which…

Best 2007 – Los Angeles: Margaret Cho’s Sensuous Sides

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Margaret Cho has had her own TV show, a couple of best-selling books, a…

Best 2007 – Los Angeles: Dave Navarro Covers the Spread

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Looks like Dave Navarro is going to be all about instant gratification next year…

Best 2007 – Phoenix: Jordin Sparks’s Idol Thoughts

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Arizona native Jordin Sparks has the distinction of being the youngest American Idol winner…

Best 2007 – San Francisco: David Harrington’s Foreign Policy

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. San Francisco’s world-renowned Kronos Quartet has charted an impressive course around the globe, commissioning…

Best 2007 – Minneapolis: Al Franken’s Stump Songs

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Former Saturday Night Live cast member, screenwriter, New York Times best-­selling author and St…

Best 2007 – Miami: DJ I-Dee’s Tracks to Relax

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Unlike, possibly, 90 percent of his neighbors, turntable wunderkind Isaac DeLima did not, in…

Best 2007 – Houston: Teeing Off with Scarface

As touted in this week’s Backbeat, music editors from across the country asked luminaries from our respective towns to tell us what music they loved this year. Their picks appear below and on the subsequent pages. Remember how everyone thought Snoop Dogg wearing golf gear in 2004’s Starsky & Hutch…