An indian summer sky shines brightly, a perfect weather week continues here in Boston. "Don't you just love the sun, doesn't it make you feel good all over?" Yes, Mr. Bazan, it surely does.

Warning: this post is all over the subject-matter map...


Time to set the TiVo: Interpol will be appearing on the Tonight Show next week, Friday, October 1st. Rilo Kiley visits Conan O'Brien the following Wednesday, October 6th.


Everyone's talking about the long-awaited Star Wars DVD release, it seems, and I can't help but acknowledge it in some way. Strange how such a massive part of my childhood evokes so little nostalgic love from me, thanks to the passage of time and a couple of super-weak prequels (weak-quels?). That said, I feel compelled to buy the new box set, if only for the supposedly ace documentary included on the fourth disc. I've seen the three films so many times that I hardly feel the need to see how Lucas has messed with them (sorry, 'fixed' them), but it would be nice to replace of the old videotapes.

Actually, I may watch them again just to see these much-needed changes. "Oh, stewardess? I speak Jedi."


Fellow Wes Anderson worshippers are counting down the days until The Life Aquatic hits the theaters. Kill a tiny bit of that time by watching the original 13 minute short film that his first movie, Bottle Rocket, sprang from. I knew it existed, and it's nice to finally find it online.


For all you budding RSS Feed addicts (and if you aren't, you should be), here's another one to add to your pull list: The snarky snobsters over at Pitchfork have oddly missed the xml train, so another reader pulled together his own Pitchfork RSS Feeds, one for news, another for reviews. Consider them subscribed.


It's kinda nice when the hype rings so true. I'm entirely blown away by The Arcade Fire's "Funeral" disc. The sucker is firmly stuck in my head after just a couple days in the player, and I just discovered they're playing the semi-small TT the Bears in November, and with the Hidden Cameras, no less. I'll be racing the hype over to TT's tonight for a couple tickets.


Boston-based author Robert B. Parker releases his latest hardcover detective story today, this one titled "Melancholy Baby". It's a Sunny Randall novel, one of three starring characters he rotates between books, the others being Boston detective Spenser and Paradise police chief Jesse Stone.

His last Jesse Stone book, Stone Cold, grabbed me more than his others have in years, so I'm hoping this one does the same. His books are relatively light reading, usually just a couple of days to blow through... but that's because I can't seem to put them down once I get going.

To promote this new one, he'll head out on a signing tour tomorrow, and it kicks off right across the street from where I work. Tomorrow, Friday the 24th, he'll be at Barnes & Noble in the Prudential Center, Boston. For more signing tour dates, check here.


Brian Michael Bendis is a freak. How one man writes so many comic books, and writes them all so well, is a complete mystery to me. The guy's output is so consistently high-caliber (on Daredevil, Powers, Ultimate Spider-Man, and more) that he must be on some kind of storytelling-steroids.

Here's a mini-biography of the man from the New York Times, written and drawn by Bendis himself (thanks, chromewaves). I highly recommend picking up my favorite of all his works, the four Alias collections.


Another mention of Green Magnet School. You already know they're reuniting for a Boston show on October 7th, right? And you already know that I just shared up their 1992 live set from the Sub Pop Vermonstress Fest, right?

But didja know there's an Anime video for the song "Windshield"? Well, neither did I. It's by Tom "the Fish" Guttadauro of Studio Three Lonely Kaiju, who's also one half of the local electronic duo Client/Server. Neato.


Do you get warm, retro-style feelings when you see the word "Pong". Does it bring ya back? Well, then you've gotta see this. Some crazy German built a two-player Pong machine. A physical Pong machine, no computer involved. I know, it makes no sense until you see the video. (thanks jason)


So, writer/director Chris Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie, played 'Chuck' in Chuck & Buck) has been chosen to helm the first of New Line's movie adaptations of Philip Pullman's much-revered His Dark Materials trilogy. (Haven't read them? Fix that.)

On first hearing this news, I was a bit unnerved, but now that I've read this lengthy interview with Weitz about his well-considered plans, I'm pretty dang excited. He claims the books "changed his life", and seems ready to devote himself fully to what's ahead, preserving not just the important parts of the books (he refused to condense the story into less than three films), but more importantly the messages behind them. He's met with Pullman, traveled to the Artic, scouted out London-area academies... he's all over it. Can't wait to hear casting news.

(In case you missed it, I posted a bit about the His Dark Materials London stage play back in March.)


Boston area film-fans listen up: ING Direct is hosting two free screenings of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, one on Friday, October 1st, 7PM at the Boston Common theater, the other at Millennium Park in West Roxbury at 7pm on Saturday, October 2. Not only is the movie free, but free popcorn and soda will be served. There's no need to RSVP, and you don't have to be an ING Direct customer to attend. You may, however, be required to turn on your heartlight. (sorry)


I have a special place in my heart for The Last Starfighter, the 1984 story of trailer-park videogamer turned reluctant space-pilot Alex Rogan, his crush-worthy girlfriend Mags, and jovial alien recruiter Centauri. So I was laughin' pretty hard at last weekend's Aqua Teen Hunger Force episode, which had Meatwad's videogame high score summoning the Mooninites to recruit him as a Moon Master.

I fully expected to hear news of a Last Starfighter movie remake sometime soon... but...um... a musical version? Yikes.

Starfighter trivia: A full two years before appearing in Stand By Me, geek-proud writer and former star-trekker Wil Wheaton had a part in the Last Starfighter, as a friend of Alex's younger brother. Alas, his part got cut.


Now that he's gettin' more famous here in the states, how will Ali G be able to keep fooling his celebrity interview subjects? Slate wonders that very thing. The answer: maybe more Borat and more Bruno. Works for me.


Hey, look, my friend Steve has a website. And it's got a dirty name that might get stuck in your work firewall. Who knew? Not me.

He's got a couple of no-budget Colin Clary videos posted up there right now, so check it.


The Boston Globe reviewed that Snow Patrol show we went to last week.


Online foreign commercials by some of your favorite directors? Cool. The fact that these commercials promote smoking? Not so cool. Ah well, still well worth a look. Jason has links to ads by David Lynch, the Coen Brothers, Roman Polanski, Wim Wenders, and Robert Altman. Hell of a lineup.


Curious about Doom 3, but haven't taken the plunge? Wondering if your computer is manly enough to even run the pretty thing? Then download the new demo to take a taste. I loved it at first, but after awhile it's becomes just another first person shooter. Granted, a damn fine looking one, but it's still run, gun, get scared, jump, gun, rinse, and repeat.


There's a new Mp3 Blog in town, and it's name is Neon Bubble.


I'm very much in the mood to relax out on the porch tonight, maybe watch some Sox, or do a little reading in the evening sun. On the other hand, I've got free tickets to an early screening of the zombie-romantic-comedy (aka zom-rom-com) Shaun of the Dead. Decisions, decisions. Whatever shall I do? Life's rough, ain't she?