Wed 12.1 - Sun 12.5
From Flavorpill:
"Day one of this inaugural film fest kicks off with a gala showing of Bride and Prejudice from director Gurinder "Bend It Like Beckham" Chadha. Screening 14 films from pan-South Asian directors spanning India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, as well as Diaspora productions from the US, UK, and Iran, Colors in Fusion balances the saccharine high of big-budget Bollywood beats with sobering, sociopolitical dramas (Black Friday, The Clay Birds) and a concurrent documentary festival, Films for Freedom, at the Rubin Museum of Art. More than just great reels, SAIFF also wants to put the "festive" back in festival with five nights of after parties: ready yourself for booty-shaking bhangra."

Click here for more info

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

FROM ALLHIPHOP.COM
Trick Daddy recently finished taping a cooking show pilot for MTV. If the show is picked up, the rapper said he would invite his peers to participate on the program. "You know a lot of n**gas think they know how to cook," Trick told AllHipHop.com. "I'ma show you how n**gas f**k up & burn eggs. And have the shells in them."

For the full story log on: http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=3806

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the best bands from Scotland, The Delgados, have been together for over ten years now. Their five albums are some of the most interesting music to come from Scotland in recent times. Most of the band met in college. They are Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), Emma Pollack (vocals/guitar), Paul Savage (drums), and Alun Woodward (vocals/guitar). They are dedicated songwriters. Their songs feature a mix of female and male vocals. In 1996, they started their own record label, Chemikal Underground, thus having a hand in the Scottish Underground music scene, and discovering bands like Bis, Arab Strap, Mogwai, and Sluts of Trust.

The Delgados' first album Domestiques (1996) immediately caught the attention of the late John Peel. He soon introduced The Delgados to the world by featuring their music regularly on his radio show. The band toured with Elastica and The Wedding Present, who were at the height of their popularity at the time. They soon worked on their second album, Peloton (1998). They even played a show at John Peel's house for his 50th birthday party. Still they were a very underground band.

Things soon changed when they released their third album, The Great Eastern (1999). This album had a more expansive sound. The Delgados worked with classical musicians and even Dave Fridmann who had previously done great albums with Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev. The Great Eastern met rave reviews.

Their fourth album, Hate (2001), was a continuation of the new-found sound. Most of the fourth album was darker. Songs like "Child Killer" and "The Drowning Years" were some of the darkest music they had ever done. A few years passed and now we have the fifth album, Universal Audio (2004). The Delgados toured the United States in November 2004. I spoke to leader Alun Woodward during the recent tour about the new album and the new direction of the band.

AL: When did you record the new album, Universal Audio?

Alun: We started recording it earlier this year. I think that we started in January and February and finished it up by May. We worked with a different producer. The previous two records were done pretty much the same way. This time we worked with a guy called Tony Dugan. So first of all when you work with a different producer that is going to make it different. Secondly, we decided that we weren't going to use that much orchestration. That brought about a different approach.

AL: Why did you decided to not use an orchestra?

Alun: We felt that if we used an orchestra again that it would have a feel that was similar to the previous one. We wanted to take a different approach. Sometimes you want to explore different things. We worked a lot before on harmonies, guitars, and piano parts. It gives the songs a different feel when you have a different emphasis.

AL: How are the songs written in the band?

Alun: Emma and me write all the songs. We bring them in the studio and then we all rewrite them together. It takes ages to be honest with you. It would be easier if you had one or two people who do everything. It doesn't work like that with us. Even though Emma and me write all the songs we are not the best arrangers. Stewart and Paul are better at coming up with parts and arrangements. It's a slow process but it works.

AL: So the songs that you sing are your songs and the ones with Emma's voice are written by her?

Alun: Yeah. We tried to swap around sometimes but it has never worked. It's a strange thing. It has something to do with the familiarity with a song and the phrasing. You write with your own touch.

AL: What are your songs about on the new album?

Alun: A lot of it is about "not giving up." It's funny. You get to a point in life where you realize that life is really short. There are a lot of grey areas. A lot of this record is about trying to be optimistic. Trying to be positive.

AL: Since you have formed a record label, Chemikal Underground, you spend a lot of time listening to and dealing with other bands?

Alun: Yeah. We get fifty or a hundred demos a week. A lot of it is not particularly good. But once in a while you will get something that is fantastic.

AL: Are these all bands from Scotland?

Alun: No, we get stuff from all over the world. We get things from Europe and North America. In the past year we have got a ton of demos from Japan. I think that the label's profile in Japan has gone up. We have many Japanese bands sending us music.

AL: How did you find the band Sluts of Trust?

Alun: We saw them play live actually in a place called Nice and Sleazy, in Glasgow. We were blown away. It was only their sixth concert but it was fantastic.

AL: What other bands are on Chemikal Underground now?

Alun: A band called Mother and The Addicts. Another band called Arab Strap. A band from the States called Radar Brothers. There is Aerogramme. We have a bunch of singles that we do of various electronica people.

AL: You were instrumental in discovering the band Interpol when they were first starting up?

Alun: Yeah. We met Daniel Kessler in 1997 or 1998. He gave us a demo. We ended up releasing it a few years later on Chemikal Underground. Matador picked them up and took them from there. They are a good band. The record we had done with Interpol goes for a lot on Ebay. We had an agreement with the band that we would release a certain amount. I would love to re-release it. It's a great record. You could tell back then that they were a great band.

AL: What other bands have you played with that you liked?

Alun: On this tour we have played with Crooked Fingers. I really like them. I like Sons and Daughters too. They are from Glasgow. Those are really the only two bands that I can think of because this year we have been mostly in the studio. I don't think we have played with that many bands this year.

AL: Were you just doing something today? I called you before and they said you were in the studio?

Alun: We were doing something for Fearless Music. It's a TV thing in New York City. We recorded just three songs.

AL: How did that go?

Alun: One song took up a while, but it was fine.

AL: You have just been touring in America for a few weeks. What are you going to do the rest of the year and early next year?

Alun: We are going to play in other parts of Europe until Christmas. Then we go back to Glasgow. We are not doing much in January. Maybe a few shows in Britain. In February, we are going to Japan and Australia. I have visited those places before, but The Delgados have never played in those countries before. This will be the first time.

AL: John Peel was a real champion of the band early on. He just died a few weeks ago. How do you feel about that?

Alun: It's one of those things. John was a great guy. So much of the music that I have heard, I have heard it first on John Peel's show. He is totally irreplaceable. It's sad that he died for so many reasons.

AL: What other things are musical influences for you?

Alun: You are probably influenced by so much stuff that you grow up with. My brother was really into punk when I was growing up. Some of the first records people played me were Stiff Little Fingers and Iggy Pop. My Dad was into Jazz and Country Music. My Mom liked Folk Music. Most of these things rub off on you and you keep coming back to it. Recently I have been getting into films. I am not sure how much that is an influence on the music.

AL: Have the music of the Delgados been in a film or on a soundtrack?

Alun: No. We did this thing with a guy from New York called Joe Coleman. We put music to his paintings. We did that at Barbican Centre in London. It was a one-night thing. One of our songs was used in a Japanese animation. It was a Manga thing called Gun Slinger Girl.

AL: have you read any good books that you care to mention?

Alun: I read Time Out Of Joint by Phillip K. Dick. I have never read anything by him before. My girlfriend gave me this book. I really liked it. It was really inventive. I am really interested in archeology and history.

AL: Did all the members of the band go to a University?

Alun: Yeah, Paul and Emma met at a University. I grew up with Stewart and Paul. I went to University in England.

AL: Have your parents gone to any shows?

Alun: My mum and dad came to a show last year. That was their first time. They loved it. It was a great show. It was a big concert hall in Glasgow. It's one of those things. Your mum could come around to one of these divey little clubs in the country or to a nice theater. It was a good choice to come to a big event at a hall. I supposed they were really proud. It was the first time they had seen it. There was about three thousand people there.

AL: Were they wondering what you were doing for the past ten years?

Alun: They are pretty cool about it. There are always aunts and uncles wondering when you are going to get a proper job. But my parents have always been quite supportive of things. I know a lot of people who play in bands who get hassled by their families.

AL: What do you love about making music?

Alun: I like writing songs. I usually bring a tape recorder around with me because I often have a melody in my head. Other times I sit down with a guitar and a piano and put songs together. I really like it. That is what I love about what we do. I love writing new songs.

AL: The next album will also be really stripped down?

Alun: I don't know. We didn't know what we were going to do with Universal Audio until we sat down and talked about it. We'll see. We'll have a good thinking.

AL: What should new bands be doing if they want to play in a band?

Alun: It's all about commitment. I see so many bands. Some of these bands have big record deals and they are really good bands. They will cancel shows because someone can't make it. You need total commitment. You will know yourself if you have talent and you have got the songs.

Website: www.delgados.co.uk

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Freelance FREEwilliamsburg designer and Condé Nast employee Jeff Campbell (AKA Teen Wolf) has been collecting Dr. Pepper rip-offs for 8 years now. This was too bizarre for us to not share. Our favorites are Dr. Wow and the perplexing Dr. Lynn. Click for larger image:

Help add to his collection. Email Jeff at jeff_campbell@condenet.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

by Dave Thomas
Well, it's been a full year now that I've been doing these previews at Freewilliamsburg. It seems (and was) only a year ago that I predicted that "The Last Samurai" would make $133mil. Fortunately, I only overshot it by $20mil, and nobody guessed that these previews are full of lies, lies, horrible lies! Um, until I said that, I guess.

OPENING 12/3


CLOSER

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Really attractive people cheat on each other.

WILL IT SUCK?
Director Mike Nichols has a knack for couples behaving badly ("The Graduate," "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf").

Lately he's been cutting his teeth on cable adaptations of famous plays ("Wit," "Angels in America"). Just as well. This script comes Patrick Marber's adaptation of his own award-winning play.

The cast is solid, too. Jude Law (FIVE!), Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, and Clive Owen play the shuffled couples. Actually only Jude and Clive give me any hope here, but having uber-producer Scott Rudin on board helps.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Opening wide with no competition should ensure a nice debut. However, the cast isn't that strong. Julia in a supporting role ain't the same thing as Julia in a lead (The sole exception being "Ocean's 11," which kind of had a few other big names). The following week, fortunately, big openings "Blade" and "Ocean's 12" won't produce direct demographic competition, but the base for this flick won't necessarily have grown much, either. Oscar buzz could help a little in the long run. $27mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Jude's often sure Oscar bait, but the real buzz here is for Clive Owen.

I AM DAVID

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kind of like "Finding Nemo" in reverse, except it's a real boy in search of his mom from whom he was separated as a Western European refugee. And there's no wacky companion. Okay, it's not really like "Finding Nemo" at all.

WILL IT SUCK?
Audiences seem to like this tearjerker much more than critics, who find it maudlin and predictable. That's too bad, considering that "Freaks and Geeks" scribe and director Paul Feig is helming here his adaptation of the Anne Holm novel. Jim Caviezel is here as well, for about ten minutes, as is Hristo Shopov, whom you may remember as Pilate to Caviezel's Christ. Here he plays someone called "The Man." That can't be a coincidence.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"House of Flying Daggers" will most likely kick its ass. Family fare is more difficult to push in art houses. $2mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Although kiddie star Ben Tibber has been getting a little festival buzz, the only Jim Caviezel-related fare that might get Oscar attention already come and gone. I'm talking, of course, about "Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius."

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro try to track down suspected revolutionary Zhang Ziyi. Shaw Bros.-style ass-whuppin' from the director of "Hero" ensues.

WILL IT SUCK?
This is how long it took for Miramax to release Yimou Zhang's "Hero." He had time to write, shoot, and get a distribution deal with Sony Pictures Classics for this flick. The plus for us is two Yimou kung fu classics in the same year. This is looking to be almost as well received as "Hero." It's already garnered wide critical and audience acclaim as well as attention at the Chinese Oscars, which are called the Golden Roosters for a reason I'll let you figure out (hint: the first ones were held in 1981).

Andy Lau ("God of Gamblers," "Infernal Affairs") and Zhang Ziyi should be awesome, as usual. And though I've never seen a Shaw Bros. movie, I understand that they are fundamental to the way kung fu flicks evolved and that this film is, in many ways, a tribute to them.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With all the advance buzz and the sheer lack of true competition, this should do well. Especially if they hawk the whole "Hero" connection. $25mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Since the Oscar options for "Hero" are so limited (it's already been nominated for and lost the Best Foreign Film Oscar), the hopes turn to this movie, China's entry for Best Foreign Film. It's good for that and maybe Best Director, depending how thin that category ends up being.

OPENING 12/10


OCEAN'S TWELVE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Instead of three casinos, this time it's three cities - Paris, Rome, and Amsterdam. I'm gonna guess they'll steal something from the Louvre, the Vatican, and then maybe a shitload of hash.

WILL IT SUCK?
Probably not. You've got the whole cast returning, and they were awesome the last time. You've got sweet additions in Catherine Zeta-Jones and, more importantly, Vincent Cassel, who's long overdue for a breakout American role. Soderbergh is returning, but the one x-factor here is the lack of Ted Griffin, the master scribe behind the first "Ocean's 11." (And by that, I mean the master scribe behind the first remake of "Ocean's 11"). His witty dialogue made the original, and without him, they'd better find a serious writer to fill his shoes. Thankfully, they've enlisted the services of one George Nolfi, who also wrote…wait, this can't be right…"Timeline!" They're giving this to the guy who wrote fucking "Timeline!?!?!?"

I take it back. It's going to suck horribly.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Okay, maybe it will only suck moderately, but even if it's terrible it'll open well. Going up against "Blade Trinity" isn't ideal (especially with that film's two-day head start) but the combined power of Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, et al, will be more than a match for Snipes and that guy from "Van Wilder." The following week, "Lemony Snicket" will give it a trim, but it'll still hold on to the top five for most of the holiday season, if it's even halfway decent. $205mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If "Ocean's 11" couldn't get any traction with Ted Griffin writing, it's not gonna get any with "Timeline" guy writing. Seriously, "Timeline?" What the fuck?

BLADE: TRINITY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Blade v. Dracula

WILL IT SUCK?
Hee. David S. Goyer, who wrote all three, is taking a stronger hand here, directing and producing. That's not necessarily a good thing. He wrote the second installment, which was fantastic, but he also wrote the first which was, well, incoherent. Now, so far, the third looks promising with one of the best trailers of the year. Goyer has at least shown that he has the visual panache to pull this off. And interesting casting in the form of Ryan "Van Wilder" Reynolds as a vampire hunter who seems to be channeling Jason Lee and roles for Eric Bogosian and Parker Posey adds to the curiosity factor. However, whatever little early buzz there is isn't encouraging.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This would have done better in August, when it was originally supposed to be released. Against "Ocean's Twelve," it's gonna have problems, even with a two-day head start (it drops Wednesday, Dec. 8th). "Lemony Snicket" the following week isn't exactly a demo challenge, but it's gonna suck up a lot of the box office, especially if this can't find the word-of-mouth that helped its immediate predecessor. And don't count out Adam Sandler in "Spanglish" as an audience magnet. $73mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Well, the academy does like it when you stay in character off set (which Wesley apparently did). Of course, I don't know if they like it if that requires you to go around killing vampires. I do, but they probably don't.

THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bill Murray vs. a shark, wacky crew in tow.

WILL IT SUCK?
Come on, this is writer/director Wes "Bottle Rocket/Rushmore/The Royal Tenenbaums" Anderson we're talking about here. Admittedly, he's not teamed up with co-writer Owen Wilson this time, but his new co-writer did the well-regarded "Kicking and Screaming." In addition, Owen's still in the cast, along with Noah Taylor and Willem Dafoe and a host of others. And, of course, Murray's back, in his third outing with Anderson. The trailers look hilarious. Early buzz is this is on a par with "Tenenbaums."

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Until the end of the month, when "Phantom of the Opera" goes inexplicably into limited release, this will be the limited release of the season. And by the time "Phantom" does its thing, this flick will have opened wide. It could probably stand to begin wide, but against the competition it would face any weekend this month, a platform release is a wise choice. $60mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
I don't think Oscar's gonna give Bill another chance, and I'm guessing this won't have the gravitas of "Tenenbaums," so a nod for Anderson probably isn't in the offing either. However, Oscar does respect comedy when it comes to supporting noms, and so far the funniest thing about the film looks to be Willem Dafoe as a member of Murray's crew.

OPENING 12/17


LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Based on the popular children's series of books, this follows the story of the Baudelaire orphans and their evil guardian Count Olaf (Jim Carrey) who tries to steal their fortune.

WILL IT SUCK?
Director Brad Siberling doesn't exactly have a spotless record. He made "Moonlight Mile," "Casper," and "City of Angels." I'm not sure I'd trust him with truly Burton-esque fare such as this. The writer, Robert Gordon, is even more problematic. He did "Galaxy Quest," which was underrated, but he also did "Men in Black II," which sucked almost relentlessly. The flick's husband/wife producing team Walter F. Parkes & Laurie MacDonald have as many "Twister's" as they do "Catch Me If You Can's" to their credit.

Jim Carrey, as usual, will probably be outstanding. Ditto Meryl Streep, Bill Connolly, Jude Law (SIX!), Catherine O'Hara, Jennifer Coolidge, Cedric the Entertainer, and Luis Guzman. Nice cast, but can it save us from potentially uneven directing and crappy writing? The trailer gives me hope.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Nicely. There's no family fare (although this is a shade darker) with name celebrities for a while. "Meet the Fockers" will be a big draw the following week, but not on exactly the same demo. "Spanglish" presents a similar scenario this week, but won't have the usual Sandler appeal. This should be the big moneymaker of December. $273mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Think technical awards like production design. Long shot supporting nom for Carrey since he plays, like, fifteen different characters.

THE AVIATOR

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Leo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes with Martin Scorsese directing.

WILL IT SUCK?
Probably not. You don't need me to tell you that Scorsese is a great director. You might need me to tell you that Leo's a decent actor if you haven't seen "Catch Me If You Can" or "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" John Logan, the screenwriter, can bring the epic characters ("Gladiator," "The Last Samurai") and this is especially up his alley after his work on the underseen HBO pic "RKO 281" about the making of "Citizen Kane." The epic figure there, of course, was Welles (and Hughes actually worked with RKO for a time). Keep an eye on Logan, as his next project is an adaptation of "Sweeney Todd."

The casting of Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, and Gwen Stefani (yes, Gwen Stefani) as Katherine Hepburn, Ava Gardner, and Jean Harlow respectively does not fill me with awe. On the other hand, I am looking forward to turns from John C. Reilly, Ian Holm, Willem Dafoe, and Jude Law (SIX!!!)

This will hopefully be what "Gangs of New York" should have been - the next great Scorsese film. Early buzz is pointing in that direction.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The good news is he's not opening against "Ocean's 12" or "Meet the Fockers." The bad news is he's opening against "Lemony Snicket's" drawing whatever parents might have made an opening weekend of it and "Spanglish" which is bound to also be a fairly strong adult draw. Don't look for a particularly robust opening, but if the Oscar buzz is there, look for it to stick around for a while and make its money slowly. $81mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Count on it. Leo for actor. Scorcese for director. Logan for screenplay. At least.

SPANGLISH

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Adam Sandler and Tea Leoni are married and have a kid, but all is not well in the Leoni/Sandler household. Spanish maid comes in and makes it all better.

WILL IT SUCK?
Unlikely. James L. Brooks tends to do well, especially when he writes, produces, and directs, as he does here. His one misstep when playing all those roles ("I'll Do Anything") is a textbook case of Hollywood mismanagement, so it's arguably not even his fault. Adam Sandler does well when challenged (okay, the one time it happened in "Punch Drunk Love,") so should perform admirably here. And Tea Leoni, um, she was good in "Bad Boys"?

It'll be nice to see "Talk to Her's" Paz Vega get a chance at a crossover hit and Cloris Leachman get another go round at striking comic gold. Mostly, though, I'm just looking forward to Brooks' uncanny ear for dialogue.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
They're actually marketing this pretty shrewdly. On stations like Comedy Central, this is billed as a Sandler vehicle. Other networks, like CBS, have spots that play up the family angle. Smart marketing usually results in a nice opening weekend, and against any flick other than "Lemony Snicket" that might be the case. Still, word of mouth may help bridge the gap a little. That, and potential Oscar buzz. $52mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
It's probable. Most of Brooks other exploits ("Terms of Endearment," "Broadcast News," "As Good As It Gets") got serious Oscar attention. Even Adam Sandler's a possibility here.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Chick "Rocky." Hillary Swank as Rocky. Clint Eastwood, who directs, as Mickey. Morgan Freeman as…Paulie, maybe?

WILL IT SUCK?
Eastwood knows how to direct. At best he gives us "Mystic River" and "Unforgiven." At worst, well, "Blood Work" didn't totally suck, right? Freeman's also a lot of fun to watch. I'm not sure what to expect, though, from pseudo-newbie writer Paul Haggis, who adapts this from a series of F.X. Toole short stories. His only known credits come from TV, where he won an Emmy for an episode of "Thirtysomething," but wrote more regularly for "Due South" (you know, that show about the mountie). I'm not expecting another "Mystic," but early buzz is extremely good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Clint will have to compete with Kevin Spacey on the director/actor front this weekend. Warner Bros. needs to advertise more if they wanna catch up to the buzz his flick and "The Sea Inside" already have going into the same weekend. $12mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
After a recent screening, Swank is considered a near lock for a nom and Clint's being fitted for a directing and acting nom. Haggis isn't out of the question for screenplay, either.

THE SEA INSIDE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
True story of a quadriplegic who fights for the right to die. For thirty years.

WILL IT SUCK?
Unlikely. Director Alejandro Amenabar ("Abre Los Ojos," "The Others") appears to have really come into his own. On the IMDB, this is his highest-rated movie yet. He's re-teamed with co-writer Mateo Gil, who helped him churn out the aforementioned scripts. Now, I wasn't crazy about "Ojos" but I really liked "The Others," which hinted at his potential to handle heavy drama. And by all accounts Javier Bardem, who plays the lead here, is the man, so the initial positive buzz is probably justified. That, and it took home Jury, Actor, and Best International at Venice.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This week it should be a pretty fair fight with "Baby," but the following week "The Woodsman," with even more troubling subject matter (and potentially more buzz) may pose a threat. The other "Sea" movie this weekend is the real problem, however, as it will likely suck up all the air in the room. $2mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Count on Bardem to be a contender. Maybe Amenabar for director with a screenplay nod for him and Gil.

BEYOND THE SEA

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bobby Darin bio-pic. Kevin Spacey, who also directs, plays Darin.

WILL IT SUCK?
Buzz on this is fairly strong. Spacey stacked the deck with a bunch of writers, including Paul Attanasio, who did well with real-life characters in "Donnie Brasco" and "Quiz Show." He also included James Toback, who, not so much with the great screenplays (although he did contribute to the "Bugsy" script). Spacey's directing acumen was honed on "Albino Alligator," and little else. His acting, on the other hand, isn't even a question. Even if it's just him doing Darin karaoke for two hours, it'll probably be entertaining. Still, he's got a lot of recent missteps ("Life of David Gale," "United States of Leland," "The Shipping News") to make up for here.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Spacey hasn't generated dollars recently. It'll take more than just his name to open this. However, in limited release, that may not be as much of a problem. Good critical buzz may translate into good word of mouth that Spacey's still got it. $20mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The surefire musical bio-pic nominee here is Jamie Foxx. But Spacey's still an option.

OPEN MY HEART

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Italian film in which prostitute older sister bosses around shy younger sister as they vie for some dude.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is not promising, although there's very little to go on. This is basically the Giada Colagrande show. She writes, directs, and stars in this as the younger sister. Unfortunately, that's all I know about her since this is her debut film. Got a little love from some international fests, but this doesn't look to be a breakthrough.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Without a name, in this field, poorly. $40,000.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Italy's already picked their Oscar submission and this ain't it.

OPENING 12/24


MEET THE FOCKERS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand join the "Meet the Parents" franchise as Mr. and Mrs. Focker.

WILL IT SUCK?
Not in a "Christmas with the Kranks" sort of way, no. Look, I know many people swear by "Meet the Parents" (as in "By 'Meet the Parents,' I swear I shall avenge you!") but I don't roll like that. I think it was a good movie. Funny. But not, like, "Airplane" funny. Not even "Old School" funny.

Now I say all this with the assumption that "Meet the Fockers" will run along the same lines, and there's reason to believe so. Same director (Jay Roach, who I'm a little miffed to report has been tapped to direct "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Was Terry Gilliam monumentally busy? Or tied to a tree?). Mostly the same writers. With the exception of Owen Wilson (who's absence will be, I predict, noticeable) same cast plus one great actor and one good one (I'm not sold on Streisand as a goddess). And the trailer looks to cover the same territory.

So you'll probably get the same treatment you got at the hands of the original. Except that the script wasn't really finished when they started shooting. That's always a good sign.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The only serious competition this faces is from "Lemony Snicket," which will already be in its second frame. "Phantom of the Opera" could pose a threat, but will be in limited release. Plus, this gets a two-day head start. It'll probably end up being a contest between this and "Snicket" to see who gets the highest December gross. "Snicket" will win. $210mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Well, they do love Babs, but not that much.

FAT ALBERT

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Sort of like "Pleasantville," except instead of characters stepping into a TV show, they step out of one. Oh, and it'll suck. That's another difference.

WILL IT SUCK?
I believe we covered that already. Pop quiz, what do Chris Rock and Bill Cosby have in common? Both are great at writing stand-up, not so much at writing feature films. "Leonard Part 6" anyone? I would rather watch Bill stand there and talk about "Fat Albert" for two hours than have him write a movie where Albert and the gang come to life to help out some inner city kid. Not that I have anything against inner city kids, just sucky movies.

And Joel Zwick, man, what's up? You directed "Big Fat Greek Wedding." You had redeemed yourself from directing "Second Sight" (y'know, that wacky caper with Bronson Pinchot as a psychic helping John Larroquette crack a case?). What happened?

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
In a sense, this doesn't have much competition. The other comedies opening this weekend don't exactly have a huge black demographic in mind (though it won't just be white folks going to see "Meet the Fockers"). If it sucks, however, it won't be able to coast on being the only family fare in town, cos' "Snicket" will still be playing right next door. $85mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If there was a stand-up movie category, "Himself" would've won it. But this, no.

FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Plane crashes in the desert. Instead of eating each other, the survivors opt to rebuild the plane.

WILL IT SUCK?
They've got a hell of a screenwriter in Scott Frank ("Out of Sight" "Minority Report") to remake the original (which, by most accounts, is a classic). He's teamed up here with Edward Burns (writer/director of "She's the One" and "The Brothers McMullen") who apparently is cool now with just screenwriting even if he's not directing or in the cast.

Director John Moore ("Behind Enemy Lines") can bring the airplane-affiliated action and the cast (Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi, Tyrese, Sticky Fingaz, Hugh Laurie) is, um, diverse. This should actually be pretty cool, although I admit to being a sucker for all that MacGyver-style, we're-gonna-build-a-plane-out-of-gum-wrappers-and-socks shit.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
With a PG-13 they're probably going for a nearly family crowd but they're gonna get their asses handed to them by the second frame of "Snicket" and the first frame of "Fockers." Earlier in the season would have been better for them, I think. $51mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
The original had Richard Attenborough and James Stewart and could only scrounge up a Best Supporting Actor nod (for neither of them) and a Best Editing nod - no wins. It's unlikely that this will fare better.

DARKNESS

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
"Cold Creek Manor" with teens.

WILL IT SUCK?
The early buzz is mixed. Anna Paquin usually makes strong choices, and here she stars with Lena Olin, who I'm told is quality. It's been nominated for a few international awards. It should be noted, however, that this has been moving around for two years before its pick up and release by Dimension. Actually, I first posted this preview in June, but they decided to move it again. On the other hand, after the improbably successful delay of "Hero," I can't second-guess Miramax's (or any of their subsidiaries') decision to delay anything. Except that I probably still will.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
There's no horror competition (unless you count "Blade," which you shouldn't) and I wouldn't be surprised if there actually were a closet Christmas horror audience. Not a big one, though. $2mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
No.

THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Remake of "The Phantom of the Paradise," relocated to an opera house. Oh, I can't fool you. Yeah, this is that Andrew Lloyd Webber thing.

WILL IT SUCK?
It's Andrew Lloyd Webber. That alone should make up your mind for you one way or the other. Me, I'm not a huge fan. He co-wrote this adaptation of his hit musical with Joel Schumacher, who wrote another musical adaptation. Can you guess what it is? That's right. "The Wiz." So, make of that what you will.

Joel is directing as well, which, if you've seen "Batman and Robin" shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Really, it might have been better if they sang.

But before you write this off, remember that blogger/pundit/critic David Poland, who tends to be fairly prescient about these things, thinks that unless "The Aviator" exceeds expectations, this will actually win Best Picture.

Yeah, I thought the same thing when I read that. Namely, "Guh?!?"

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Can someone explain to me why this is in limited release? Why aren't they taking the "Fockers" head on? This is an event picture! Well, for whatever reason, they've opted to platform this baby, perhaps expecting word of mouth to build momentum into what's sure to be a weak January. In any case, this will dominate the art houses until it gets its multiplex legs. If it's as good (Oscar-wise) as Poland intimates, that should translate into serious dollars in the long run, a la "Chicago." $171mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Before, I would have said no, but if Poland's on target, and he usually is (he was frighteningly accurate about Fox's domination of the summer b.o.) look for this in most major categories including (gulp) Schumacher for Best Director. We might as well start getting used to those words all being in the same sentence early.

THE WOODSMAN

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Kevin Bacon plays a former pedophile who's paid his debt to society and is now trying to rebuild his life. Kind of like "Sling Blade." But with a pedophile.

WILL IT SUCK?
God bless Newmarket. They've become the new Lion's Gate. See, Lion's Gate used to distribute the films other indies were afraid to touch ("Dogma," "American Psycho"). Now that LG is doing the horror thing ("Open Water," "Saw," "Cabin Fever" - maybe they're the new Dimension?), Newmarket is handling titles like "Donnie Darko," "The Passion of the Christ," "Monster," and this.

That having been said, audiences aren't quite as taken with this flick as critics. This comes from "Monster's Ball" producer Lee Daniels, so expect a bit of a hard edge (as if the subject matter didn't tell you that already). Also from that film, Mos Def looks to continue his impressive acting spree as a police sergeant on Bacon's case. Writer/director is a newcomer, so it's hard to say, but my guess is this is going to be pretty good.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
"Phantom of the Opera" will clearly be the larger profile limited release, but it's almost unfair to compare the two since it isn't even an indie. Ultimately, though, it's not "Phantom" that will do this in. I think the subject matter is just going to be too hard a sell, especially without an artsy name like Almodovar attached. $5mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
If the academy can get around the subject matter, which is a big if, Bacon has a shot at a nom.

BRIDE AND PREJUDICE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Bollywood adaptation of the Jane Austin classic.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is good. The musical numbers look great. This is the latest from "Bend it Like Beckham" writer/director Gurinder Chadha, reteamed with her "Beckham" co-writer Paul Mayeda Berges. So expect the same quality here. With more music. Also, keep an eye out for Mike White as a bellboy.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Probably not the best time to release this. It's got a much higher profile musical to compete with upon opening, and the second frame of "Beyond the Sea" isn't entirely unrelated. This might have made a better summer sleeper like "Beckham." $3mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Only room for one musical this year.

IN THE REALMS OF THE UNREAL

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Documentary about Henry Darger, who was a janitor by day, visionary artist by night.

WILL IT SUCK?
It's a fascinating subject. When the guy died, he left behind a 15,000-page manuscript for a children's book. Writer/Director Jessica Yu has done a couple of well-received docs so far ("The Living Museum," "Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien"), and early buzz indicates that this will continue in that tradition. Her best-known work, however, is probably the "Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail" episode of "The West Wing."

Oh, and Dakota Fanning can now be officially described as "ubiquitous." She narrates the doc.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Notice how you haven't heard of Yu's other docs? Same deal here. On top of that, competition is way too stiff. This'll get buried. $200,000.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Her "Breathing Lessons" won Best Short Doc in '97 and this is one of the twelve eligible docs for next year.

HOTEL RWANDA

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
True story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotelier in Rwanda who sheltered refugees during the genocide of '94.

WILL IT SUCK?
Having seen it I can tell you that, no, it doesn't. Don Cheadle is fantastic as Rusesabagina, and the story is compelling. My only regret is that they didn't make it more violent. A strange complaint, but a PG-13 film about genocide can come off as overprotective. That, and the screenplay sometimes falters. Still worth checking out.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
I know MGM/UA's got issues at the moment, what with not existing and all, but they need to do a better job of promoting this if they want box office and/or Oscar buzz. If they proceed as they have, they'll get some press, but not much. $12mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Outside shot for Cheadle.

OPENING 12/3


IN GOOD COMPANY

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Topher Grace gets to boss around Dennis Quaid, and date his daughter.

WILL IT SUCK?
Good casting. Along with Topher and Dennis you've got Scarlett Johanssen as the daughter and Marg Helgenberger, Philip Baker Hall, David Paymer, and Selma Blair along for the ride. More importantly, you've got "About a Boy" writer/director Paul Weitz taking what would otherwise be a bad Disney movie premise and, hopefully, turning it into a surprise year-end charmer.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Serious competition. "Merchant of Venice" and "The Assassination of Richard Nixon" will be a problem. Plus there's all the crap from the week before. On the other hand, good word of mouth leading into a typically weak January could, over time, generate maybe half the success of "About a Boy". $22mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
There's a modicum of Johanssen talk, but a nom for her would more likely come from "A Love Song for Bobby Long."

THE ASSASSINATION OF RICHARD NIXON

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Get used to the phrase "What, too soon?" Sean Penn plays a guy who plans to kill Nixon by crashing a commuter plane into the White House. Told you. Based on a true story.

WILL IT SUCK?
Mixed reviews so far. Great cast, though. Naomi Watts reunites with her "21 Grams" co-star and Don Cheadle is up in here as well along with a Michael Wincott cameo. And this was penned by "Tadpole" writer Niels Mueller, who also directs. Still, the buzz is that the plot's a little thin and the pace a little slow. "Taxi Driver" this ain't.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
The eternal struggle of the indie film. Is the subject matter so harsh as to be off-putting to anyone or not harsh enough to be considered worthy of the art house? This is a tough call. I think Penn's presence will be enough initially, but without solid word-of-mouth, it'll be hard for this to get traction. $3mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
With better buzz and b.o., maybe. As it is, probably not.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Anti-Semitism, Shakespeare-style. For those of you unfamiliar with this work, Shylock loans money to a guy who can't pay it back so, remember Greed in "Se7en"? Yeah, it's like that.

WILL IT SUCK?
I like how critics tiptoe around this play, calling it "troublesome" or "difficult" as if it were some coke-addicted actor. Look, this one was anti-Semitic and, not for nothing, but "Taming of the Shrew" was chauvinist. Deal with it. That having been said, this adaptation has a lot going for it, artistically. Michael Radford directs, and this is supposed to be his best work since "Il Postino." Al Pacino plays Shylock (and, apparently, plays the shit out of the role), Jeremy Irons plays Antonio, and Joseph Fiennes plays Bassanio. I have no idea whether or not Radford puts the play's prejudice into some sort of context or not, but nobody seems to be complaining about the movie being anti-Semitic, so he probably does.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
This will have to duke it out with "In Good Company." And for some reason, Shakespeare rarely translates into big box office. The last time Pacino flirted with The Bard ("Looking for Richard" in '96), he got about $2mil for his trouble. Here, expect maybe $3mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Unless he's falling in love with Gwyneth, the Academy treats Shakespeare in much the same way it treats Sci-Fi. Technical awards only, please. It's been 8 years since a Shakespeare adaptation was nominated for anything (Branagh's "Hamlet," no acting noms, just technical and screenplay). It's been 15 years since one won anything (again, Branagh, costume design for "Henry V," though he was also nominated for actor and director). So expect some technical noms and not much else.

A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG

WHAT'S THE PITCH?
Scarlett Johansson goes back to New Orleans when her mother's death leaves her 1/3 of a house. The other 2/3 - an alcoholic (John Travolta) and another alcoholic (Gabriel Macht). Guess which lush is going for an Oscar.

WILL IT SUCK?
Early buzz is mixed, but Travolta can be fun to watch when he's actually acting. Scarlett, too, but I'm not sure I wanna see her baby-sit another guy through his midlife-crisis.

HOW WELL WILL IT DO?
Scarlett's gonna have to compete with herself, and "In Good Company" looks to be more fun, plus you don't have to watch Travolta in that one (just cos' I still like him a little doesn't mean the rest of the world has forgiven him for his last sixteen films). $7mil.

WILL ANYBODY REMEMBER IT AT OSCAR TIME?
Possibility for Travolta. More buzz, however, for Johansson. I'd give her the nod for Most Unlikely Character Name: Purslane.

Well, that's it. Another batch of semi-crappy Oscar fare. Who knows, maybe the thin field will mean that some of these indies will have a better shot. On the other hand, the last time we had a really weak Oscar year we ended up with "Braveheart" taking the gold.

Next month, really crappy horror films. Oh, who am I kidding, really crappy films in every genre!

--DAVE THOMAS

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The first four digitally remastered recordings by our favorite Krautrockers, Can, were released to, frankly, not nearly enough fanfare. After all, this weirdo quartet of Cologne hippies influenced everyone from Brian Eno to Tortoise to Stereolab to Comets on Fire. Their long-form, improvised ambient funk merged jazz with rock. More importantly, Can was among the first to experiment with electronic improvisation.

If you're a newcomer to their work, start with 1971's Tago Mago. 1972's Ege Bamyasi is equally rewarding, if not as immediately accessible. Soundtracks is an important record as well, but mainly for the people already familiar with Can's work. Their debut, 1969's Monster Movie is the only Can record to feature vocalist Malcolm Mooney (who later had a legendary nervous breakdown). It's a more straightforward rock album, but the 20 minute "Yoo Doo Right" hinted at what was to come.

The release of the remainder of their catalogue is scheduled for 2005 and 2006. We can't wait to for the reissue of Future Days, their most lovely and essential record.

Dino Felipe - "I'm You" (Asphodel/Schematic)
http://www.asphodel.com/

Listening to Dino Felipe's new 26-track full-length "I'm You" for the first time is a lot like opening up a well-shook can of soda pop that springs forth a carbonated splatter of punk-tones and noise funk. Felipe's brand of digital bebop appeals mostly to whiz kids with short attention spans, the computer music-obsessed, and the plunderphonically-inclined, but is uniquely artful and personal.

Like a musical re-animator, Felipe creates abstract electronic compositions by stitching together vocal snippets, fancy-pants digital audio software-sequenced synth sounds, classic 8-bit circuitry, and dinky drum machines. Each Frankenstein monster on "I'm You" has its own special temperament and twitches in time to its own individually programmed tempo.

The many intimate mutations and wig-outs on "I'm You" present infinite twists and turns and dramatic segues. Their brief and numerous natures keep things interesting, but the casual listener might misconstrue it all as aimless clutter. However, it's these tracks that most ignite the imagination and best reflect the artist's personality and sensitivity.

The disc's few beat- and melody-oriented creations, like all good electronic pop songs, are slightly robotic and particularly peppy. "The Orange Field" offers a brief respite from Felipe's spastic sound surgery, with a chill toe-tapping groove that's
sublimely smooth. The oddly titled "uVVu & climb" really percolates and Felipe even lends his own voice to the electro-funk confusion of "Steamy Halls".

Dino Felipe's music is very celebratory and engaging, and draws the listener close. It's his world, but the title "I'm You" suggests he wants it to be your world too.

Johnathan Rickman

Asmus Tietchens / David Lee Myers - "60:00" (Line)
http://www.12k.com/line/

"60:00" is the fourth collaboration between Asmus Tietchens and David Lee Myers, two true pioneers of modern electronic music. Tietchens, a German artist known for his electronic musique concrete compositions, is the duo's primary sound manipulator and arranger. New York City's Myers, a.k.a. Arcane Device, is the duo's primary sound provider — yielding, as always, aural whatnots from his homemade electronic feedback machines.

Unlike their previous collaborations, which were exceptionally dynamic and exhibited a wide range of movement and sound, "60:00" applies a subdued palette of disembodied overtones in a meditative manner and as an environmental experiment that, in keeping with the times, is canvassed in a shroud of silence.

The disc's six untitled tracks reveal a jazz of minutia that glitch about within a backdrop of tinted shade and shadow. Sweeping traces of microscopic drones ebb and flow and create a temperate degree of tension throughout.

The textures in the second untitled track have a stylistic drip-and-bump reminiscent to the humorous, staged bits between the three movements of Pink Floyd's "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast". What sounds like someone shuffling about the kitchen is actually a ghostly dance of incidental electronic detritus.

This newest collaboration succeeds where the others didn't in that it better expresses a sense of multidimensional space. Previously, the duo cast their manipulations within an artificially created sound environment saturated in reverb and other depth-deceiving effects.

On "60:00," however, Tietchens and Myers simply allow each one of their handcrafted micro-sounds to frolic naked within the three-dimensional confines of the playback environment — rewarding the attentive listener with a rare glimpse into the future of minimal sound art, and providing the passive listener with new surround-sound hallucinations.

Johnathan Rickman

Recent Must-Have Releases

• Camera Obscura
Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi
(Merge)
The debut record by Belle and Sebastian's closest niece. Biggest Blue Hi-Fi isn't quite as catchy as the near-perfect Underachievers Please Try Harder, but it's still pretty damn good.

• Neko Case
The Tigers Have Spoken
(Lost Highway)
A beautiful live record by Alt Country's queen, Neko Case. Proves that her voice doesn't need studio enhancement to be magical. Neko Case is this generation's Loretta Lynn.

• Dungen
Ta Det Lugnt
(Subliminal Sounds)
Olivia Tremor Control was pretty cool. Swedish band, Dungen fucking rule. They are immediately catchy and will make Elephant Six fans giddy.

• The Go! Team
Thunder, Lightning, Strike
(Memphis Industries)
Like a more accomplished, The Avalanches, The Go! Team are a party band with influences ranging from hip-hop, to funk, to Le Tigre, to Hawaii Five O. We're not sure if we'll be listening to this record in a few years, but for now we're content to shake our asses.

• Various Artists:
DFA Compilation #2
(DFA)
If you don't know what DFA is, you haven't ever been to this site before. We love this label. This 3 CD collection featuring LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Black Dice, and new DFA artist Liquid Liquid is essential.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 06:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Bird Blobs are an aggressive band similar to the Australian bands of the late 1970s like The Scientists and Birthday Party. They don't sing so much as scream the vocals. It's blues and rock and roll and it's exciting. Their weird time signature and angular guitars recall Captain Beefhart. They often fight with audience members. Make sure you are not in the front rows or you might get hurt. People have described The Bird Blobs saying: "This music is enough to revive your dead grandma." Check them out.

-Alexander Laurence

NEW YORK DATES:

Tuesday 23rd November - Lit
Friday 26th November - CBGB
Sunday 28th November - The Mercury Lounge
Website: www.birdblobs.com

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Johnathan Rickman
DC Progressives Join Heads
How can progressives and political activists best work together to build a viable third party that adequately expresses their shared values and convictions, and what is the best way to oppose another four years of regressive Bush administration policies both domestic and foreign?

Those questions were debated on November 11 between rows of fold-out chairs in a church basement in the nation's capital at a public forum hosted by the DC chapter of the International Socialist Organization (ISO).

The forum featured four speakers from four different organizations: Ben Dalbey of the ISO, Jay Marx of the DC Statehood Green Party (DCSGP), Niyi Shomade of the Ralph Nader 2004 presidential campaign, and Shahid Buttar of the DC Spokes Council.

Coke Vs. Pepsi

Ben Dalbey kick-started the event by asking rhetorically how on earth a president with only a 49 percent approval rating could waltz to victory.

"We need to understand what happened with this election because as Falluja is getting pounded with bombs, we are getting pounded with lies," Dalbey said.

"We are being presented with a twisted distortion of what Americans think that is actually designed to preserve the illusion of democracy in this country as well as to provide for the continued justification for the United States' actions in Falluja," Dalbey added.

Dalbey took pains to shed light on the media's reaction to the election on November 3 and afterward, saying exit poll responses are not etched in stone and that the red state vs blue state phenomenon "hides the reality that Bush and Kerry agreed on far more than they disagreed on."

The electoral map and the blue/red phenomenon continue to sideline and make irrelevant the progressive ideals that were ignored by the so-called opposition candidate, Dalbey said.

Ever since it chose to back the 2004 presidential ticket of Ralph Nader and Peter Camejo back in June, the ISO has put forth a fervent effort to illuminate the pitfalls of succumbing to the Anybody-But-Bush and lesser-of-two-evils arguments — describing it as a moral retreat and as a type of pragmatism that only serves to move U.S. politics further to the right.

Dalbey eloquently voiced his organization's disagreements over Senator John Kerry's positions on the war and gay marriage, and echoed the new Thomas Frank book "What's Wrong With Kansas," which urges Democrats to actually stand for something and not simply stand in opposition to its rivals.

"In this last election, the least lesser-evil lost because Kerry ran a race of Coke vs. Pepsi and people voted for the real thing. Saying hope was on the way was simply not enough," Dalbey said.

Act Locally

Jay Marx viewed the last presidential election as a sign that progressive campaigns are likely to be more viable on a local level — despite having received only 8 percent of the vote in his most recent campaign for DC city council on the DCSGP ticket — "not a huge mandate by any stretch," Marx admitted.

Marx viewed local issues such as the lack of local recreation centers, vague promises about riverside development, and the bilking of DC taxpayer dollars towards the construction of a new baseball stadium as tangible issues that progressives could use to galvanize voters.

However, Marx also touched on the difficulty progressives face nationally, saying third-parties must find a way to counter the "martial mindset" of the Right, and seek out exciting, charismatic leaders that can motivate and mobilize people.

Marx also called for more regular strikes and other means of protest that hit powerbrokers where it hurts them most — their pocketbook. Tell the government we're not going to pay for the war anymore via your tax return, Marx said.

Daily Citizenship

Niyi Shomade, a native of Nigeria and the finance officer of the Ralph Nader 2004 presidential campaign, expressed frustration with American complacency in regards to politics. "Bush ran the economy into the ground, the war in Iraq is unpopular, the deficit is out of control — people say it can't get worse, and yet he wins."

"The fact is it was worse when women and Blacks couldn't vote," Shomade said. "It was worse when slave labor in Africa and Asia was a dominating force," he added.

As a resident of Nigeria, Shomade was not allowed to vote in the last election, but he said he felt it was important to get involved politically somehow because what happens in the United States ultimately effects his country as well as the rest of the world.

"We need to start seeing each other as one people and start making more connections," Shomade said.

Shomade also described voting as the lowest form of political expression. It's important that every vote count, but issues like poverty and health care trump electoral issues, he said. It's more important that people participate politically all the time instead of only participating when it comes time vote, he added. "Ralph Nader says you can't have democracy without daily citizenship."

Lastly, Shomade also called for some form of organized "economic sabotage" — showing up an hour late for work, boycotts — something more than just rallying and protesting.

Movements vs. Organizations

Shahid Buttar of the DC Spokes Council — an umbrella group of local activists — also expressed dissatisfaction with electoral politics. By all means vote, but if we accept that as our only means of expressing ourselves, then we must accept our marginalization, Buttar said.

"It's crucial to recognize that movements shift what this country is about, not candidates or political parties — movements come from individuals — people acting in their own private capacities," Buttar said.

He urged individual progressives to circumvent political parties and non-governmental organizations, describing them as disempowering and symptomatic. Striking at the causes of our problems instead of the symptoms is essential, and requires forming alliances and coalitions, Buttar said.

Buttar, who is also a member of a local "guerrilla poetry insurgency," said progressives could build alliances by attending a variety of events and meetings and sharing with others the messages and lessons learned. "Political activists should throw more parties too," Buttar said.

Discussion

The attendees had lots to say in response to the panelists' comments, but by no means was a consensus reached. A Latin American woman in the audience said she too couldn't vote but felt movement-based politics empowered her with a kind of indirect "vote". Others expressed dissatisfaction with protests and rallies, saying they were largely ineffectual.

Others still seemed unable to shake the 2004 election and expressed confusion as to what to do about the passionless politics of the Democrats. Nevertheless, with the debate having occurred just nine days after the elections, the progressives in attendance seemed united in their resolve to make sure their values and issues set the tone for the next four years and beyond.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

photo care of tangentialism

[from tienmao:] Last night was the opening night of Fornino, the new pizza place on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg (CLICK HERE FOR MENU). Dutifully, Adam and I went to try it out and it was excellent. We had three small pies, sampling as much as we could without getting too full. Michael Ayoub, the chef/owner, has three "generations" of pizza on his menu and we sampled piesfrom two - the first and third.

Our first pie was a margherita classica, which had tomato, mozzarella, basil and two parmesan cheeses. Next, we had the patate e salciccia, a fennel sausage, potatoes, fontina and cherry tomato concoction. Finally, we had the vongole, which was clams, mozzarella, parmesan, garlic and oregano. All the pies were smalls, which were $8 for the first generation and $10 for the third (the second was also $10). Large pies run $14 and $16.

The consensus favorite was the margherita, which was super light with a perfect crust. Our second pie was rather eh, with the potatoes "not adding anything" and the sausage lacking spice. The clam pizza was very good, but overladen with oregano. In a twist from a more traditional clam pie that you might see in New England, the clams were served on the shell. If there were less oregano, I think this would have been my favorite pie.

As it's first night open, the pizza was very good and it will probably only improve from here out. Fornino's has a greenhouse out back where they want to grow some of their own ingredients. The oven at Fornino is wood burning, which is evident when you walk by it. Fornino has been dubbed a "artisinal pizza" place, which seems to be the trend these days.

For some reason, we decided to get desert after the meal (damn persuasive waitress). While I had the spumoni, Adam had the ice cream cookies, which had pumpkin, mint chocolate chip, and vanilla cookies. Turns out that after desert, we were stuffed anyway.

A great pizza place and Tasti D-Lite on the same block in Williamsburg? There goes the neighborhood.

187 Bedford Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn 11211
718.384.6004
Sunday-Thursday 12pm-12am
Friday-Saturday 12pm-1am
FREE DELIVERY

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

by Alexander Laurence
Sometimes when an election doesn't go your way, you need a sexy diversion. Har Mar Superstar (Sean Tillman) is a chubby white man from Minnesota who sings R&B tunes while dancing frantically. His live shows, sung to the backing track from a boom box, usually culminate in stripping down to his underwear. He has been around for years and has been busy. He has tour extensively and has penned songs for Jennifer Lopez and Kelly Osborne. He opened shows for The Strokes and Incubus. These are only some of the highlights of the real story.

He first emerged as a recording artist in the St. Paul, MN, band Calvin Krime in the late '90s. His self-titled Har Mar Superstar (2000), launched his libidinous, sometimes B-boy prone, R&B persona. The follow up, You Can Feel Me (2002), turned out to be a more fully realized, well produced, and downright funky release. Rolling Stone Magazine mentioned him as one of the new faces of 2002. After moving to England for a year, Har Mar Superstar is back with his third album, The Handler (2004). His album got a lousy rating from Pitchfork Media, but it is as good as anything Har Mar has done. I spoke to him before his recent American tour.

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AL: How long have you been playing music?

Har Mar: I have been playing instruments since I was five. I have been writing songs since I was twelve. I started a band when I was thirteen. Some of that early stuff probably showed up on a record in bits and pieces.

AL: Did you grow up in a musical family?

Har Mar: Definitely. I grew up with an older brother and an older sister. My sister was always into playing piano and singing. She is an opera singer now. My parents are art teachers. My family comes to my shows very often.

AL: How has being from Minnesota influenced your music?

Har Mar: There is an obvious Prince influence. Being from Minnesota has influenced my work ethic. Bands like The Replacements and Husker Du had to tour their asses off just to get noticed. Babes in Toyland were another band. All those bands did things in their own way but the one thing that was common to them was hard work. There are so many good bands from the area in the past fifteen years.

AL: When did you start making the new album, The Handler?

Har Mar: In January 2004. I actually started a year ago in November. But there were some hold ups and I trashed it all and started new.

AL: How do you work in the studio? Did you have some ideas already?

Har Mar: Yeah, I had some vocal hooks and guitar lines. The first time I was in the studio with the producer I was just checking out the studio. We did three songs that day. We just shot ideas off each other and put them on tape. At the end of the day we trashed what sucked and kept what was good. I would take the instrumental tracks and listen to them in my car while I was driving around. I would think of vocal hooks and melodies and lyrics. I would piece it all together. We would make more music and I would record more vocals.

AL: You work very fast?

Har Mar: Yeah. We did this album in two or three months. I left for a few weeks to do some shows and play in England. We did most of it in one month and then came back and fine-tuned the rest. We mixed the album for a month.

AL: How is the music scene different in America and the UK?

Har Mar: I am not sure. I haven’t played in the United States in a long time. In the UK people are more fanatical. They like to jump on something. A lot of people in the USA are cynical. In the UK people are more willing to like everything, and not have their one thing. I lived in the UK for a year. I have been in the UK all the time for the past two years. After I did the American tour with Kelly Osborne I moved to the UK for a year. I was on TV all the time.

AL: What is Ibiza like?

Har Mar: I did a residency there. It’s open during the summer. It’s a 24-hour party from June to September, and the rest of the time it’s an empty island. People come there from all over Europe. It’s one of those places where you go out on Monday night and get home on Thursday morning and don’t know what happened. I did a residency at Club Manumission. Ten thousand people would come every Monday night. I would perform at five in the morning.

AL: How did you get some of these people to play on your record?

Har Mar: Nick and Karen (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) were around and they are my friends. They came in the studio and we figured out if there was something that they could do. Nick Zinner came in and developed a few songs. He is very good at producing. Karen and I have been talking about doing something that was unrelated to her band for a long time. I gave her the freedom to do whatever she wanted. That was one day of writing and recording. The whole song was done. I was hanging out with Holly Valence and we were talking about doing something. I had a part for her to do.

AL: Holly Valence is known more in the UK.

Har Mar: Yeah. She will be a huge movie star one day.

AL: How did the song with Northern State go down?

Har Mar: We have the same manager. I have always been into their shit but had never met them. When we met we hung out for a few days in LA. They were still working on their album. We worked on one song for their album. I sang the chorus and wrote all the vocals. I had a verse in a song that I wanted someone to guest on and they just rolled it the most.

AL: How was the collaboration with Jennifer Lopez?

Har Mar: That wasn’t really collaboration. They wanted me to be a ghostwriter on her album. I was given a week to do a song in the last week of the production of her album. It sucked. It was one of the hardest things ever to do. I sent one song over. It was like trying to write in the voice of a person that you don’t care about and don’t understand. I don’t think that she cares about anything, so how can you write a lyric for someone like that?

AL: On the last album you had songs like “E Z Pass” and “Power Lunch.” Do you think that you have any songs on this album that can become code words or catch phrases?

Har Mar: Hopefully. I like to open common phrases and make them take a whole new form.

AL: What is the new show like?

Har Mar: I have a bass player and a drummer with me now. It’s more realized. I like the minimalism of a bare stage, a boom box, and me. But now it is time to kick it up a little bit.

AL: Is the new show raunchier?

Har Mar: I just care about making it an awesome show. It has to be undeniable. If people want to hate it, they can’t.

AL: I have seen you a lot in LA. You seem to show up at (www.polaroidscene.com). You jumped onstage with The Libertines a few months ago.

Har Mar: Yeah. I go see my friends play. But I can’t go out as much. I can’t be a fan in the crowd. I can be backstage.

AL: Do you have any hobbies?

Har Mar: I like to watch DVDs.

AL: What made you want to do the song “Alone Again?”

Har Mar: It’s my favorite song of all time.

AL: Any advice to people who want to do music?

Har Mar: You should not sample shit. Write your own music. Don’t be a dick.

Website: www.harmarsuperstar.com

--Alexander Laurence

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

[From CNN]
President Bush Friday signed into law a measure authorizing an $800 billion increase in the credit limit of the United States, the White House said.

Democrats said the debt limit increase, the third in as many years, was necessitated by Bush's "irresponsible" fiscal priorities, including what House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California described as tax cuts for the wealthy and corporate handouts.

Republicans say the 2001 recession and the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks are responsible for the fiscal shortfall.

The budget deficit hit a record $412 billion in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 and the Congressional Budget Office has projected $2.3 trillion in accumulated deficits over the next decade.

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 04:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From Gawker:
"Freemans tuesday night the 16th of nov. the bush twins along with 2 massive secret service men tried to have dinner they were told by the maitre 'd that they were full and would be for the next 4 years upon hearing the entire restaurant cheered and did a round of shots it was amazing"

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)

If you don't mind huge enormous mind-boggling crowds, check out the MoMa this weekend as they reopen their doors.

From Flavorpill:
"A treasure chest of modernism, MoMA reopens its Manhattan home after undergoing the most extensive rebuilding and renovation project in its 75-year history. Architect Yoshio Taniguchi's sleek design, which is highlighted in one of the opening exhibits, nearly doubles the capacity of the former building (featured here in the film series Made at MoMA, celebrating the institution's cultural presence). Two other shows also focus on the museum's expansion: Mark Dion displays artifacts excavated from the sculpture garden and demolished adjacent buildings, while Michael Wesely exhibits long photographic exposures of the project's evolution. The icing on the cake is the reinstallation of the permanent collection, a magnificent feat in and of itself."

Sat 11.20 (10am-10pm)
11 W 53rd ST
212.708.9400
FREE

Posted by freewilliamsburg at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)