News-Record.com

Sarah Silverman dropped by boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel's show to deliver the following obscene news in music-video form -- with help from People's Sexiest Man Alive, Matt Damon.

Silverman is funny, but Damon makes this video.

Regular blog readers will know my affection for Converse's old Chuck Taylor All-Stars (once the beloved sneaker of my youth, now a high priced, one-ply Nike product made overseas).

A few months ago I bemoaned Converse's 2003 transformation from classic footwear proudly stamped "Made in the USA" to overpriced Nike imprint.

Well...it seems Converse has now teamed with Target to produce "One Star" -- an exclusive line of clothes and shoes that are cheaper than Chucks, but look more or less the same.

I'm ambivalent about the whole thing...

Mary J. Blige and Jay-Z announced a 25-date tour today, including an April 5 stop at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Here's the teaser poster for the new bond flick, Quantum of Solace.

The film's out in November, and I can't wait.

The title's a little clunky -- and is actually the name of a Bond short story by the character's creator, Ian Fleming. The story, which appears in the short story collection For Your Eyes Only, is good -- but it's really not about Bond. Bond visits a governor who tells him the story -- which is about a low level bureaucrat whose cheating wife humiliates him, and how he takes revenge on her.

There have been worse Bond titles (Tomorrow Never Dies, anybody?) -- and there are rumors Amy Winehouse will sing the title song, if she can get herself together and stay alive long enough. British pop star is the only profession more dangerous than British secret agent.

Indiana Jones (and that kid from the Transformers movie) are on the cover of Vanity Fair this month.

A good story -- and some great photos by Annie Leibovitz. Some video from the shoot here too.

My favorite may be of Cate Blanchett as an evil, sexy Russian agent (the action has moved to the 1950s in this flick -- when the Ruskies were sinister and hot).

John Mellencamp was not, as they say, "down" with presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain using his songs "Our Country" and "Pink Houses" on the campaign trail as he tries to sell his party on his conservative credentials.

Mellencamp is a dyed-in-the-wool leftie who was pulling for John Edwards. His publicist asked of the McCain camp:

“If you’re such a true conservative, why are you playing songs that have a very populist pro-labor message written by a guy who would find no argument if you characterized him as left of center?”

Like Ronald Reagan before him, McCain seems to have wanted to co-opt the music (or its spirit) without actually listening to it. But he's done the gentlemanly thing and stopped using the songs.

Congrats to jazz man Herbie Hancock, who beat out favorites Kanye West and Amy Winehouse to win Album of the Year at last night's Grammy awards.

Hancock i a jazz legend who went from playing with Miles Davis to playing funk and championing the synth and electronic music. Non jazz heads will remember him best from his pop crossover hit "Rockit."

Here's the video:

And here's Hancock demonstrating a Fairlight synthesizer on Sesame Street with a young Tatiana Ali from The Cosby Show.

Maverick comics legend Steve Gerber has died of pneumonia while waiting for a lung transplant.

He was 68.

Gerber was a maverick writer of scathing social satire, creator of Howard the Duck at Marvel Comics and advocate for creator's writes in comic books.

A long, interesting piece remembering his life and work here.

Good morning!

Though it may yet be months before some of our favorite shows are back in working order, the writer's strike is officially over.

Can we stop watching HGTV and Food Network reality shows now? Please?

Filling the air without scripted television hasn't been easy -- and it's been even harder to watch some of the scum that rose to the top without competition from human beings writing television. American Gladiators staged a comeback in the vaccum and VH1 hit a horrid reality TV trifecta with new editions of (sorta) dating shows Rock of Love with Brett Michaels, Flavor of Love with Flava Flav and (ugh) A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila.

In what may be the most apt but still mind-bending television metaphor ever, all of these shows' continued success and renewal depends upon the person searching for love (a washed up rock star, a washed up rapper (sort of) and...Tila Tequila...) never actually finding it. Failure is necessary for success, war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.

May the professional writers get back to work, down to their fighting weight and wash some of this flotsam from the pop culture landscape.

I think I've already blogged about Scarlett Johansson's upcoming album of Tom Waits covers.

Well, now it has a release date (May 20) and a track listing.

I don't know if she can sing, but I'll say this for her: she seems to be doing the album right. TV On The Radio's Dave Sitek is producing and David Bowie and Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner are guesting.

She's also avoided the obvious covers and gone for some deeper cuts ("Town With No Cheer," "I Wish I Was in New Orleans"), which you have to respect. Waits is said to be pleased.

Waits has been covered plenty -- and plenty badly.

The best known (and worst) Waits cover may be Rod Stewart's take on "Downtown Train." The even worse video (beginning with a big "Downtown" sign and then...wait for it...a train) goes something like this:

Then there's the original, whose video is weird and wonderful:

An obvious idea, but still hilarious. Especially to those of us who used to play a lot of 8-bit Zelda.

The only thing that could have made that trailer better would have been more Shia LeBeouf. I'm glad to see they're going to acknowledge Indy's age and how it wouldn't be as easy for him in this film.

Isaac Hayes (the voice of Shaft's Theme for one generation, the voice of Chef from South Park for their children) has teamed with Sprint to provide slow-jam love messages you can send to your Valentine today.

You can use this program to make Isaac say any number of things -- when the program doesn't understand a word (or won't say it, Isaac just grunts and moans in classic slow-jam style).

Those who doubt Hayes' seductive skills have obviously forgotten the following gem...

He's one bad mother...well, you know.

What could possibly go wrong?

Not content with being mocked for her acting in just about everything but Dick Tracy and Who's That Girl, Madonna is apparently directing now.

Here's a (not work safe) teaser clip of her upcoming film, Filth and Wisdom.

It appears to be about...British strippers? Makes a strange sort of sense, actually.

Score!

The New York Times has the full run of the Mr. Wonderful cartoon by Daniel Clowes (Ghost World, Eightball) for free download as PDFs.

If you haven't read any Clowes, go check this out for free. If you have, thank the Times for giving us this great stuff for free.

It's a wonderful day for free comics.

First Mr. Wonderful free from the New York Times, now Warren Ellis (Transmetropolitan, the Authority, NEXTWAVE) and Paul Duffield launch FreakAngels, a free ongoing weekly online comic.

Check out the first episode here.

As you've probably already heard, Lindsay Lohan has done a nude photo shoot for New York Magazine that recreates Marilyn Monroe's last photo shoot. Same photographer, same props, different beautiful but unstable girl.

The pictures are here (some of them anyway -- tasteful but probably still not work-safe).

Someone said to me today: "They look like Marilyn's pictures...but Marilyn wasn't so god awful skinny."

But having actually seen more of the pictures, it looks like Lindsay isn't either anymore. Which is a good thing.

I'll be live blogging the Oscars tonight on Culture Shock. From a flu-medicine stupor. Should be entertaining.

Predictions now?

8: 22 p.m.
We're coming right up on the telecast now - I'm tired and achy from the flu, speedy and loopy from the Sudafed and a little annoyed by the Red Carpet coverage.

I mean - I'm usually pretty disinterested in "So, who are you wearing?" over and over again -- but this year, it seems like it's particularly bad.

I previously posted about Sarah Silverman's hilarious (but probably not worksafe) declaration of lust for Matt Damon.

Now Jimmy Kimmel has fired back, producing a video with, among others, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Don Cheadle, Harrison Ford, Cameron Diaz, Robin Williams, Joan Jett and Josh Groban.

Kimmel doesn't play around.

Wilco is playing at Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club tonight.

Some friends of mine from high school and college live in D.C. and I'm sure they'll be there. I can't be -- but I can listen to the NPR webcast. it begins at 8 p.m. Eastern, with opener John Doe of X.

The band is touring in support of Sky Blue Sky, which Rolling Stone gave four stars.

It's good stuff -- and they're great live.

First, Christian Bale was Batman.

Now, he's John Connor, future leader of the resistance in the new Terminator movie.

According to Variety the film, due in May of 2009, will be the first of a new trilogy.

After airing a single episode, NBC has canceled Quarterlife, the first scripted show to go from online to network television.

The five remaining one-hour episodes will air on Bravo.

Amanda and I saw the premiere this week (well all right - I watched most of it and washed dishes through much of the middle section while she watched) -- and neither of us is happy about the news.

But the show's co-creator says it should never have been a network show, calling it "too specific."

Not everything is for everybody.