March 2009 Archives

More Oscar-nominated films are coming to Capitol Cinema Sundays at the Capitol Theatre in York.

York native A.D. Chandler released his first full-length album "Some Days are Better than None." Chandler rocks on guitar and blues harp. Several guests play on the album including Steve Mazur of Our Lady Peace and Pete Richards of American Bitch.

A.D. Chandler and his Imaginary Band will perform at 2 p.m. April 4 at Moon Dancer Winery in Wrightsville and 10 p.m. April 10 at Victor's Italian Restaurant in York. The CD will be available at Stringed Instrument Repair in New Freedom and Iko's Music Trade in York.

Toto= Totally alt in the '80s

1. Watched a few basketball games. (Go Wildcats!)
2. Saw Frost/Nixon.
(Ron Howard did it again. Brillz.)
3. Sang along to '80s music videos. (Unfortunately, no one asked me to stop.)
4. Finished this book. (Didn't bat an eye.)
5. Survived the storm.
(Holy hail.)

After 15 seasons, the last episode of "ER" is set to air 10 p.m. Thursday. In this thorough piece, the LA Times explains why the show was more than just a hit:

Expanding on the realism of such groundbreaking 1980s dramas as "Hill Street Blues" and "St. Elsewhere," "ER" in turn started a creative movement toward lifelike authenticity in specialized settings that has deeply influenced later hits such as the forensics-themed whodunit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and the White House drama "The West Wing." In real life, "ER" even inspired more students to study emergency medicine, and at least one study found it helped educate consumers about healthcare.

This article contains some scary revelations about the book of face. Apparently 200 million people were duped into letting a possibly totalitarian social networking company someone else have complete control over their personal info.

"It's not a democracy. We are here to build an Internet medium for communicating and we think we have enough perspective to do that and be caretakers of that vision." -- Chris Cox, Facebook's director of products

Yikes. That's not cool...literally. Read the rest of the post to find out why.

The sickeningly sweet and slimy 2009 Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards took place Saturday.

"High School Musical 3" won best movie. "Twilight" won best book. Will Smith won best actor, Vanessa Hudgens won best actress and Leonardo DiCaprio won the first-ever "Big Green Help Award."

Unfortunately, Miley Cyrus cried and Dwayne Johnson dressed in drag. Here's a complete list of winners.

I headed over to Regal Cinemas at West Manchester Mall on Friday to see "I Love You Man" with my husband. I agree with Ellen's review, except for I didn't think the movie was as predictable as she did. It was surprisingly sweet, but that's not what I'm writing about.
From the start of the movie we knew something wasn't quite right with the sound. We could hear all the dialogue, singing and sound effects, but the music was barely audible. It played softly in the background like music in a grocery store. It made the entire viewing experience very odd.
We let the usher know that the sound was off, he said he'd look into it. Unfortunately, it wasn't fixed until the credits were nearly on the screen.
Music can often make or break a movie or show. That's why so many musicians these days are clamoring to be heard on popular shows like "Grey's Anatomy" or "Gossip Girl." It's a symbiotic relationship, just as the artist gets a ton of exposure, the show gets cool points for discovering new bands, what's more scenes in the show are made all that more memorable and poignant by the songs playing in the background. See Denny's death scen in "Grey's Anatomy":

Sample some Vietnamese food at Pho Bistro.

See a play and place your bid during a silent auction.

Watch your back. April Fools' Day is just around the corner.

Turn your lights off. Sit in the dark to support Earth Hour from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday.

Check back or the Weekend Roundup Monday. Ciao for now.

The FlipSide ladies catch March madness at Cobblestone's Restaurant and Sports Emporium in York.

They talk about their NCAA brackets and what's going on around town this weekend.

See if you can score a slam dunk this season. Click here keep up with the York Daily Record's Hoops Hysteria bracket challenge.

Take me out to the ball field

Watch the documentary about York's Sovereign Bank Stadium, "Home" at 7:30 p.m. April 3 at the Capitol Theatre, 50 N. George St. in York.

Filmmaker and York resident Brian Plow will lead a panel discussion after the screening.

Admission is by donation and canned goods will be collected for The York County Food Bank.

Is J.T.'s music career dead and gone?
Justin just says no to work. Apparently, Mr. Timberlake is too busy collaborating with other artists to bring "Sexy Back" again.

He's also acting and executive-producing MTV's new reality series "The Phone" and listening to "In Rainbows." OK. But we want more "FutureSex/LoveSounds."

*Spoiler Alert* Get the scoop about the season finales of "House," "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost," "The Office" and more. (Like any other pop culture junkie, I couldn't help myself. It doesn't give too much away, but stear clear if you want to be surprised.)

For some sweet first looks, click here. Check out a new Daniel Day Lewis movie (Score!) and a new Judd Apatow comedy. (Groan!) Sorry to tempt you guys, but, like those text-happy teens on "Gossip Girl," I'm horrible at keeping secrets.

York Little Theatre is holding its Annual Pennsylvania Playwright Competition.
Submit original, full-length scripts and a cover letter with a character breakdown and synopsis to YLT Director of Artistic Development Eric Bradley Long, York Little Theatre, 27 S. Belmont St., York, PA, 17403; or via e-mail to eric@ylt.org.

The deadline is Oct. 31, 2009. The winning play will be announced before Jan. 31, 2010 and will be fully-produced during YLT's 2010-2011 Season. The 2009-2010 winning play "Shared Assets" written by Julie Cullings premieres June 18, 2010 at YLT.

The "Twilight" DVD sold 3 million copies last Friday and the cast took over magazine covers, talk shows, etc. I thought Robert Pattison, aka heartthrob/bloodsucker Edward, was cute -- until he opened his mouth during this bizarre GQ interview. What drugs is he on is up with this dude?
Maybe it was the radiation?

"...he's never had a microwave before, and that he spends a lot of time looking for new things you can microwave."

"God, I don't remember the last time I ate."

"I don't want there to be a silence, because I'll start crying."

Celeb/athletes and athlete/celebs were born to run

York shops present Go Green in the City from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 18 on Beaver Street between Philadelphia and Market Streets. The event promotes buying local and being environmentally conscious.

Local musicians including The Tamboureens, A. D. Chandler and Waitin' on a Train will perform in the parking lot of the White Rose Bar and Grill, and vendors will sell environmentally friendly art. For details or to participate, contact Kimman's at 854-0440 or Sweet Melissa's Dream at 854-2608.

I'd like to propose that the new Rita's mystery flavor be named Stephen Colbert. You don't think it's possible? I'm honestly surprised he hasn't suggested it yet himself, or, maybe he has, and I've missed it.

The comedian urged viewers on his Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report," to write in his name for a new room at the NASA international space station. And more than 230,000 viewers did. Colbert won the contest; however, NASA still reserves the right to choose the appropriate name. The space organization says it will announce the name it decides in April.

1. Saw the smart and sexy spy flick "Duplicity" (and Clive Owen's abs by default).
2. Listened to the Decembrists rock opera. (Still wishing I could have been at SXSW.)
3. Caught the end of a "Band of Brothers" marathon. (Yes, the History Channel just made the Weekend Roundup. Deal with it.)
4. Hit the Club XS dance floor. (Acted out my own music video with the help of a fog machine, strobe lights and some strong drinks.)
5. Played softball. (It was my "Sandlot" moment, even though I do play ball like a girl.)

I knew full well what I was getting into as I bought my ticket for "I Love You, Man." So I braced for a really bad movie. Really bad.

And . . . it wasn't so bad. It was kind of endearing, actually. I could've done without the gross-out humor, but I suppose some of it was funny.

I mean really?
Admittedly, I'd have trouble coming up with an idea of how to market this particular product - but the use of various mangy shrubbery, hedges and topiary in this commercial is just plain goofy.
Clearly, the world of woman's beauty product marketing has hit a rough patch.
* I'll keep my eye out for a video with better quality.

Original organizers of the 1969 music festival in New York are planning a 40th anniversary event this summer.

They're looking for sponsors for the event, which they're hoping to make as green as can be.

So far, there are a lot of rumors swirling around about the festival from the performers to the location to the logistics. Hopefully, Woodstock 2009 will be way more peaceful than Woodstock '99 if it does happen.

It's the first day of spring, aka free Rita's day. Copyeditor Jess and I took advantage of the one-day offer.

The wind and the water ice were freezing. At one point, we saw flurries. We shivered in line for 25 minutes, scored free Mystery Flavor samples and marvled at how many school-aged kids were out at 2 p.m. It was definitley worth it. The guy that served us said they're expecting 4,000.

After you get you hit up Rita's, read an interview with David Cook, find out what a timberdoodle is and look up FlipSide on Twitter. Ciao for now.

I probably won't figure out how to properly pronounce this band's name for a few weeks (like MGMT).

The Canadian clubsters released "Fist Of God" March 17 and performed on "Jimmy Kimmle Live" recently.

They're pioneers of the exploding indie/electro/hip-hop genre. Bravo alt bros.

I'm writing this as a public service.
If my husband asks me one more time why I don't apply deodorant in a similar fashion to the woman in that commercial who jumps on her bed in her underwear, I fear I might shove my deodorant into one of his orifices.
I might be alone on this, but my morning routine generally doesn't involve any jumping on the bed fully clothed or otherwise.
Deodorant application is a rushed affair. I don't open all the windows in the house allowing the sun and warm morning breezes to flow in as I daintily smooth out adequate amounts of an anti-perspirant that contains - in no particular order - lemon, seagrass, lemongrass, green tea and the toes of South American Fire-Headed Newts.

Stapler in Jell-O= classic

April Fool's Day is lurking around the corner. Have you ever pulled a prank on a friend or coworker? Have you ever been fooled yourself? Has one of your gags ever gone wrong? Share your silly stories with us. E-mail emccracken@ydr.com. Include your name, age, and municipality in which you live and a contact number. I found a whole blog about pranks from "The Office."

Last night when my husband announced he needed to do research for his basketball brackets, I decided to take advantage of the three months of free HBO we're getting and tune into one of last year's Oscar-nominated films, "Michael Clayton". (I'm always behind the ball on these things).

Tony Award-winning British actress Natasha Richardson died today after suffering a head injury during a beginners' ski lesson Monday north of Montreal. She was 45.

Richardson, who had two sons with husband Liam Neeson, was the daughter of Academy Award-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave (at center in photo) and descended from at least three generations of actors. Also pictured is sister Joley Richardson (at right).

Newsweek, the NYT and the Times of London have remembrances.

I hope this accident underscores the importance of everyone wearing a helmet when skiing, snowboarding, riding your bike or whatever. Be safe.

Business reporter Kevin Horan broke the news that Sam Keeney Organ and Piano Center in York Township will close April 30. The South Queen Street store has been open since 1970. It sells organs, pianos and keyboards and offers music lessons. It's sad to see another local business bite the dust. Did you take music lessons at Keeney? Share your thoughts and memories with us.

Bravo is showing the dirrrty Jerz some love, too. Like the other Bravo housewives, I'm sure the N.J. cougars won't do anything that resembles cleaning, cooking or changing diapers. Oh no, they'll be just as shameless and botox-y as their counterparts from Orange County, New York City and Hotlanta. My love/hate relationship with reality TV continues.

Detox from the dramz

I personally applauded Whitney Port for kicking her deadbeat boyfriend Jay to the curb (with her glam magenta booties). She represented a shining beacon of hope amid hundreds of reality and non-reality ladies that lack backbones. After he was cut loose, pretty boy J wandered dramatically off into the New York City twilight. (If he liked it, then he should have put a ring on it. Duh.) Read a hilarious recap of the final episode.

Celebrate spring by showing us your creative confections. Enter the annual York Daily Record/Sunday News Peeps diorama contest. Submit a photo of your marshmallow masterpiece here. Register first, then click "add item" to upload your photo. Include your name, age and municipality in the caption, as well as what your creation is supposed to be. The top three dioramas will win Brown's Orchards and Farm Market certificates. Deadline is April 3.

Coldplay's finally gracing Central Pennsylvania with its presence

The Grammy-winning rock group Coldplay brings its "Viva La Viva" tour to Hershey. They perform at 7:30 p.m. May 24 at Hersheypark Stadium, 100 W. Hersheypark Drive. Tickets go on sale at 11 a.m. Friday and cost $40, $84.50 and $102.50. Get them at the Giant Center Box Office, 950 W. Hersheypark Drive, by phone at 534-3911 or 598-6504 and online here.

"That's an uppity cow."

1. Watched Tracy Morgan host and Kelly Clarkson perform on "Saturday Night Live." (Morgan will be in town April 18. Clarkson comes to York Sept. 11.)
2. Attended a pre-Lebowski Fest party. (O Dude, Where Art Thou?)
3. Watched a lot of basketball. (Get in on the madness.)
4. Spring cleaned. (Suffered a seasonal Feng Shui attack. I'm better now.)
5. Contemplated my alt status with a "culturally relevant" blog. (Hipster 4 life.)

The "Twilight" DVD comes out at midnight Saturday. To celebrate, stores across the country are holding DVD release parties. Here's a list of participating businesses in the area:

South by Southwest is a festival, music conference, tech convention and film showcase all rolled into one.

Uber-hip indie fans, industry professionals and twitterati flocked to the fest, which kicked off Friday in Austin.

Good thing the recession hasn't taken away from it's alt vibes, SWAG and general snobbery. Wish we were there. Luckily, everyone who's there is reminding everyone who's not there that we're lame by twittering about it 24/7. Thanks alt bros!

I promised to post this the minute I saw it. (I watched it, like, five times first.) Enjoy:

Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's "Mad Money," took once for the team Thursday night on "The Daily Show.

Cramer's humiliation comes about a week after Jon Stewart destroyed CNBC's coverage of the financial meltdown.

The show's little crusade against CNBC has been a joy to watch. Stewart's satire has struck a chord with people wondering how we got in this mess. He's also remarkably good at putting the financial jargon into simple English.

Cramer holds his own at first, but that's short-lived.

Are you ready to go green?

Get to the York Saint Patrick's Day Parade.

Write and Irish tune.

Pour the perfect pint.

Enjoy the celebration. Ciao for now.

Holy Toledo. So many concerts announcements recently. Here are two more must-see shows:

Dave Matthews Band and Jason Mraz will play at 7 p.m. July 24 at Hersheypark Stadium, 100 W. Hersheypark Drive. Tickets cost $40.75, $56.50 and $70. Get them here. Our generation fell in love to "Crash."

Follow the rest of the post for info about the Temptations show.

Here are a few factoids to satiate all you blood-thirsty "Twilight" fans:

1. "Twilight: The Musical," an unauthorized parody, drops online Thursday. This. Is. Happening.
2. Juan Antonio Bayona will direct the third movie, "Eclipse." (He might make it creepy.)
3. Author Stephenie Meyer was featured in the March issue of Vogue. (She makes goth look good.)

Just because Tom Brokaw retired from the "Nightly News" doesn't mean he's sitting at home on the couch.

Nope, the former NBC anchor is traveling U.S. Highway 50 in the coming months to report on Americans' reactions to the economic meltdown and the Obama administration. The project is headed by NBC-owned USA Network.

I was shocked to learn that Kanye West will appear on Wednesday's episode of "American Idol."

Hasn't he made it pretty clear that he already thinks he's America's idol? Maybe he just wants to make this kid's dream come true. (That would actually be pretty dope.) Mr. West is set to share the stage with "Idol" alum Kelly Clarkson, who's new album conveniently dropped Tuesday.

I don't think I'm alone in my hopes that West and the equally angry "Idol" judge Simon Cowell have a verbal altercation. Major dramz could lead to a major ratings bump (and West already knows how to stage a fake feud).

Comedy, country/rock acts coming to town

Ventriloquist and comedian Jeff Dunham performs at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 19 at the York Fair.

Tickets go on sale at 8 a.m. March 21 at the York Fair Ticket Office, 334 Carlisle Ave. in West Manchester Township. Tickets are $46 for track, plaza and center grandstand seats and $39 for side track, plaza and grandstand seats.

Follow the post for a CapLive announcement.

York rapper Zach Richards, aka Phene, walked away with Best Male Artist at the 2009 Central Pennsylvania Hip-Hop Awards Sunday. Vision won Best Inspirational/ Gospel Hip-Hop Artist, Joshua Bishop, aka Tempt, was named Best Producer and York's Xclusive Music was named Best Hip-Hop Music Store. For a complete list of winners, click here. Moot & Tempt hold it down in the studio.

Let's hope winter's "Gone With the Wind," too.
1. Hit a piñata. (Found a fun way to blow off steam, but I think I pulled a muscle diving for the candy.)
2. Walked outside with shorts on. (I might have jumped the gun. I got goosebumps.)
3. Watched "Gone With the Wind." (Learned a thing or two from Scarlett O'Hara. That Irish lass had some sass.)
3. Initiated a dance party. (Thank you, lime Jell-O shot.)
5. Didn't get burned by Daylight Savings. (Thank you, cell phone that automatically updates the time.)

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Mattel's marquee doll turns 50 today. (Even though she's over the hill, she still blows Bratz away.)

Click here for the Barbie facts. Click here to read about a real-life Barbie Malibu dream house. Did you know Hershey and Mattel teamed up to make a Hershey Barbie? Sweet.

This toy's impacted pop culture and little girls everywhere. Back in the day I had to have Totally Hair Barbie. (Those are some serious bangs.) Click here to read how Barbie crossed cultural lines.

If you haven't seen it yet, take a look.

The backstory: CNBC personality Rick Santelli agreed to appear on The Daily Show and later canceled. Wrong move on his part. Stewart proceeds to undress Santelli and the network, which some business journalists accuse of blurring the lines between reporting, entertaining, prognosticating and sycophancy.

Here's the to-do list:

Indie trio Company of Thieves wrote an ode to playwright/poet "Oscar Wilde." Their video is a nod to Wes Anderson movies. Check it out. Follow the post to watch Death Cab's latest video.

Workin' it

Wish you were at Fashion Week in Paris right now? Watch local models strut the catwalk to the right.

See a local fashion show: Students from The Art Institute of York present a fashion show at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Willow Valley Resort in Lancaster. Tickets are $10. For details, call 443-668-0545. The event benefits Olivia's House and The Mercy and Sharing Foundation.

Back in black (and sparkles!)
It's on like "Thriller" in the '80s. The "King of Pop," aka Michael Jackson, is pulling a Britney.

He held a press conference Thursday to announce that he'll give his "final curtain call" at 10 July concert dates in London's O2 Arena. I might actually be pulling for him. He's actually sounding looking OK these days. Thoughts?

I want to hold your..."Rock Band"

Save this date: 9.9.09. "The Beatles: Rock Band" hits shelves. Play instruments modeled after those used by John, Paul, George and Ringo to perform a catalogue of Fab Four tunes.

Save this much money: The software costs $59.99, standalone guitars run $99.99 and the limited edition bundle will set you back $249.99. It's sure to sell like hotcakes. Read on to learn more.

The FlipSide ladies talk "Watchmen" at the Regal 13 movie theater in the West Manchester Mall. Get the Scoop about the latest comic-turned-action flick along with a slew of other weekend events.

Bringing sixties back

Local psych-rock quintet The Tamboureens recently dropped their debut album "Ladies and Gentlemen."

The CD features seven new songs as well as a cover of Bobby Darrin's "Dream Lover." Groove to the band's post-modern pop tunes at 9:30 p.m. March 14 at Fat Daddy's.

Come on, you know you always wanted to be a Planeteer. (OK. Maybe that was just me. But you probably still know all the words to the "Captain Planet" theme song, right?)

You can now watch old episodes of the cartoon on Mother Nature Network.
(I'm totally digging the scum-fighting superhero's green hightop fade/mullet.) Learn how to save York's environment with Green Mesh. The power is yours!

York Daily Record's resident food reporter Wade Malcolm hung out at Fuji hana in York to learn the techniques of the trade. (Who said you couldn't play with food...or fire?)
I think it's probably best to let the experts handle the fancy, flammable tricks, but Mr. Malcolm certainly holds his own with the shrimp flip. Bon appetit!

I can't wait to see this movie. I smell a blockbuster since it drops July 1, just before July 4 weekend. (Is it just me, or is Johnny Depp's name strategically placed?)

The Feds (Christian Bale, etc.) try to take down American gangsters John Dillinger (Depp), Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum), etc. during a 1930s crime wave. Michael Mann ("Heat," "Ali" and "Collateral") directs.

I'm seriously salivating here. The cast is brillz. The costumes look amazing. Plus, it has that true-life gritty drama/action thing going for it. (It's actually adapted from Bryan Burrough's book "Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-34").

Check back for details. You know I'm slapping the trailer up the second it leaks.

One down. Dozens more to go?

If you were like me and had to get some shut-eye last night, catch clips from the first episode of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" above. Critics gave Fallon, who's notorious for being silly and snickering at himself, a break. We'll see how long their benevolence (and the show) lasts. (I don't have much faith in the man who bungled the classic cowbell skit.) Follow the post to read about what Fallon did during taping.

After reading about a blogger who created New York landmarks/abstract art with Legos, The York Daily Record living staff gave the idea a whirl at one of our meetings. Click here to see what we came up with. We can't wait to see your Lego York creations.

This is the new format. Here are the top five in no particular order (If I had ordered them, "Damages" would have been No. 1):

1. Harp and Fiddled Friday night.
(My eyes were glued to the St. Patrick's Day countdown.)
2. Learned how to read my palm.
(Must now fight the compulsion to inspect hands of complete strangers.)
3. Read a sweet profile of my future boyfriend.
(Why didn't they give him this guy's TV slot?)
4. Ended up eatin' good in the neighborhood Sunday night.
(Several other restaurants were closed.)
5. Finished the first season of "Damages."
(I solemnly swear to protect and defend my obsession.)

Madea is smokin.' Disney is chokin.'

Madea made mincemeat out of the Jonas Brothers at the box office last weekend. You go girl (who's really a dude.)

Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" raked in $16.5 million while the "Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience" barely managed to squeak past "Slumdog Millionaire," which is enjoying a post-Oscars upswing.

Disney was banking on another "Hannah Montana-esque" opening weekend. Is the fact that the J. Bros flick tanked bad thing or a good thing?