August 2009 Archives

1. Attended a housewarming in Mechanicsburg. (What a charming little borough.)

2. Finally got to Agrodolce. (The prices were reasonable and the waiter threw in free dessert.)

3. Headed to YorkFest Saturday afternoon. (I wanted a cameo necklace but bought lemonade instead.)

4. Found out why The Beatles broke up. (I'm gonna carry that weight a long time.)

5. Went to the Virgin Mobile Free Fest in Columbia, Md. (Check out my live tweet and a photo montage for highlights.)
(Photo: The Hold Steady lead singer Craig Finn at Virgin Fest; AP)

Hats off to the Class of 2009 college graduates. And special congratulations to the hard-workers of the class, like Ryden Malby (Alexis Bledel) in "Post Grad." Malby nailed scholarships, limited amounts of beer pong playing to keep the said scholarship and made it to her commencement ceremony on time (unlike her wacky family).

The problem Malby faces in the flick is one that recent grads can certainly relate to. Even non-grads can relate to. Even grads going to grad school can relate to: Finding a job.

Bledel plays this overly talkative 20-something (it's like Rory on "Gilmore Girls" never went to an Ivy League school and adopted a new quirky family). The laugh-out-loud moments (and there are quite a few) come from job interviews gone wrong or Malby's family playing up their craziness (Michael Keaton portrays an always-trying-to-give-the-best-to-his-daughter dad; Jane Lynch an it'll-all-be-OK mom; and Carol Burnett an I'm-too-worried-about-myself-namely-my-death grandma). Continue reading on the jump.

The music world was shocked by yet another untimely death Friday night. The body of DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein, was found in his SoHo apartment at about 5:20 p.m., according to the Associated Press. A law enforcement official said police found a crack pipe and prescription pills in the apartment.

An autopsy Saturday of the 36-year-old was inconclusive. More tests will be needed to determine the cause of death.

DJ AM was rose to fame in clubs, concert stages and at exclusive Hollywood parties. He dated Mandy Moore and Nicole Richie. Last September, he was critically injured in a plane crash along with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The two had a duo called TRVSDJ-AM.

There was an outpouring of grief from DJ AM's friends and fans during the weekend. Saturday, Barker paid tribute to his former collaborator at a Blink-182 show in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo: AP)

It's raining, it's pouring, but it should clear up. Enjoy the weekend, rain or shine.

Check out art, live music and more downtown during YorkFest. Help Keep A Breast at a local music fest. Find out where to take friends and family visiting York. Pull up a seat at Seasons Bakery and Café in Gettysburg. Sip a Whiskey Sour while reading about a band with the same name.

Programming note: The P.Run recap will return next week. Check back Monday for the Weekend Roundup. Ciao for now. (Photo: YorkFest; YDR File)

What the heck is with the number nine this year? (Oh, I get it. It's 2009.) But that's no excuse to give two movies the same name. (Producers hope audiences will be able to tell the difference between aliens and Italian movie stars.)
This trailer wars seems like a no-brainer (A cheesy CGI flick up against a musical starring Daniel Day Lewis.) But is it? Maybe I shouldn't judge a movie by its poster. "9" is a futuristic full-length expansion of the Academy Award-nominated 2004 short film of the same name and is produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted"). After the world's machines turn on mankind, a group of small gizmos armed with the spark of life attempts to save humanity. (Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Crispin Glover, John C. Reilly and Jennifer Connelly do the voice-overs.) It hits theaters (more nines) on Sept. 9.

"Nine" is a musical that follows director Guido Contini (Daniel Day Lewis) as he heads for a breakdown. The women in his life (Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Sophia Loren and Stacy Ferguson, aka Fergie) are poised to steal his thunder in the sparkly spectacular. (Pause to wrap your head around the fabulosity.) The film, due in November, is directed by Rob Marshall ("Chicago") and its music's from the original 1982 Broadway show, which a Tony Award for Best Musical. Bellissima!

Rapper Drake's recent rise to fame was sudden, unforeseen and controversial. The Canadian artist played Jimmy Brooks -- a basketball star who became physically disabled after he was shot by a classmate -- on the TV series "Degrassi: The Next Generation." Now he's trading rhymes with the likes of Jay-Z and Lil Wayne. His songs (including "Best I Ever Had" from the video to the left) are blowing up the charts.

I think he's talented, but I really don't know why so many hot acts are falling all over themselves to collaborate with him. (I guess it's good to be so hot right now.) Drake spits game on the track "Forever" with Eminem, Lil Wayne and Kanye West. The song was inspired by the LeBron James documentary "More Than a Game" due out Oct. 2. Drake's also featured on the leaked Jay-Z track "Off That." His official debut, "Thank Me Later," is expected to drop later this year.

Open Wings Broken Strings hits the stage at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center, 50 N. George St. in York.

The show features acoustic performances by Ed Kowalczykof York native band LIVE, Art Alexakis of Everclear and Leigh Nash of Sixpence None The Richer. Tickets cost $25, $35 and $48. Click the jump for details about two other Strand shows.

The Scoop has a frank discussion with Jody Moore, owner of Double D's Dogs, downtown. Find out what else is cooking in York this weekend.

We admit it. This is cheesy. But it's also kind of brilliant. With all the pre-show dramz, we can't wait for the VMAs. (BTW: "West Side Story" spoofs are so hot right now.)

The Manhattan Short Film Festival announced the 10 finalists. York film-lovers will be able to join more than 100,000 people in 173 cities to select the festival winner. The Manhattan Short Film Festival selections will be shown at 7:30 Sept. 26 and 3 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Capitol Theatre, 50 N. George St. in York. Admission is $8.

Audience members will receive a voting card at the beginning of the event so they can cast their ballot for best film. After the film screenings, votes are sent to festival headquarters where the winner will be announced Sept. 29. Click the jump for the list of selected films. (Photo: Manhattan Film Fest; 'Mozambique' by Alcides Soares)

Messiah College and WXPN present Iron and Wine with special guest Roman Candle Sept. 12. The music starts at 8 p.m. in Brubaker Auditorium in the Eisenhower Campus Center, One College Avenue in Grantham. Tickets are $25.

Iron & Wine's latest album, "Around the Well," features some of the earliest sessions and never-released recordings. Their music's been feaured in movies including "Garden State" and "In Good Company." (Check out the video for my favorite Iron and Wine song "Lion's Mane.")

Roman Candle's latest album, "Oh Tall Tree in the Ear," one of the best albums of 2009 so far by Paste Magazine.

Watch local skaters try stunts. There are only two outcomes: "Awesome!" or "Ouch!"

The Free Mary Jane Festival runs noon Sept. 12 to 8 p.m. Sept. 13 at Elicker's Grove, 511 Roth's Church Road in Spring Grove.

More than 18 musical acts will play and magicians, clowns, jugglers and fire breathers will perform during the two-day event. Overnight camping is available Saturday. Chuck Homan will speak about the Medical Marijuana Movement in Pennsylvania, Ryan Grim will talk about the war on drugs and Les Stark will educate people about the history of hemp in Lancaster and York.

A $15 donation is suggested for admission. The event benefits local farmers in their fight to deregulate industrial hemp as a crop. No RV hookups , glass bottles, firearms, illegal drugs, underage drinking or pets are allowed at the event. Check the jump for a full list of performers.
(Photo: Patrick Hooker will perform at the event; submitted.)

The CapLive concert series presents Punch Brothers featuring Chris Thile 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Capitol Theatre, 50 N. George St. in York. Tickets are $32.

The group, which is named after a Mark Twain short story, was nominated for a Grammy for its first album "How to Grow a Woman from the Ground." They'll perform a fusion of acoustic jazz, bluegrass and classical songs Oct. 10. Thile, who has collaborated with bluegrass and country greats Bela Fleck, Dolly Parton and Sam Bush, joined with the Punch Brothers in 2006. Check out the first movement from their bluegrass operetta "Blind Leaving The Blind."

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
1. Rang in season six of "Project Runway." (Tune into a "P.Run" podcast this Friday.)
2. Caught some of the Little League World Series. (A tradition since my brother's All-Star days.)
3. Received my September issues of Vogue and InStyle. (Neither 500-plus-page mag fit in my mailbox. Gotta love fall fashion.)
4. Threw a "Great Gatsby" party (complete with mint juleps, citrus, costumes and jazz.)
5. Recovered from the party just in time to catch and comprehend "Mad Men." ( I smell another party theme.) (Photo: Amazon)

Time Bandit featuring the Hillstrand Brothers from Discovery Channel's "Deadliest Catch" visit the area this fall. They will take the stage 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at Penn State York's Pullo Family Performing Arts Center, 1031 Edgecomb Ave. in Spring Garden Township. Tickets are $25.

Win free tickets to the show from FlipSide. We're giving away three pairs of passes. Sign up to win today. Click here for to find out about all the shows at the Pullo this season here.

Share your passion for fashion by designing your own garment out of newspaper for the 2009 Daily Record/Sunday News Project Newspaper Contest.

You can use a needle and thread, string, glue, tape or wire to aid in the construction, but the majority of the project must be newspaper. As "Project Runway" host Tim Gunn would say: "Make it work!" Snap a picture of your finished creation and upload it to the contest page at www.inyork.com/gallery.

In addition, e-mail your name, age and the municipality in which you live and a contact number to emccracken@ydr.com with the subject line "Project Newspaper Contest." Those who don't follow instructions risk disqualification. Deadline is Oct. 22.

York Daily Record/Sunday News judges have final say on whether each entry is fad or drab when we pick first-place, second-place and third-place winners. Stay tuned for what the prizes are and find out what's happening on the sixth season of "Project Runway" with the "P. Runway" recap every Friday. (Photo: YDR File)

It's sticky and stormy, but at least it's Friday and FlipSide's got some weekend plans ready.

Find out what's playing at the Pullo Center this season.

Tune into MyRuralRadio to hear local artists. Speaking about radio, who control's your dials?

Can't make it to the Caribbean? Head to Lake Redman. Find out what's playing at the Pullo Center.
Stay dry and cool and catch up Monday with the Weekend Roundup. Ciao for now.

It's been almost a year since my last "Project Runway" recap. So much has changed. Barack Obama is president. Michael Jackson is dead and buried. And "Project Runway," the show Bravo built, was exiled to Lifetime. (Shall we call it television for women and trannies now?) My fingers trembled as I clicked the remote. My eyes watered during the opening credits. I told myself everything would be OK when I saw Tim Gunn. But the similar color scheme, sponsors and music didn't ease my fears that the network that's made too many bad made-for-TV movies would tarnish my precious "P. Runway."

Meeting the new cast didn't stop my quiet weeping. It was the typical parade of semi-coherent metrosexual/hipster arteests who may or may not already own boutiques or have names that make it through spell check. (Ra'mon-Lawrence, Qristyl, Gordana, Malvin= Fail). Everyone seems to be 23 and over dramatic, except Epperson. (Who I'm naturally rooting for.) There are also (how to be tactful?) interesting personal style choices. (Malvin's mohawk on 'roids, Ari's M.I.A. onesies and Louise's Kenley-esque timewarp) Where do they find these people? Urban Outfitters, Ikea, some "vintage" shop, Jupiter? It only took about 10 minutes for me to spot tears. At least I wasn't the only one clutching Kleenex. Read more on the jump.

2009 York Daily Record/Sunday News Summer Photo Contest winners:
First place: Melissa Witmer, 27, Springettsbury Township for "Brothers Enjoying a Summer Walk Along a Wheat Field" (pictured above)
Second place: Jennifer Martin, 37, Dallastown for "Run, Buddy, Run!"
Third place: Lisa Harris, 32, of Dover for "Ferris Wheel in Motion at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, Calif."

Winners received consecutively $75, $50 and $25 gift certificates to Brown's Orchards and Farm Markets. They were chosen by York Daily Record/Sunday News staff. View all entries at www.inyork.com/gallery. Click the jump for Sidewalk Chalk Contest winners.

York alt-bluegrass band Waitin on a Train released a new self-titled CD and 7-inch vinyl record last month.

The train whistle-blowin', washboard-scratchin' three-piece has been touring the Mid-Atlantic region, and their new song "You're Killin' Me" caught the ear of Sirius/XM radio host Wichita Rutherford.

The album is available at Tom's Music Trade, IKO's Music Trade, www.myspace.com/applesnitchrecords and at all Waitin On A Train shows. They play at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Fiddlers Convention in Felton. (Photo: submitted)

Check out the extended trailer for "The Beatles: Rock Band." It drops 9/9/09 and follows the group through each era of it's career. We're excited. Are you? Have you pre-ordered the game? Are you planning to camp out? Share your excitement on The Exchange.

In other Beatles news: Disney's thinking about remaking "Yellow Submarine," the 1968 cartoon based on The Beatles song.

Eric Hutchinson will open Kelly Clarkson's York Fair show at 8 p.m. Sept. 11 on the Toyota Grandstand, 334 Carlisle Ave. in West Manchester Township. Hutchinson's first single, "Rock & Roll" hit No. 1 on Triple A radio and is featured in the film "Away We Go." Hutchinson recently performed on "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien." Tickets are $38 and $44. See the jump for more concert announcements.

The FlipSide ladies seek relief from the summer heat with the lifeguards and swimmers at York's Graham Aquatic Center's outdoor pool. Dive on in.

The Rotary Club of Chambersburg hosts its inaugural Doo Wop Show Dec. 12 at the Capitol Theatre, 159 S. Main St. in Chambersburg. The concert will feature Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performers The Duprees and Charlie Thomas' Drifters.

There will be a matinee show at 4 p.m. and an evening show at 8 p.m. A post show reception with the artists will follow the evening concert in the Wood Center of the theater. Tickets are required for the reception. Concert tickets cost $40, $37 and $33. Reception tickets cost $20. Tickets are available through the Capitol Theatre box office, by phone at 263-0202 and online. Proceeds benefit the Rotary Club's scholarship program. (Photo: YDR File; Charlie Thomas)

The 14th Annual Millennium Music Conference will be held Feb. 18 to 21, 2010 at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center in Camp Hill.

The conference features three days of music industry keynote speakers, panels, clinics, workshops and mentoring sessions. More than 150 music industry professionals will attend. Early registration is $55

About 28 Harrisburg bars, restaurants and coffeehouses will host nighttime artist showcases. More than 250 acts from across the country will be selected from showcase submissions through Dec. 8. Original acts can submit electronic press kits at www.sonicbids.com/mmc14 or call John Harris at 221-1124. Showcase applications fee is $20. (Photo: Submitted; Comic Book Heroes played MMC 2009.)

Local company Vengeance Clothing Ltd. hosts a skateboard competition Oct. 3 at Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark, 941 Vander Ave. in York.

During the Shoptoberfest event, teams from across the Mid-Atlantic region will compete. Each shop will send four riders to four obstacles. The team with the best overall score at the end will earn $2000 in cash. The second-place prize is $500, third-place prize is $250 and the best-rider prize is $250.

Reid Menzer Memorial Skatepark celebrates its one-year anniversary Sept. 5 with a day of contests, food, giveaways and art. (Photo: YDR File)

1. Headed to Harrisburg to hear Tim Warfield Thursday (and all that jazz).

2. Attended a farewell fete in Baltimore. (Fake moustaches and cigars were optional.)

3. Saw "500 Days of Summer." (Click here to read a full review.)

4. Mourned the loss of two music greats. (R.I.P. Les Paul and Jim Dickinson.)

5. Watched the season three premiere of "Man Men." (My life has meaning again.)

Sometimes I get bored writing about what I did. What were the highlights of your weekend? Please share!(Photo: AP)

So last week my favorite celeb blogger Perez Hilton created a new fashion-related site: Coco Perez.

Like a pink frosted cupcake it's delicious, decadent and diva-licious. Believe me, you'll want to come back for seconds and thirds. Yum.

Click here to watch Mr. Hilton's over-the-top introduction, then add it to your RSS feed or risk being seriously out of style. (Photo: AP)

"500 Days of Summer" finally came to the area last weekend, and I finally got to see it. And this visual gem of a movie was all about seeing: Airy lofts, whimsical wardrobe, Los Angeles architecture (who knew?) and a gorgeous wedding. (Don't get excited. As the deep-voiced narrator warned at the beginning: "This is not a love story.")

But it was hard not to fall for the soundtrack (The Smiths, Regina Spektor, Doves, etc.), time-shifting story and cast. (Joseph Gordon-Levitt at his "10 Things I Hate About You" best made an irresistible suitor for the charmingly cruel Zooey Deschanel.) A fellow moviegoer was initially afraid that this would turn into "Garden State II." It was a real concern. The amazing-but-that-would-never-happen-in-real-life moments were piling up. (Including an almost gag-worthy waltz through Ikea. Don't real hipsters hate the mod furniture mecca?) Read the rest of the review on the jump.

If I could have one wish, I would wish to be a rock star -- specifically Debbie Harry. She's a punk/pop icon and she's still rocking out at 64. Move over Gwen Stefani -- I think have a new idol.

I've always been a fan of Blondie's music, so I was pretty excited to see them live for the first time at MusicFest in Bethlehem. The Donnas and Pat Benatar opened, and while my friend and I completely missed The Donnas, we managed to catch Pat Benatar's encore of "Heartbreaker."

Check out the video of the impromptu dance party to spread the news about the 2009 Governor's Awards for the Arts in downtown York Friday. Let FlipSide help you keep the beat going this weekend.

Rock out at the Purple Door Festival in Lewisberry. Head to Family Fun Fest at Sovereign Bank Stadium. Grab a burger at Brickyard Tavern. Meet acoustic rapper Partick Hooker. Check back Monday for the Weekend Roundup. Ciao for now.

The Aerosmith concert originally scheduled for Friday, July 3 at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey was postponed earlier this summer. That show has now been cancelled. For details about ticket refunds, visit www.aeroforceone.com and www.livenation.com.

According to a Hershey press release, Aerosmith cancelled the remainder of their summer tour due to injuries singer Steven Tyler sustained last week when he fell from the stage during a concert in Sturgis, S.D. Aerosmith postponed its July concert at Hersheypark Stadium because of an "artist injury," Hershey publicist Melissa Stradnick said. ZZ Top, who played the 2008 York Fair, was also on the concert bill.

According to Aerosmith's Web site, aeroforceone.com, band members have had setbacks recently. In 2007, bassist Tom Hamilton underwent treatment for throat cancer. During their current tour, singer Steven Tyler came down with pneumonia, guitarist Joe Perry underwent knee surgery and guitarist Brad Whitford had surgery on his head.

Boy meets girl. They make beautiful music together. They break up. This is the story of singer/songwriter Pete Yorn and model/actress/singer Scarlett Johansson's album "Break Up," due out Sept. 15. Check out the video for the single "Relator" to the left. (The two never actually dated, but they do have chemistry.)

This album (which was recorded in 2006) already seems better than Johansson's lukewarm 2008 Tom Waits collaboration "Anywhere I Lay My Head." Yorn recently toured with Coldplay and dropped his fourth studio album "Back and Fourth."

I love Yorn. But just because Johansson and can carry a tune in her underware doesn't make her an artist. (Maybe I'm just jealous because she's married to this guy.)

Calling all bookworms: The ninth annual Book Blast kicks off at 9 a.m. today at the Agricultural and Industrial Museum of York County, 217 W. Princess St. in York.

The event runs through Saturday and boasts thousands of used books for sale, including modern fiction, history, cookbooks and lots more. Hardcovers cost $2 and paperbacks cost $1. There is also a section of collectable/local history titles that are individually priced.

This is the perceft place to stop by before vacation, so you can pick up a few titles to read on the beach. Happy hunting. (Photo: YDR File)

Les Paul, the guitarist and inventor who changed the course of music with the electric guitar, died on Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 94.

Paul experimented with guitar amplification and created a wood strung instrument with steel strings in 1941. In 1952, Gibson Guitars began manufacturing his designs.

Paul earned 36 gold records and 11 No. 1 pop hits with Mary Ford, his wife from 1949 to 1962. He won two Grammys for an album he released after his 90th birthday, "Les Paul & Friends: American Made, World Played."

Artists including Pete Townsend of The Who, Steve Howe of Yes and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page made the Gibson Les Paul their trademark guitars. (Photo: AP)

Just kidding. Wednesday, The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and CBS ditched controversial plans to time-shift the Sept. 20 Emmy telecast.

According to Variety, The Academy had intended to pre-tape eight award presentations before the 8 p.m. (5 p.m. PT) start of the live three-hour telecast and then run clips of those presentations throughout the ceremony. Faced with declining ratings for the awards, the Academy planned the time-shift to add more entertainment components and focus on more popular TV shows. Now, this year's telecast will include the usual roster of 28 presentations.

The Emmys are suffering from an identity crisis this year. In May, the Academy moved the telecast to Sept. 13 after realizing the awards were scheduled at the same time as NBC's Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants football game. Two weeks later, the date shifted back to Sept. 20 since the Sept. 13 date conflicted with the MTV VMAs. Oy Vey! All these switches are worse than a long, boring telecast. At least they got one thing right: Neil Patrick Harris is the host. (Photo: AP)

Jay-Z and Lady Gaga perform at the 2009 MTV VMAs Sept. 13. I'm going nuts. (Get a preview to the left.) The lineup also includes Taylor Swift and Green Day.

Jay-Z drops his highly anticipated "The Blueprint 3" album days before. And Gaga, well, her outfits and music are out of control. Russell Brand (looove him) hosts. Is it too soon to predict a ratings bump for MTV? Check out the nominees here.

Country Current -- The United States Navy Band's country ensemble --presents a free concert 7:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at Penn State York's Pullo Family Performing Arts Center, 1031 Edgecomb Ave. in Spring Garden Township. The group has performed at the White House, the Grand Ole Opry and Nashville Now! The concert is free, but tickets are required. Tickets are available by calling The Pullo Center Box Office at 505-8900 or visiting the box office in the Pullo Center. (Photo: www.navyband.navy.mi)

Everyone has a dream job. You know, the one that would cause you to leap out of bed in the morning to start your day.

We'd like to hear about it. Write a "help wanted" ad describing your dream job and qualifications, using no more than 50 words. Have fun with it.

E-mail it to mburke@ydr.com by Aug. 22. Include your name, age, municipality and a daytime phone number.

A 14-second teaser of the "New Moon" trailer is out. The entire preview can be seen before the film "Bandslam," which opens this weekend.

For the movie, you must wait until Nov. 20.

It doesn't take much for shoes to attract my attention, but these in particular caught my eye.

Five reasons why I love these skater shoes:

1. They're vegan, composed of vegetable fiber, synthetic leather, organic canvas, etc.
2. Even if you're not into the vegan movement, they're made by the company Macbeth, founded by Blink-182's frontman Tom Delonge.
3. And who isn't excited to support the band that's gotten back together after all these years? (Read Erin's post about their return here. Then go see the boys Wednesday night at HersheyPark Stadium with Panic at the Disco, Fall Out Boy and Chester French.)
4. Back to the shoes, they're available at Journeys in the York Galleria Mall.
5. Or, if you haven't had your fill of the beach yet this summer, head to Ocean City, Md., where you can find the shoes at K Coast. There, you can score New Found Glory's latest album, "Not Without a Fight," with a Macbeth shoe purchase (while supplies last).

According to the Financial Times, McDonald's is cleaning up with its cheap designer coffee drinks, which it calls "unsnobby." After launching its McCafé brand, the company's seen increased sales. It also threw a jab at Starbucks via West Coast billboards that claimed "four bucks is dumb."

Don't count Starbucks out just yet (even though they closed many stores.) They're coming back swinging with a new mini card. It's so cute and, apparently, endorsed by the New York Times. They also have a slogan: "It's not just coffee. It's Starbucks." Hmm. McDonald's wins that contest, but there's still that that pesky obesity issue.

But Starbucks actually isn't that much more expensive than McCafe beverages. According to the Seattle P.I. (and those people know coffee) a 12-ounce is about $1.40 at Starbucks- a penny more than McDonald's. A small McDonald's latte costs $1.99 compared with $2.45 to $3.15 at Starbucks. What do you guys think? Team Starbucks or Team McDonald's? I think I'll stick with my 16-oz. Rutters coffee with cream and sugar thank you very much. (Photo: YDR File)

I'm thankful that two award-winning shows are starting up again soon. (If for no other reason than I need something to watch besides trashy reality shows.)

"Mad Men" starts Sunday. Watch annoyingly vague cast interviews about season three to the left. (Click here to watch a sexier promo. Looks like there's more alcohol, affairs and A-line skirts in the show's future.)

I have my fingers crossed that "Project Runway" can bring classy back to Lifetime. The series starts Aug. 20. Click here to watch a preview. (Are contestants required to have strange names?)

GreenGurl Productions premieres its play "Singin Wid A Sword In Ma Han" at 3:45 p.m. Sunday at the Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal St. in Greenwich Village.
The play was written by and will be performed by York native Vienna Carroll at the 13th annual New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) -- the largest multi-arts festival in North America.

Carroll, who received her BA in African-American studies and political science from Yale University, wrote "Singin" about York's Underground Railroad history. The play is set in the 1850s and focuses on a young woman whose family escapes from a Maryland plantation to Columbia along the Underground Railroad. (Photo: Dixie Sheridan)

The annual ritual where 13-year-olds all across America vote for stars twice their age that play their peers on the small and big screens, aka the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, went down Sunday. (The show airs 8 p.m. Monday on Fox.)

Miley Cyrus, J. Bros, Twilight bros and a whole bunch of other stars that you may or may not have heard of graced the red carpet. (Check out last year's shameless celebs to the right. Do these people want a useless surfboard that badly?)

Twilight won about a dozen awards. Don't act like you're surprised or that you're not sick of all the headline puns. (See above.) Read about the winners and watch more videos. Check out the fashions. The best parts were definitely Kathy Griffin's date (more shamelessness) and the Bop It! sponsorship. (I friggin' love that game!)

This story is historically funny. It's a 1969 piece by the staid, decidedly unhip New York Times about Woodstock that shows the writer/paper struggling to explain the event to its readers -- almost none of whom, it seems safe to say, would have gone to Woodstock, let alone approved of it.

So the story puts quotes around all the key words and then tries to explain them. From 40 years down the road, I'm reading this thinking of Saturday Night Live's Chris Farley doing his skit with the "air quotes." I counted words in quotes 16 times.

At one point, the story talks about "soft drugs" that allow users to "groove" on the sounds. It continues:

'This means that the electronically amplified vibrations are heard almost to the exclusion of any other extraneous sounds. It is a kind of intense concentration, according to many of the marijuana users who came to the festival.'

Guess you have to give the Times an "A" for "effort."

The late Heath Ledger's music video for Modest Mouse song "King Rat" debuted on MySpace this week. (watch it here)
Visually, the video is really interesting. The design reminds me of Thom Yorke's "Eraser" album and Monty Python's "Holy Grail" animation.
Word of warning though, the images are pretty disturbing: Slovenly whales manning a fishing boat that's out to catch humans.
The pairing of scurvy knaves hooking terrified sea people and lead singer Isaac Brock's snarl makes for one creepy video. The message is effective though: I'm crossing fish off my menu plans for a while.

John Hughes, who brought us the fun-loving Ferris Bueller, the snarky crew of "The Breakfast Club" and the hopelessly unhip Griswold family, died of a heart attack at 59 on Thursday.
While I'm not an out-and-out Hughes fanatic, as a kid my family loved to watch and re-watch "American Lampoons Vacation" on a Friday night.
Read more about Hughes here

Heritage Hills and Impact Entertainment host Comedy Night with Joe DeRose and special guests Michael Worthington and Jay Larson in the Windows Ballroom at Heritage Hills Golf Resort and Conference center, 2700 Mount Rose Ave. in York Township.
Performances start at 7 p.m. Friday.
DeRosa, originally from Philadelphia, has appeared on "Last Call with Carson Daly" and Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" with Dave Chappelle and Dave Attell. Worthington, a New York City comedian has performed in more than 75 venues. Larson has performed on "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson" and Comedy Central's "Live at Gotham."
Tickets are $15 in advance or $18 at the door, and dinner and show packages are available.
For details and tickets, visit www.hhgr.com/comedy or call 755-0123.

Wax Attack 2009 will be held 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Aug. 28 at Club XS, 36 W. 11th Ave. in North York.
Whitehead and Conscious will perform, and guest judges will be on hand for a battle of the DJs. The event's open to all DJs.
Tickets are $5 in advance and $7 at the door.
Tickets and DJ sign ups are available at Music and More by Williams, 52 W. Philadelphia St. in York; Panache Plus, 405 W. Market in York; the New Hub Store, 51 S. George St. in York; Midtown Soul, 908 N. Third St. in Harrisburg.