03.28 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
03.29 - Washington, DC - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
03.31 - Boston, MA - Somerville Theatre
04.01 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
04.02 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
04.04 - Toronto, ON - The Mod
04.05 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
04.06 - Chicago, IL - Park West 04.07 - Minneapolis, MN - Pantages Theatre
04.09 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre
04.11 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Theatre
04.13 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
04.14 - San Francisco, CA - Palace of Fine Arts
04.16 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
03.12 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.13 - SXSW - Austin, TX
03.17 - Plaza Club - Vancouver BC
03.18 - Aladdin - Portland, OR
03.19 - Neumo’s - Seattle WA
03.21 - Slims - San Francisco, CA
03.22 - Club Mercy - Santa Barbara, CA
03.24 - Casbah - San Diego, CA
03.25 - Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA
03.26 - Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
03.27 - Chandler Gilbert Community College - Phoenix, AZ
03.28 - Estrella Mountain Community College - Phoenix, AZ
03.29 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
03.31 - The Loft - Dallas, TX
04.01 - Warehouse Live Studio - Houston, TX
04.03 - The Parish - New Orleans, LA
04.04 - The Loft - Atlanta. GA
04.06 - Ramshead - Annapolis, MD
04.07 - 930 Club - Washington, DC
04.08 - Paradise - Boston, MA
04.09 - Irving Plaza - New York, NY
04.11 - Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
04.12 - Iron Horse - Northampton, MA
04.13 - La Tulipe - Montreal, QC
04.14 - Mod Club - Toronto, ONT
04.16 - Blind Pig - Ann Arbor, MI
04.17 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
04.18 - Martyrs - Chicago, IL 04.19 - Varsity Theatre - Minneapolis, MN
04.21 - Fox Theatre - Boulder, CO
04.22 - Belly Up - Aspen, CO
04.23 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
With filming about to start on February 18th, famed music video director Mark Romanek has walked off of Universal Pictures’ Wolfman remake, citing creative differences.
There’s been a lot of tension between the studio and Romanek for months now, according to inside sources. Universal has apparently been looking over his shoulder the whole time, not entirely sure what they were going to get from the director.
With stars Benicio del Toro, Emily Blunt, and Anthony Hopkins still attached, the studio plans to find a new director in coming weeks.
In this hilarious, critically acclaimed arcade showdown, a humble novice goes head-to-head against the reigning Donkey Kong champ in a confrontation that rocks the gaming world to its processors! For over 20 years, Billy Mitchell has owned the throne of the Donkey Kong world. No one could beat his top score until now. Newcomer Steve Wiebe claims to have beaten the unbeatable, but Mitchell isn’t ready to renquish his crown without a fight. Go behind the barrels as the two battle it out in a vicious war to earn the title of the true King of Kong.
Routing has been announced for this years Warped Tour. No venues have been confirmed yet but you can bet that the Minneapolis date will be at the Metrodome again. I haven’t gone to the Warped Tour the last few years because the lineups have been utter crap but there are a handful of really good bands this year so I may have to venture out.
06.20 - Pomona, CA
06.21 - San Francisco, CA
06.22 - Ventura, CA
06.25 - Phoenix, AZ
06.26 - Las Cruces, NM
06.28 - Salt Lake City, UT
06.29 - Denver, CO
07.01 - St. Louis, MO
07.02 - Kansas City, KS
07.03 - Dallas, TX
07.05 - San Antonio, TX
07.06 - Houston, TX
07.09 - Atlanta, GA
07.10 - Orlando, FL
07.11 - Tampa, FL
07.12 - Miami, FL
07.13 - Jacksonville, FL
07.14 - Charlotte, NC
07.15 - Virginia Beach, VA
07.16 - Washington DC
07.17 - Cleveland, OH
07.18 - Detroit, MI Co
07.19 - Toronto, ON
07.20 - Montreal, ON
07.22 - Buffalo, NY
07.23 - Boston, MA
07.24 - Englishtown, NJ
07.25 - Philadelphia, PA
07.26 - New York, NY
07.27 - Scranton, PA
07.29 - Pittsburgh, PA
07.30 - Cincinnati, OH
07.31 - Indianapolis, IN
08.01 - Milwaukee, WI
08.02 - Chicago, IL 08.03 - Minneapolis, MN
08.06 - Calgary, AB
08.08 - Boise, ID
08.09 - Seattle, WA
08.10 - Portland, OR
08.13 - Fresno, CA
08.14 - San Diego, CA
08.15 - San Francisco, CA
08.16 - Sacramento, CA
08.17 - Los Angeles, CA
The Bronx - “They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy)”
“The Academy’s music branch executive committee has met and endorsed the validity of ‘Falling Slowly’ as a nominated achievement. The committee relied on written assurances and detailed chronologies provided by songwriter of ‘Falling Slowly’, the writer-director of Once and Fox Searchlight.”
“The genesis of the picture was unusually protracted, but director John Carney and songwriter Glen Hansard were working closely together in 2002 when the project that became Once was discussed. ‘Falling Slowly’ began to be composed, but the actual script and financing for the picture was delayed for several years, during which time Mr. Hansard and his collaborator Marketa Irglova played the song in some venues that were deemed inconsequential enough to not change the song’s eligibility.”
What an awful, stupid shame. Rumor has it that, post-nomination, Once may be disqualified from the Academy Awards in the Best Original Song category, where it deserves a sweeping win. We’ll have an update later this evening as the official word is supposed to come then.
From Greg Mitchell, editor of Editor & Publisher . . .
Here’s the likely cause: The song, “Falling Slowly,” appeared on two albums before the movie came out — a big no-no for the Academy — but the question is, was it written for the movie specifically and then ended up on the CDs as the film made its slow way to release? It appears on two excellent 2007 CDs by the writer and male star in the film, Glen Hansard: One is from his band, The Frames, called The Cost, and the other is the duet album he made with his co-star in the flick, Marketa Iglova, The Swell Season. You can see The Frames do it via YouTube. He was definitely asked to write original songs for the movie (he wasn’t supposed to appear in it himself at first) but whether “Falling Slowly” was one of them, I don’t know for sure.
FISHTANK, n 1: a familiar strangeness navigated by uncommon instinct. 2: the world as we know it. v 1: losing yourself in order to find what you left behind. adj 1: one’s life currently on display, not having previously been subjected to examination.
This original comedy production featuring Dominique Serrand, Stephen Epp, Jennifer Baldwin Peden, and Nathan Keepers opens at Theater de la Jeune Lune on February 16, running through March 22. Admission for anyone under 25 is just $9. Jenue Lune has produced some great original works in the past and this show looks to follow in that same style.
Few filmmakers have the cachet that del Toro has, as well as a deep love for the source material, an assured grasp of fantasy filmmaking and an understanding and command of geek culture as well as its respect. Del Toro has built that goodwill through such films as the Oscar-nominated Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Blade 2 (which was made by New Line) and The Devil’s Backbone.
Principal photography for the films, which will be shot simultaneously, is tentatively set for 2009. The production budget is estimated at $150 million per film. The release of the first film is slated for 2010 and the second in 2011.
2007’s barely-seen The Nines will be available on DVD this coming Tuesday, and its director has a lot of interesting things to say concerning its leakage on the internet.
“I’m not bouncy with joy over my movie getting torrented, but I think it’s a stretch to equate unlawful downloading with traditional theft. As many commenters have pointed out, The Nines isn’t available in any legal form in many countries around the world, nor will it be in any foreseeable time frame. So I have a hard time arguing that a reader in Germany should pay for the movie when there’s no way he could.”
“One of the things I hope to do with The Nines — sometime after the writers’ strike, when I can call Sony again — is work with them to release a low-res version of all the source material for The Nines, so budding filmmakers can try their hand at cutting (and re-cutting) a real feature. So I’m watching this first wave of torrents carefully, hoping the people who are downloading The Nines are doing it because they love movies, and not because they want to screw over some mythical The Man. Because to a very large degree, I am The Man in this case.”
Rancid has shed some light on the recording of their new record. The band had this to say:
“In late 2007 we all spent a few weeks together writing in Utah at Unknown Studios. The chemistry has been incredible and this record has come together very organically. All of the songs were written with us all 4 together in the same room. We hung out at Brandens house and when it wasn’t snowing we would play soccer, skate the ramp, and work on our UK Photobook.
Sometimes we’d just sit back and watch a Johnny Cash or Social Distortion dvd. We enjoyed having an environment where we could just relax and write with no pressure or distractions. Some days the snow would come down so much that it created a real feeling of solitude, bringing us together. Each night when we’d go out to eat at the local restaurants it was interesting to have us all together out in such a conservative community. It was like Rancid dining with the Osmonds, that was pretty much how it felt.
In early Jan 2008 we started recording the 7th Rancid record with producer Brett Gurewitz (who has produced 4 previous Rancid records). It’s coming along great and we’re deep into it at this point still currently tracking. With an expected release in June 2008, we are working hard and very proud of what we’ve done so far. We will post more info, videos and photos from our writing and recording sessions soon!”
Rancid - “Bloodclot” (from the Life Won’t Wait LP)
