Playlists
Slipper S.O.B.'S
Any mention of The Eels conjures up thoughts of quirky, playful, and oftentimes beautiful music. With songs appearing in the movies Shrek and Anniversary Party and their hit single "Novocaine for the Soul," The Eels show their pop influences but with a dark twist. Their latest release, Shootenanny!, is a venture into heavy blues territory, done according to the old Eels formula.
Guides Listings
Philadelphia Charge vs. San Diego Spirit Villanova Stadium 800 Lancaster Ave. Villanova, Pa. Sat, June 14, 8 p.m. $10-30 (215) 467-GOAL www.philadelphiacharge.com The Philadelphia Charge were on my flight out to California in April, and I sat behind Lorrie Fair and next to Jenny Benson.
Four letter words
Director Scott Roberts' first movie, The Hard Word, is the movie Guy Ritchie should have made last summer when he was otherwise busy destroying his career with the Madonna bomb Swept Away. Originally filmed under the title Blood and Guts, this hyperactive Aussie crime-flick bombards the audience with a jumble of new and re-used ideas that somehow add up to a very enjoyable film.
St. Elsewhere
This is the most difficult Metallica album I have ever listened to, and I have listened to them all more times than I care to admit.
I'm pins, you're needles, let's play
If you've ever been to a packed, standing-room-only concert, you've felt the nauseating swell of excitement and terror one can encounter while being pressed up against the body in front of you as the entire crowd sways from one direction to the next, independent of your own control.
Fred Durst, said right
New wave might be thought of as a sound of the past, but with his debut album, Ethiopian-born Kenna shows that it can be very current.
Who's Tommy?
Tommy Dinic's is a minimalist place. A countertop with barstools rings a small area where one waitress and three cooks bustle about filling orders.
Canadian Beauty
In elementary school, I never understood Canada. After all, it certainly wasn't America, so I wondered what exactly they did up there.
Whatcha Gonna Do Brotha
We've been getting movies from World Wrestling Entertainment for about a year now. Apparently, Vince McMahon -- yes, we're going to assume that the WWE owner himself ships out the videotapes -- thinks that Penn students are a prime market for shoulderblocks, bodyslams and pinfalls. We didn't agree, until now.
Predictable, in a good way
As a heist movie The Italian Job is more predictable than a holdup at Commerce Bank, but it proves that knowing what happens next isn't a sin.
Disc Resurrection
Where the hell is my Fugees CD? Somehow, in the midst of the final exam frenzy, I seemed to have misplaced a musical masterpiece.
Thou shalt not laugh
With his dramatic career floundering at the box office, Jim Carrey needed the spotlight back. Carrey tries to revisit his Ace Ventura roots by contorting his body and coining new catchphrases in his new comedy, Bruce Almighty, but none of them hit the mark. Carrey stars as Bruce, a down-on-his-luck TV reporter who blames God for all of his troubles.
Volcanic
The word 'beautiful' is on everyone's lips at Vesuvio. But owner Michael Anthony D'Adessi's phrase "It's a beautiful thing" couldn't be overused - it's the best way to describe this elegant, but relaxed, family owned Italian restaurant.
Smooth and Tasty
It's always refreshing to hear a band not afraid to bring plenty of different styles into its playing, and Soulive is just such a band.
Organic Chemistry
Against an afternoon canvas of a gray sky, each store in the strip at 47th and Spruce streets bleeds into the next -- College Laundromat into Productos mexicanos y sudamericanos into Fast Printing into Penn Pizza and Restaurant.
Listings: Concerts
Dixie Dregs Theater of the Living Arts 334 South Street Thu, April 24, 9 p.m. $25 adv/ $28 dos www.ticketmaster.com I do not completely understand when musicians disband and then get back together about twenty years later.
Two parties match wits in debate
Houston Hall was host to a virtual orgy of political wit, wisdom and rhetoric as the College Republicans clashed with the College Democrats as part of the Penn Forum Tuesday night. With nothing off limits, discussion turned heated as panelists covered topics such as abortion, gun control and tax policy. After both sides delivered brief opening statements, moderator and Wharton professor Charles Forer fielded and helped clarify questions -- in addition to trying in vain to limit the time each side spent responding. Asked about what they thought their parties could do to attract more minorities and increase diversity, each group took a different approach. The Republicans chose to emphasize their record of support for minorities. "We're the party of Lincoln," College Republicans Chair Dan Gomez said.
Review: Russian Ark
Alexander Sokurov's Russian Ark is the first feature to be shot in one single, unedited take.
Streetbeats
Penn Vice Provost and Library Director turns himself in for suspected child porn -- Ironically, this finally proves that the Internet is better than a library for finding material you want. Philadelphia woman and boyfriend convicted after becoming too physical in 12 year old's sex education -- Which is too bad, because Street always wanted our sex ed.
