Last Day At The Old Place

It has very recently (like, last night) come to my attention that venerable Toronto record retailer Rotate This will be leaving it's home of 18 years at 620 Queen St West as of the end of today's business day. I'm not sure I wasn't aware of this situation sooner, since I'm usually at the store every other week stocking up on tickets for local concerts (waaaaaaay more reasonable service charges than TicketBastards if you didn't already know).

Much to my relief (and, I'm sure, that of others), the store will not be closing but rather taking up residence at the more spacious location of 801 Queen St West, mere steps from their old digs. The RT crew aren't wasting anytime either - they plan to be up and running again the very next day (June 1). These indie kids are no slackers.

So, really, the big move is good news for all. Still, old school customers like myself might take awhile to adjust. First Ben moves the island on Lost and now this! (That's right, I went there.) To help ease the transition, I'm off to pay my last respects to the soon-to-be vacated space.

Flashing Lights (Lights Lights Lights)

You wouldn't think it would be difficult to dislike a man who refers to himself as the Louis Vuitton Don and constantly makes self-proclamations of brilliance. However, something about Kanye West is just so endearing. He's genuinely creative, be it via his skills as an MC/producer or his wicked awesome website/blog and, really, if he didn't possess that ginormous ego it's not likely he would have done something like create three videos for the same single.

That's right. Flashing Lights, the fourth single from West's album Graduation, now boasts a third video less than a week after the second one appeared. Here are all three clips, in order of release.













The word from the Kanye camp seems to be that only the original bizarre and suggestively violent, Spike Jonze co-directed video is the official release while the other two are alternates, unintentionally "leaked" on the Internet.

Um, yeah.

Clearly a considerable amount of money was spent on the most recent version and even the indie/art school second version has professional production values, so I don't know that I'm buying the "we never intended anybody to see these" story.

Eh, whatever. They're all pretty cool. While we're on the topic, I'm just going to go ahead and post the video for the Colin Munroe version of Flashing Lights. I wonder if this clip counts in the final tally.

Yay! More Singing Actresses!

Don't stuff cotton balls in your ears just yet. This snippet of Keira Knightley singing Tahitian Moon is actually quite good yet, more importantly, is not indicative of any ambitions towards a full-fledged singing career. Knightley is merely doing her best to fulfill the obligations of her role as lounge singer Vera Phillips in the upcoming Dylan Thomas biopic The Edge of Love.

Again, I'd have to say I think that Keira does a respectable job with the singing but don't expect her to release any albums of her own. The actress has gone on record to say how horrifying she found the whole singing experience.

Actress Keira Knightley was left traumatised after having to show off her vocal talents in new film The Edge of Love.The star, 23, was terrified of singing in front of an audience - and has vowed never to sing in public again.She says, "I did some lessons with a voice coach because I can't sing. There were 100 extras and John (Maybury, the director) was like, 'Now you're going to sing...'"I've never been so frightened in my entire life."And Knightley admits the experience was so horrific, she'll never embark on a career in the music industry.She tells Total Film, "I don't know how singers do it. I never want to have to do it again. I don't want to be a rock star."

The Edge of Love also stars Sienna Miller, Ciaran Hinds and Matthew Rhys - as far as I know, none of them sing. Check out the trailer below.

More Fierce Females Celebrate Birthdays Today

Gladys Knight (64)

Midnight Train To Georgia

Kylie Minogue (40)

I Believe In You

Jen C. (age withheld so she doesn't kick my ass). Happy spa-ing today girl!

Happy Birthday Siousxie Sioux!

Fierce in her 20s...

Christine




...fierce in her 50s!

Into A Swan

It's A Girl!

Well, actually, it's a few girls. Like, maybe 3 or 4 - less than half a dozen anyway. That's about how many females are included among the new artists added to the Virgin Festival Toronto 2008 lineup.



The big one (for me, at least) is Robyn, who is set to tear it up this year much in the same way M.I.A. did last year. Other estrogen-laced acts include The Airborne Toxic Event, Silversun Pickups and Sons and Daughters.


Robyn Who's That Girl

Additions of the penis-only variety include Danko Jones, The Fratellis and The Kooks.

Late Night TV Preview: May 26 - 31, 2008

Here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night TV in the coming week. Note: * indicates an encore episode (which, this week, seems like pretty much all of them).


MONDAY

• The B-52s - Tonight Show with Jay Leno* (11:35pm - NBC, A-Channel)
• Estelle - Late Show with David Letterman* (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)
• Stone Temple Pilots - Jimmy Kimmel Live* (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)
• Black Mountain - Late Night with Conan O'Brien* (12:35am - NBC, A-Channel)
• Lupe Fiasco - Last Call with Carson Daly* (1:35am - NBC)

Lupe Fiasco Paris, Tokyo



TUESDAY

• Jay-Z & Mary J. Blige - Tavis Smiley* (11pm - WNED)
  
• The Roots w/Chrisette Michele - Letterman*
• Neil Diamond - Kimmel*
• Grand Archives - Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson* (12:35am - CBS, E!)

The Roots w/Chrisette Michele & Wale Rising Up


WEDNESDAY

• Prince - Leno*
• Norah Jones - Letterman*
• Estelle - Kimmel
• Morrissey - Ferguson

THURSDAY

• Carole King - Tavis*
  
• Alicia Keys - Letterman*
• Serj Tankian - Carson*

FRIDAY

• Shooter Jennings - Conan*
• Mike Doughty - Ferguson*

SATURDAY

• My Morning Jacket - Saturday Night Live* (11:30pm - NBC, GlobalTV)

Happy Victoria Day!

Late Night TV Preview: May 19 - 24, 2008

Here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night TV in the coming week. Note: * indicates an encore episode.


MONDAY

• Devotchka - Late Night with Conan O'Brien (12:35am - NBC, A-Channel)
• Estelle - Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:35am - CBS, E!)
• Ben Harper - Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35am - NBC)

TUESDAY

• Mates of State - Conan
• Flobots - Carson

WEDNESDAY

• Atmosphere - Conan
• k.d. lang - Ferguson

THURSDAY

• Republic Tigers - Late Show with David Letterman (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)
  
• Death Cab For Cutie - Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)

FRIDAY

• Neil Diamond - Kimmel
• Duffy - Ferguson

SATURDAY

• Gnarls Barkley - Saturday Night Live* (11:30pm - NBC, GlobalTV)

Gnarls Barkley Going On

As Long As We're All Clear That The Ginger Prince Is Mine

Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandchild, Peter Phillips, married Montreal business consultant Autumn Kelly today in a relatively modest ceremony at Windsor Castle in England. The wedding was attended by the extended family and friends of both bride and groom and marked the first royal nuptials in almost 10 years. Kelly is the first Canadian to marry into the House of Windsor.




Phillips, the son of Princess Anne and her ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips, is 11th in line to the throne though he carries no royal title.

Things That Happen When I Don't Watch The View

1. I am at peace.


2. I stifle my fantasy to violently shake Sherri Shepherd, bitch-slap Elizabeth Hasselback, stuff a sock into the mouth of Barbara Walters and force Whoopi Goldberg off of this insipid blab-fest from the seventh circle of hell and back into doing random guest appearances on 30 Rock.


3. I miss Robyn tearin' shit up Cobrastyle with a Teddybears-ish backup band and terrifying an unsuspecting mid-morning show audience.

OK, So Maybe This Will Become A Regular(ish) Feature

Two new videos for you today - one from N.E.R.D. and the other from Ladytron.

The video for the Everyone Nose, the N.E.R.D. track, illustrates the song's theme of party girls doing the party girl thing nudge-nudge-wink-wink-know-what-I-mean. It features a cameo by (supposedly reformed) queen party girl Lindsay Lohan. Or maybe it's just footage of her they ripped from TMZ - it's really hard to tell. Pharrell looks hot. Yeah, that's all I've got.

I initially found clip for the Ladytron track Ghosts quite off-putting because all the members appear strolling around in broad daylight, which I had presumed was impossible for creatures of translucent complexions. Then I got freaked by all the creepy, rapidly multiplying rabbits. Then I became obsessed with Helen's adorable metallic, strappy sandals. You can tell she's also quite pleased with her fancy footwear given how many shots in the video are devoted to them. Three cheers for comped wardrobe!

Sweet Swede Pop

I don't know what it is exactly but when it comes to great pop music, somehow the Swedes just get it. The Cardigans, The Concretes, Robyn and Peter Bjorn & John (among many others) all create head-bopping, toe-tapping tunes that manage to resonate far deeper into the psyche than should be reasonably expected. I even give props to ABBA - yeah, you probably never need to hear Dancing Queen again as long as you live but their body of work and career success truly is beyond impressive.

Fairly new to the scene is 22-year old Lykke Li. I saw her perform on a co-headlining bill with El Perro del Mar (another great Swedish band) this past Sunday. Honestly, I can't quite put into words why I find her so intriguing. At first glance, she seems to be no more than a Scandinavian version of Cassie (who, um, I actually also kind of like - try not to judge me too harshly) though, further listens reveal a talented lyricist with a real passion for what she's singing. Also, she knows to stay the hell away from Diddy (at least for now).

Below is video of a stripped down version of the Lykke Li single I'm Good, I'm Gone featuring guest appearances from a few of her Swedish contemporaries. If you like what you hear, head on over to her official website for a free download of one of her earlier songs, Tonight.

Versace Is Out, Comme Des Garçons Is In

H&M announced last week that avant garde Japanese label Comme des Garçons, founded by head designer Rei Kawakubo, would be latest to collaborate with the clothing retail giant on an exclusive diffusion line, due sometime this November. Past collaborations from Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf and Roberto Cavalli respectively have all proved wildly successful, often causing consumer hysteria and selling out within minutes of hitting the racks.

However, word now comes that CDG were perhaps not the first choice. Apparently, H&M approached Versace but were turned down because the Italian fashion house wanted to maintain the integrity of it's luxury brand. Head designer Donatella Versace explained:

"I respect everyone who does it. But the reason I didn't do it is because I worked very hard to put the Versace line in the luxury section. I think to put the Versace line in H&M would confuse the brand." [source]

Though I've been a fan of most of these H&M designer collaborations (and not so much of Versace), I completely understand where Donatella is coming from and I respect her, not only for sticking to her principles but also for being so forthright about it.

That being said, I'm very excited (and somewhat curious, see video below) about the CDG line. November can't get here fast enough. In the meantime, here's a sample of we might expect.

Comme des Garçons Spring/Summer 2008

Like I Need The Competition

If you're a fan of Toronto Star pop culture critic Malene Arpe and, in particular, her whip-smart Sunday Stargazing column, here's some news that will make your Monday. She just launched her own blog and it's chock full of the same acerbic wit found in her print articles. That's right, I said "chock full".

If you're not familiar with Arpe's work, I can tell you she spends a good deal of time
obsessing over celebrity hairlines, the fantasy/sci-fi genre (I don't car if those are two different things, so don't bother complaining), child stars in various stages of fame and Pete Doherty. If none of these things interest you, I'd still suggest you check out the blog because she really is just that funny.

Should you wish to thank me for pointing you in the direction of yet another trivial distraction, I do accept payment in cash and Zesty Cheese Doritos - and you're welcome.

Late Night TV Preview: May 12 - 17, 2008

Here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night TV in the coming week. Note: * indicates an encore episode.


MONDAY

• N.E.RD. - Late Show with David Letterman (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)

TUESDAY

• Death Cab For Cutie - Letterman
• Duffy - Late Night with Conan O'Brien (12:35am - NBC, A-Channel)

WEDNESDAY

• Carly Simon - Tavis Smiley (11pm - WNED)
• Joe Jackson - Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)
  
• Black Keys - Conan

THURSDAY

• MGMT - Conan
• Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35am - NBC)

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Think I Wanna Die



FRIDAY

• Alison Moyet - Graham Norton Show (10pm - BBC Canada)
• Natalie Imbruglia - Graham Norton Show (11pm - BBC Kids)
  
• Kathleen Edwards - Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35pm - NBC, A-Channel)
  

SATURDAY

• Usher - Saturday Night Live (11:30pm - NBC, GlobalTV)

Sloan Watch 2008

I bet you've been wondering what Canadian rock cuties Sloan have been up to recently. Well, let's just say that you have. Boy, have I got news for you!

Parallel Play, the ninth studio album from the band, is due to be released on June 10 (my birthday, hint hint) and contains 13 new songs including lead off single Believe In Me. You can check out audio samples of the entire Sloan discography here.

As well, Sloan are planning a brief 5-date US tour in support of the release which includes a June 19 stop at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC. A full Canadian tour is scheduled for the fall.

While we're waiting for the Sloan machine to crank into full gear, here's the band in a promo from a recently aired episode of the series Beautiful Noise. Yeah, I've never hear of the show either so I missed seeing this ep but, since it airs on SunTV I'm optimistic that it will be repeated sometime in the near future.

Snoop Gets Sudsy

Rapper Snoop Dogg appeared yesterday (May 8) on the long-running ABC soap opera One Life To Live. It was the first of a 2-episode guest spot, the second of which airs today. I think the premise is that the D-O-doubleG is the entertainment at a stag-ette party. Not that it should matter - any Snoop sighting is a joy to behold.

Here's footage of part 1, I'll post part 2 when I have it.

Edit: As promised...

New Video Thursday!

Don't let that title mislead you. This probably isn't going to be a regular feature but it's late in the day and I just needed to get a move on already.

Moving on...

First up, we have one for Three Women, the new single from Stereolab off their upcoming Chemical Chords LP. The clip and song pretty much prove that, after nearly 20 years and more than a dozen releases, the band is more than happy to stick to trippy psychedelic electro-Gallic pop vibe that they've come to be known for. No complaints here.







Next, we have a new one from Interpol. Sort of. The video is for the single Rest My Chemistry, from their most recent album Our Love To Admire. However, the band had nothing to do with it. It's basically just a really well done fan creation and, since Interpol were happy with the finished product and had no real plans to release any other singles from the album, the band have given the clip their full endorsement.

MBV Heading To The T-Dot

And some other places, too, I guess. Just keep scrolling.

06-20 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-21 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-22 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-23 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-24 London, England - The Roundhouse
06-28 Manchester, England - Apollo
06-29 Manchester, England - Apollo
07-02 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03 Glasgow, Scotland - Barrowland
07-03-06 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
07-09 Paris, France - Zenith
07-17-20 Benicàssim, Spain - Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
07-25 Naeba, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
08-08 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival
09-05 Isle of Wight, England - Bestival
09-19-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York)
09-22 New York, NY - Roseland
09-23 New York, NY - Roseland
09-25 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh*
09-27 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09-30 San Francisco, CA - The Concourse
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
[source]

*tickets on sale this Friday, May 9.



Only Shallow

Even When He Loses, He Wins

In case you missed it, here's the long-awaited much-hyped, epic dance-off between satirical political pundit Stephen Colbert and Korean pop star Rain on the Monday (May 5) episode of The Colbert Report.







Rain pretty much wipes the floor with Colbert but lord love Stephen for trying.

Colbert has had a mock beef with Rain for the past two years as the pair battled it out for top spot on the Time Magazine 100 Most Influential People poll.

While we're on the topic, let's take a look at Colbert's brilliant K-pop parody video for a little ditty called Singing in Korean.

France Aime Kylie

Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue was today awarded France's highest cultural honour, the Order of Arts & Letters. Minogue was recognized not only for her 20-year music career but also for her recent public battle against breast cancer.


[French culture minister] Christine Albanel gave Minogue, who kicks off a European concert tour in Paris on Tuesday, the Order of Arts and Letters and told her she was a "Midas of the international music scene who turns everything she touches into gold."

"I want to publicly salute the courage you showed by revealing publicly that you had breast cancer," Albanel said. "Doctors now even go as far as saying there is a 'Kylie effect' that encourages young women to have regular checks."[source]

Minogue received a similar UK honour this past December when she was made an Officer in the Order of the British Empire.




Backstage sneak peek of the Kylie X 2008 European Summer Tour



Damn it, Kylie, come to Toronto already!

Late Night TV Preview: May 5 - 10, 2008

Here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night TV in the coming week. Note: * indicates an encore episode.

MONDAY

• Motley Crue - Jimmy Kimmel Live* (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)
• Thrice - Late Night with Conan O'Brien (12:35pm - NBC, A-Channel)

TUESDAY

• Steve Winwood - Late Show with David Letterman (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)
  
• Galactic - Conan

WEDNESDAY

• P.O.D. - Tonight Show with Jay Leno (11:35pm - NBC, A-Channel)
• The Duke Spirit - Conan
• Mike Doughty - Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:35am - CBS, E!)

The Duke Spirit Lassoo



THURSDAY

FRIDAY

• Joss Stone - Graham Norton Show (11pm - BBC Kids)
  
• Carly Simon - Leno
• Ben Harper - Last Call with Carson Daly* (1:35am - NBC)

Joss Stone ft Common Tell Me What We're Gonna Do Now



SATURDAY

• My Morning Jacket - Saturday Night Live (11:30pm - NBC, GlobalTV)

It's Been A Long Day

At this point, I only really have enough energy left to remind that you have one day left (Sunday May 4) to check out The Clothing Show, now in it's new home in the Better Living Centre on the CNE grounds.

There's new and vintage fashion at great prices to be had from Foxy Boutique, Black Market and Greenbaum Clothing Company among hundreds of others.

Greenbaum Clothing Company - Spring 2008 Collection

Hours are 11am - 7pm. Don't miss out!

Made Of Meh

As predicted, I never got around to seeing the three films I blogged about last week. However, this past Wednesday I was given the opportunity to attend a preview screening of a movie that is opening up this weekend. Unfortunately, that movie is Made of Honor.







OK, let's be real. If you're actually planning to plop down your hard-earned money to see Made of Honor, it's only because you're a McDreamy fan. If you don't know what a McDreamy is then you need to stay far, far away from this mess.



Though all the promotion makes it seem like you're going to get a clever twist on the standard chick flick, nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, now it's the commitment-phobic male, Tom (Patrick Dempsey in the title role - it's funny because he's a guy) who realizes he's in love with his best buddy Hannah (Michelle Monaghan) and sets about trying to stop her impending nuptials to Scottish manly-man Colin (Kevin McKidd) but there's nothing even remotely unique about how the things are played out. If, after the 15 minutes, you honestly have no idea where this film is headed then you're either socially retarded or it must be your first time ever seeing a romantic comedy. You've got to wonder how ambitious a movie really is when the big celebrity cameo is Elizabeth Hasselbeck from The View.

Thus, we're left with a lot of stale romcom retread slightly tweaked to accommodate the male perspective. Tom being mistaken for a homosexual because of his role in the wedding.Tom trying to uncover fault with the seemingly perfect Colin while simultaneously promoting his own best features to the bewilderingly clueless Hannah. The mocking of the Scottish in-laws: they talk funny, eat weird food and have stupid traditions. And of course, the last-ditch, mad dash (on horseback, no less) to stop the wedding ceremony.

Made of Honor pretty much fails on every level since it's mostly unfunny and barely romantic. However, if you're somehow coerced into seeing this flick, there are a few bright spots to tide you over.

• Kevin McKidd


• Sydney Pollack as Tom's serial groom dad


• The Bridesmaids, led by a vicious-to-perfection Busy Phillips


• Dwayne muthafuckin' Wayne, y'all!


• Katherine Heigl isn't in it


• Kevin McKidd in a kilt


• The discovery of another Arquette


• Tiny Shorts Guy


• Stop Crying You Heart Out by Oasis


• Kevin McKidd in a kilt tossing a caber

Otherwise, there's really no point in seeing this movie. The writers' strike is over so you can get your McDreamy fix with brand spanking new episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

Soul On Fire, J On Ice

There's probably some sort of irony involved in the fact that I'm posting this new video by Spiritualized, their first new material since the release of Amazing Grace in 2003, and that I'm on the way out the door to see the first Toronto concert by The Verve since their breakup in 1999.

So be it. Here's the video for Soul On Fire, the first single from the upcoming album Spiritualized album Songs in A & E.

It looks as cold in this video as it feels outside today.