Pearl Jam to placy ACL 2009!

Pearl Jam just announced that they will play this year's Austin City Limits Festival. I have always wanted to head down to Austin, so maybe I will this year! Other acts on the bill this year include Dave Mathews Band, Beastie Boys, Lily Allen and Kings of Leon.

It makes me very anxious when they announce their tour dates bit by bit like this. Give me a break fellas! Just tell me everything NOW!

More info from RollingStone.com

Pearl Jam Announces European Tour

If anything could coax me out of my familiar and comfy United States it would be this, swine flu or no!

Repost from PearlJam.com
Pearl Jam European Tour Dates
04.27.09
Pearl Jam is bringing their music back to Europe and we have all the info you need to get Ten Club tickets. Starting August 13 in Rotterdam and ending August 18 in London, Pearl Jam will grace the stage in the following cities:
PEARL JAM IN EUROPE
Date - City - Venue
13 Aug - Rotterdam - Ahoy
15 Aug - Berlin - Wulheide
17 Aug - Manchester - MEN Arena
18 Aug - London - 02 Arena

TiMER at Tribeca Film Festival

I just got back from the Tribeca Film Festival premier of TiMER, and as I expected, I absolutely loved it! I was very much surprised to discover that this is the first feature film for writer/ director Jac Schaeffer. Not only was the movie well-written and beautifully executed, but I found so many aspects of the movie totally relatable and that always helps. First of all, the story follows the main character, Oona(played by Emma Caulfield)- a 29-year old successful Orthadontist due to turn 30 in January- on her quest to find out, definitively, whether her soul mate exists, or if she is doomed to live a loveless existance. The twist is that in the universe of the movie, a device has been invented which, if implanted into the wrist of a person, will count down to the exact moment that you will meet your soulmate- that is if your soul mate also has the device implanted into his/her wrist. These devices have become so popular that virtually everyone in the world has them, except of course for old people and skeptics. Once your eyes meet the person that is your "one" your timer zeros out and you are destined to live happily ever after

Oona goes about her daily life with a blank timer on her wrist, searching for potential soul mates in the remaining few eligible bachelors left on the planet who do not have a timer (hoping that once they get one, hers will zero out, and she will have found her life companion). Until one day she meets a disheveled 22-year old grocery clerk/ drummer from Michigan (Played by John Patrick Amedori, a dead ringer for James Franco) who has no effect on her timer, but changes her entire perception of how she should be living her life.

With a topic as cliche as true love and soul mates, and a soggy genre such as the romantic comedy, this film had every opportunity to become generic and predictable, but it absolutely did not! The dialogue was witty and the storyline was clever. Yes, the story taught us a lesson in love but there was no corny moment at the end where the male and female leads ride off together into the sunset. The plot twists surprisingly reflected a harsh reality more than I would have expected for a movie with such a far-fetched premise, and I found that to be refreshing. The movie drove home the fact that love cannot be forced and is often hard to recognize or fit neatly into a little box that you can lock up tight and keep safe for all eternity.

The cherry on top of this spectacular treat, for me, was the use of the song Trapeze Swinger, as performed by Iron and Wine, in the final scene of the movie. I absolutely love this song, and if I wasn't already in love with this movie, I would have been as soon as I heard it played over the credits!

I would give TiMER 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

My Hot List for TFF 09

Upon initial review of the films at TFF 09, these are the ones I'd really like to see the most. I usually prefer documentaries and comedies, so it should come as no surprise that those are the films I've chosen for my Hot List. TiMER is the one I am most excited about! It's a chick flick for sure, but comes off (at least in the trailer) as clever and funny in the way it demonstrates female fears and insecurities when it comes to love. If you're interested in P-Star Rising, be aware that there is a special outdoor screening which includes a live performance by the film's 9-year-old rap star! Horray for Tribeca Film Festival 2009!!

A Matter of Size (foreign, comedy)
Cast & Credits
Primary Cast: Itzik Cohen, Irit Kaplan, Dvir Benedek, Alon Dahan, Levana Finkelstein, Togo Igawa Directors: Erez Tadmor, Sharon Maymon Screenwriters: Sharon Maymon, Danny Cohen-Solal Producers: Chilik Michaeli, Avraham Pirchi, Tami Leon, Daniel Bauer, Oliver Simon Co-Producer: Antoine de Clermont-Torrenne Director of Photography: David Gurfinkel Editor: Einat Glaser-Zarhin
Program Notes
Herzl (Itzik Cohen) is an overweight, underemployed chef living at home with his mother in the Israeli city of Ramla. Unable to find a job cooking, he becomes a dishwasher at a Japanese restaurant. One day he notices his coworkers watching sumo wrestling on TV. To Herzl, sumo is a revelation, an escape from the dictatorship of diets espoused by his weight-loss group. With three hefty pals in tow, Herzl decides to pursue the sport where his size is an asset. Codirectors Erez Tadmor (Strangers, TFF '08) and Sharon Maymon (who also cowrote the script) have created a feel-good comedy reminiscent of crowd-pleasers like The Full Monty. The result is a sweet, touching, funny, and relatable story of self-acceptance and determination. Utilizing a talented and versatile group of actors, Tadmor, Maymon, and cowriter Danny Cohen-Solal give us a collection of extremely likable characters who realize that in both life and love, they'll only discover their greatest happiness by paying attention to what's inside and to the power of their individual spirits.--Aaron Dobbs

Timer (comedy)
Cast & Credits ****THIS IS THE ONE I AM MOST EXCITED TO SEE!!!
Primary Cast: Emma Caulfield, Michelle Borth, John Patrick Amedori, Desmond Harrington, JoBeth Williams, Kali Rocha Director: Jac Schaeffer Screenwriter: Jac Schaeffer Producer: Rikki Jarrett, Jac Schaeffer, Jennifer Glynn Director of Photography: Harris Charalambous Production Designer: Maya Sigel Original Music: Andrew Kaiser Editor: Peter Samet Sound Design: Joe Dzuban Associate Producer: Joshua Lee Huber
Program Notes
Finding true love is easier than ever thanks to a revolutionary bio-technological wrist implant called the TiMER, which counts down to the exact moment when people will lay eyes on their soul mates. Heartbreak is a malady of the past. Except that love-starved, pushin'-30 Oona's (Emma Caulfield, TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer) TiMER hasn't even started counting down—her destined "one" hasn't gotten himself hooked in just yet. All the people around her are literally set on their unshakable paths to true love, from her mom (who broke up with Oona's dad because he wasn't the "one"), her younger sister, and even her 13-year-old brother (who has to wait only a day). What's worse, Oona's falling for a barely twentysomething rocker (John Patrick Amedori, Gossip Girl) who is set to meet his true love in only four months. Oona finds that as she navigates the rocky waters of love, the same technology that is supposed to make life easier is the very device that makes it all messier. With heartfelt performances and quirky characters, newcomer Jac Schaeffer's smart and delightful romantic comedy leaves behind the burning question… "would you want to know?"--Roya Rastegar


The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia (documentary)
Cast & Credits
Director: Julien Nitzberg Producer: Storm Taylor Executive Producers: Johnny Knoxville, Jeff Tremaine, Priya Swaminathan, Jeff Yapp
Program Notes
Tucked deeply in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, the White family lives an existence more like something out of the Wild West than modern-day rural America. The legendary family is known as much for their disturbing and excessive ways as they are for their famous mountain tap dancing legacy, which includes living legend Jesco White (star of the PBS documentary Dancing Outlaw). From MTV Studios and executive producers Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine (Jackass), this edgy and often hilarious look into a dying breed of American outcasts exposes the powerful forces of corruption, poverty, and West Virginia's environmentally and culturally devastating coal mining culture


Transcendent Man (documentary)- (*There was a recent Rolling Stone Article about Kurzweil's ideologies)
Cast & Credits
Director: Barry Ptolemy Producers: Barry Ptolemy, Felicia Ptolemy Executive Producers: Joe DiSanto, John Ramsay, Wren Waters, Doobie White, Drew Dowdle, John Erick Dowdle Composer: Philip Glass Editors: Meg Decker, Doobie White Director of Photography: Shawn Dufraine
Program Notes
Ray Kurzweil is one of the world's foremost inventors. At age 15 he was designing programs that were adapted by IBM and soon after machines that allowed the blind to read. Today he is hailed by some as a modern-day Nostradamus and dismissed by others as a crackpot. The "futurist" and best-selling author is a leading theorist on the "technological singularity"—a time when humans and machines will fuse in the next phase of bio-technological evolution, creating superintelligent, godlike beings that could conceivably live forever. The kicker is, Kurzweil claims that this monumental change is destined to happen in just 30 years. This mind-bending documentary probes the searing questions that have previously only been teased out in science fiction. Kurzweil is as convincing as he is entertaining even when he claims he is drastically extending his own life span and will bring his late father back to life with new technology in the future. First-timer Barry Ptolemy finds a wide range of interview subjects, from evangelists and "brain builders" to William Shatner and Stevie Wonder. Matching the pace of the world it describes, the film moves at breakneck speed, saturating us with ideas and locations and images and theories. Engrossing and at times seemingly absurd, Transcendent Man makes it hard not to wonder if Kurzweil may be splitting a bull's-eye too far away for us to see.

P-Star Rising (documentary/ discovery)
Cast & Credits
Primary Cast: Priscilla Star Diaz, Jesse Diaz, Solsky Diaz Director: Gabriel Noble Producer: Marjan Tehrani Editor: David Abelson Executive Producers: Ryan Harrington, Bob Alexander Director of Photography: Gabriel Noble Composers: Ion Furjanic & B.Satz All-Stars
Program Notes
In the early '80s, Jesse Diaz was a rising star in the hip-hop world. Now he's a broke single father living in a Harlem shelter with two children to support. But Jesse finally finds a shot at redemption in his nine-year-old daughter Priscilla, a precocious and immensely talented rapper. With older daughter Solsky the family's quiet cheerleader, Jesse and Priscilla look to parlay "P-Star's" talent into victory for the whole family. And that means long rehearsals, late nights, and home schooling for the growing girl. But as Priscilla's star really begins to rise, it'll tax all the relationships in her life and test Jesse in ways he never expected. Director Gabriel Noble follows four years of father-daughter ups and downs as they navigate the grit and the glamour of the music biz. From sit-downs with image consultants to the elation of spending that big signing bonus, Priscilla always remains a magnetic figure with a resolve and way of talking that belies her young age. Though Jesse, for better or worse, remains the rock in their lives, an emotional attempt to track down the girls' mother is threaded throughout the film. "She became a crackhead," Priscilla says, blasé. "Things happen, you know." --Sara Nodjoumi

2009 Lollapalooza Lineup Announced

This year's Lollapalooza lineup is an obvious throw back to my favorite musical era: the 90s! Sure, no 90s-themed lineup is complete without Pearl Jam, but this August, Grant Park will host bands/ artists (some, I am aware, were formed in the 80s, but were also prominent in the 90s) including Depeche Mode, Jane's Addiction, Tool, Beastie Boys, and Snoop Dogg! Other exciting acts on the roster include Gomez, Bon Iver, Santigold, Dan Auerbach, and Glasvegas. I have not made a decision as to whether I will attend this year (still waiting on a Pearl Jam tour announcement) but I know it will be a blast!


Lollapalooza Lineup 2009 from C3 Presents Video on Vimeo

Its Tribeca Film Festival Week!

Unfortunately, I am not able to volunteer this year since I have a weird/ crazy schedule, but I do intend to see some movies this weekend! Check it out and support my favorite film festival :)

Pearl Jam Playing San Fran in August

Repost from RollingStone.com:
Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band and the Beastie Boys will headline this year’s Outside Lands Festival on August 28-30th at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. M.I.A., Modest Mouse, the Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, the Dead Weather, Mastodon, Ween, Thievery Corporation, Incubus and Jason Mraz round out the fest’s initial lineup. Pre-sale tickets start Wednesday, April 15th.

Barring an unexpected tour announcement, the headlining set will mark Pearl Jam’s first U.S. concert since their July ‘08 show at New York’s Madison Square Garden, and their first major festival appearance since Bonnaroo ‘08. The opposite can be said for the Beastie Boys, who seem to be playing every major summer festival this year, including Bonnaroo, All Points West and, reportedly, Lollapallooza. Dave Matthews Band’s involvement at Outside Lands comes as no surprise, as the group’s August 29th show in San Francisco was listed as “TBA” when his summer tour was announced in mid-February. The headliners were revealed in an advertisement on the San Francisco Gate page, with the rest of the initial lineup expected to be announced later today on the Outside Lands’ official site. No word whether Outside Lands will join their fellow festivals in providing a incremented payment plan for ticket buyers. Last year’s Outside Lands featured headliners Radiohead, Tom Petty and Jack Johnson with an under card of Wilco, Beck, Ben Harper and many more taking the stage at the enormous, wooded Golden Gate Park.
Source

Eddie Vedder Solo Tour Announced

These are the dates that were just announced on PearJam.com!

Questions can be directed to tickets@tenclub.net or 800-724-8038
Ed Vedder Solo Tour Dates:
* Indicates unconfirmed, possible "rollover" dates.
** No kama'aina discount
Jun 8 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
Jun 9* - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
Jun 11 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
Jun 12 - Philadelphia, PA - Tower Theatre
Jun 14 - Baltimore, MD - Lyric Opera House
Jun 15 - Baltimore, MD - Lyric Opera House
Jun 18 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
Jun 20 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum
Jun 21* - Memphis, TN - Orpheum
Jun 23 - Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Ctr
Jun 24* - Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performing Arts Ctr
Jun 29** - Maui, HI - Arts & Cultural Ctr - Castle Theatre
Jul 1** - Honolulu, HI - Hawaii Theatre Ctr
Jul 2** - Honolulu, HI - Hawaii Theatre Ctr

Adam Lambert is pretty amazing

I love Adam Lambert. He's unique, he's a little nuts, he's androgynous, and he has blue eyes, but best of all, he can sing!

Last night on Idol, Lambert sang Tears for Fears' Mad World, released in 1982, which was the year the contestant was born. The performance, which I thought was executed perfectly, and was super hot, even brought skeptical Simon Cowell to his feet in a standing ovation! Yay Adam Lambert!

More Eddie Vedder Solo Shows

It's been hinted on the Pearl Jam message board today that more Eddie Vedder solo shows will be announced imminently, and that tickets will go on sale, for fan club members tomorrow.

I doubt he's doing the east coast again, but it would be nice. A spot at Bonnaroo would be glorious!

Repost from the message pit:
"A little birdy few by our window tweeting very timely news. You might want to be hanging around tomorrow because birds like to fly into the wild in single pairs and single pairs only... you know? Be sure your Ten Club memberships are up-to-date as of today or come tomorrow you'll be one blue bird singing a sad song. You can log into your accounts from the main page on www.pearljam.com to make sure your ducks are in a basket and eggs in a row.... errr, meaning your membership is current, address correct, and such."

Getting Old

Despite my best efforts, I am very sad to report that I am, in fact, aging. I slop numerous creams and potions onto my face and body several times a day, avoid the sun like a vampire, and take vitamins religiously, and yet the tiny lines and grey hairs penetrate my best defenses and rear their ugly heads on my ugly head. Thank God for makeup and hair dye. I'll have to use more of thee.

Another way in which it has become increasingly apparent to me that I am no longer on the good end of "youth" is in my knee-jerk responses to things people say or do. I have developed a maternal concern toward everyone in my friend and family extended network, often urging them to wear a coat, apply sun screen, or stand farther away from the subway platform, even if they have not specifically sought my advice on these matters.

Also, my priorities have shifted from the mundane and superficial musings of my college days to (gasp) political and cultural awareness. For an example, note the following conversation I had today, via text message, with my 20-year-old cousin, who is currently a apple-cheeked, whipper-snapper college student:

20-YEAR-OLD: My roomate is so mad at me because I went to a different house party last night.
ME: That is a stupid thing for her to be mad about. Tell her to direct her unfounded anger at North Korea for test launching nuclear misiles!
20-YEAR-OLD: She is too stupid to know what that means.

What? I thought that was a completely good "burn" for one roomate to use against another who has foolishly misdirected her energy. I guess not so much. Alas, I can no longer jive with the young folk or get jiggy with the cool dudes. I am 29. I am lawyer. Now, to get to work on that time machine.....

LETS GO SPARTANS!!!

I am so nervous today, I cannot see straight! I need Michigan State to beat UNC tonight for the NCAA Championship. The entire state of Michigan needs this win. The final four games, held at Detroit's Ford Field, are bringing not only commerce into a bruised and broken city, but a much needed sense of pride and celebration. I know it can happen because I've seen it! Izzo is the best coach in basketball (I know, bold statement, but I am confident in my accuracy). If any team can come back to beat a team they lost to by 35 points back in December, it would be the Michigan State Spartans, under the miraculous guidance of Coach Tom Izzo. Don't believe me? Watch the game tonight at 9:21 pm.

BEAT! UNC tonight!

GO GREEN!! GO WHITE!! GO STATE!!

Johnny Depp + Spongebob = Mind Explosion!

Good morning, boys and girls! This morning I discovered that two of my favorite things (I have many) will be combining to create a small television miracle. In addition to the fact that he is gorgeous, Johnny Depp is, in my opinion, a phenomenal actor who continues to chose challenging roles (Benny & Joon, Edward Scissorhands) that define him as one of the best in his field.

Completely unrelated to my appreciation for Johnny Depp, I also am a huge fan of cartoons. NOT the kind that are made for adults (Simpsons, Family Guy) but the whimsical, nonsensical-yet-clever children's cartoons that are played on Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang. There is something comforting about plopping down on the couch and allowing your eyes and your mind to glaze over as you stare blankly at a screen full of brightly-colored, rapidly-moving images accompanied by a musical score which often would be brilliant on its own. When I watch cartoons, I suddenly revert to the Talia of yore- without looming bills, job anxiety, or cramps. This is a cozy little place in the recess of my mind and anyone who has ever witnessed me watch late night Boomerang can attest to the transformation. It is very real...

Anyway, I digress....What I am trying to tell you is that Johnny Depp is scheduled to make a guest appearance on Spongebob Squarepants this month, and I can hardly contain my excitement! I cannot wait to see how they portray that sexy pout on a fishy avatar! This is further proof of why Johnny Depp does, and always will, hold a special place in my heart! Bravo!

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The Ugly Side of Freedom

Ok, so...one of the side effects of being a self-started entertainment lawyer is that you have a bit of down time. You know, until like, U2 calls and asks me for some trademark advice.

Anyway, I have been on "spring break" this week, which involved the world's best hot stone massage, a mani/ pedi, washing the living room floor, lots of laundry, and of course hanging out in record stores. Whenever I bring home a choice piece of vinyl, I pop that sucker on the turntable and give er a spin. Usually what ensues thereafter is a combination of off-key singing at the top of my lungs, and some dancing that only a mother could be proud of.

For whatever reason I decided to document the first few moments I spent at home with my Marvelettes anthology. I'm a big Motown fan.... Um, enjoy?