Some film news to kick off your Thursday update: acclaimed director Steven Soderberg(Traffic - one of my favourite pieces of work) is undertaking a two-film project centered around Che Guevara - and portraying the title character? None other than Benicio del Toro of Traffic fame. This will be a solid outing for Soderberg; shooting starts this week over in Spain. [MSN]
In honour of the new Simpsons movie in theatres tomorrow(woooo!), check out Blender magazine's opinions on the best Simpsons band cameos ever. [absolutepunk]
Essential Listening for today, July 26th, is Manchester Orchestra. I first heard the name at the Cornerstone Festival last month, in the press tent, where one of the old-timers wouldn't shut up about them - and judging by this sampling, they might deserve the hype. The band appears on The Late Show with Dave Letterman September 6th. Why does this band make me think of a less-refined Copeland? Very odd.
Dragonforce's 'Through the Fire and Flames' will - get this now - appear on the upcoming third installment of Guitar Hero, making this game the most amazing thing ever.
It really doesn't reflect well on singer Jay Forrest when every last member of Hopesfall leaves the band - except him. However, since we know nothing of the circumstances, we will say nothing, especially since Jay has been good to sweetdisaster in the past. All that said, yes, it would appear that an entirely new band has been put together to hit the road in support of Hopesfall's latest, Magnetic North - a strong piece of work. [saveyourscene]
Some love for our old friends Strike Anywhere - all the way from Greece!
Dead Poetic drummer Jesse Sprinkle isn't just a drummer - he's a producer and artist in his own right, and he's got some new tunes up on Myspace. Go listen to the acoustic-based multi-tracked vocal goodness, and be his friend. [IVM]
Harry Potter loves The Hold Steady. That counts him among roughly 35882894249 other people.
If you work an office job, and you steal the occasional pencil or fancy pen - we've all done it! - then you might feel the occasional twinge of guilt, perhaps think yourself, "Gee...." Well, take heart - you're not this guy. [Relevant]
To zero surprise, Oprah Winfrey tops the list of best-paid TV types, earning in excess of $260 million a year. That's obscene. Coming in a distant second: American Idol's Simon Cowell, punching in at $45 million. Which of course is peanuts compared to O.
Thrice are supporting their upcoming four-disc "concept" album with a killer tour this fall - taking Brand New and mewithoutYou as openers? C'mon, man, be real. No, fa shizzle, it's true! Dates are over here.
Oh man - this was my joint twenty-odd years ago: the original Johnny 5 figure from the '80s movies is up for sale! A hundred grand! Who wants to help me buy a piece of awesomeness?
Our condolences go out to our friend Jay Bakker, whose mother, evangelist Tammy Faye Messner, died this week at the age of 65. Messner had battled cancer for over a decade.
I know that it's all the rage to abandon Myspace in favour of Facebook, but in my line of work Myspace remains a vital necessity every day - so how come they can't seem to keep their innards free of bugs? I haven't been able to add new bands in days. C'mon, Tom, get your ass in gear.
Posted by mike at July 26, 2007 10:50 PM