MEDIA MONDAY:
What have you been listening to, watching, reading?

Links
For what it's worth, it's turn-the-tv-off week. Yeah, sounds lame to me too. Also, there's a nice piece at Slate defending the South Korean film Oldboy (I reviewed it a while back) from those who are blaming the Va. Tech shootings on it. Apparently, the kid wasn't just a deranged gun-wielding lunatic; he also was bad at film interpretation (the horror!!) --Don

Happy Birthday: Michael Moore. His new film, Sicko, has been selected for Cannes!

Move it to the top of your Netflix queue:

Finally released on DVD last week, Robert Altman’s Thieves Like Us (1974), a story about trio of criminals (Keith Carradine, Bert Remsen and John Schuck) go on a bank-robbing spree through the Depression-era Deep South, terrorizing the population and managing to stay just one step ahead of the law Also stars Shelley Duvall, Tom Skerritt and Louise Fletcher. Often overlooked, some consider it one of Altman’s best films.

Sopranos Update: (Waring – could contain spoilers).

Only 6 episodes left: What are your predictions on how (or if) it will all end?

Every episode is a gift. This week’s episode Remember When is no exception. We find out how Tony made his bones. We find out that Tony knew about Paulie’s betrayal of the NJ crew to Johnny Sack (did the scenes on the boat make you seasick?). Best comedic moment – Uncle Junior dictating a letter to Vice Prez Cheney: “we’re both powerful men all too familiar with accidental gunplay.”

Is there anyone NOT watching the Sopranos? Arguably one of the best TV shows ever, Sopranos has kicked off the end of the series with great style. Sure, with six seasons behind us, new viewers may not be able to keep up with the show’s plot as it twists and turns in these last few episodes. For those wanting a quick (seven minutes) rundown, go here. Some college guys posted this clipped-up video summary of the entire series on Youtube. You’ll laugh (warning, contains some objectionable language, be sure to close your office door first!).

Am I the only one? In these last few episodes, I wonder....have we been seeing David Chase’s homage to the great gangster films? Seriously, the scene on the boat dock with Tony and Janice in the Home Movies episode (“what do you mean I’ve changed…changed how?”) make you think of the scene in Goodfellas with Joe Pesci (“what do you mean I’m funny…funny how?”). What about last night….the scene with Tony going out to check on his tomatoes? Right out of The Godfather.

Top 5 Movies:
1. Disturbia
2. Fracture
3. Blades of Glory
4. Vacancy
5. Meet the Robinsons

Top 5 Albums:
1. Now 24, Various Artists
2. Let It Go, Tim McGraw
3. Konvicted, Akon
4. Cassadaga, Bright Eyes
5. Timbaland Presents Shock Value, Timbaland

With the Lights Out: April marks the anniversary of the death of Kurt Cobain, singers, songwriter, guitarist of the rock bank Nirvana (he was found April 8, 1994). He would have been 40 years old this year. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt the same about music since he died (although I still feel stupid and contagious). There were punk and alternative bands before Nirvana, but the 1991 release of Nirvana’s album Nevermind changed the face of rock music forever (bonus - it knocked off Michael Jackson’s Dangerous as best selling album in 1992), and Cobain’s influence is still felt today. For better or worse, Cobain brought alternative music to the mainstream and popularized “grunge” rock. Nevermind is easily one of the best rock albums of all time. If you haven't listened in a while, go back and do so. You won't be dissapointed.

Kurt - If the Top 5 list above is any indication, we could have really used you in 2007!

Sign the apocalypse is near: Spiderman might be coming to Broadway. Marvel Studios has begun casting for the tentatively titled Spider-Man: The Broadway Musical. Tony winner Julie Taymor (The Lion King) directs, with U2's Bono and the Edge handling the music and lyrics.