Ask any independent band to identify its influences and you’ll likely get similar answers: The Cure, The Pixies, Sonic Youth and other bands are name-dropped by seemingly every rock musician to pick up a guitar. Yet for Portland, Ore.-based Menomena, sometimes inspiration comes through error. “I’m probably more influenced by mistakes,” said Justin Harris, who […]
Author Archives: Mark Humphrey
“˜Veronica Mars’ needs to put fans out of their misery
They say that, at some point, all relationships come to an end. Typically, when you’re involved with someone, the beginning is incredible, filled with unimaginable happiness and harmony. After a while, things may begin to stagnate and cracks may appear ““ this is really the point at which you remember why you’re involved in the […]
Scorsese nabs Oscar
After more than 25 years of heartbreak, director Martin Scorsese finally took home the one prize that has eluded him throughout his illustrious directorial career: an Oscar. Scorsese won Best Director at the 79th Annual Academy Awards for his Boston mob film “The Departed,” which subsequently won Best Picture, capping off a night filled with […]
Jack Bauer and company finally jumping the shark
Jack Bauer is a one-man army. He can take on any opponent, drive across the greater Los Angeles area in 15 minutes, and even cheat death multiple times. This season, though, Jack Bauer has met his match. And it’s not Abu Fayed, the terrorist who set off a suitcase nuke in Valencia. It’s not even […]
Real life can be more entertaining than television
Last week, NASA gave us its most supremely entertaining story since the Apollo 11 moon landing. I’m talking, of course, about the story of “The Pampered Astronaut,” as Lisa Nowak has been dubbed. For those unaware, Nowak, a 43-year-old astronaut and mother of three, was arrested a week ago on charges of attempted murder. Her […]
Forget “˜the talk;’ cable TV is the new sex ed
It’s a pretty well-known fact that every parent out there dreads one thing above all others. Not changing diapers, watching annoying children’s shows, or scrubbing crayon off the walls (though those are all pretty bad). No, every parent fears the day that these five words exit their child’s mouth: “Where do babies come from?” Well, […]
There’s no reason for all the babble about ‘Babel’
Until I was 17 years old, the Academy Awards captivated me. As an aspiring filmmaker, they were the prize that I sought. Never mind that the lone film in my reel was “Meteor,” a special effects extravaganza whose most impressive scene involved my monstrously tall friend Jason dropping a rock on a model of Mission […]