Ping Pong Playa is the bomb, yo. With a quirky, offbeat story that sends up sports movies but wears its charm and heart openly on its sleeve, this is the…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
As I try to figure out my top DVDs for 2008, a must for my 2009 list has already arrived. Hot on the heels of its excellent “Collector’s Choice” edition…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
We white folks are feeling pretty good about ourselves these days. And why not? A couple months ago, almost half of us voted to put a black guy into what…
John C. Hughes
2 Min Read
Breakfast was the most important meal of the day for a child of the ’70s.Á‚ Not because of the nutritional intake it provided to get a kid going in the…
Ed Murray
1 Min Read
If I wasn’t a sucker for fuzzed out sonic bliss – and bands, songs and albums that are driven more by passion than musical ability – I wouldn’t have agreed…
Scott Malchus
2 Min Read
Throughout the winter of 1984 and 1985, I was stuck on crutches and wearing a leg brace as I recovered from reconstructive surgery on my right knee that repaired my…
Terje Fjelde
2 Min Read
Over the next year Terje Fjelde has agreed to listen to nothing but David Foster on his iPod. He’s loaded the thing with over 1,200 songs produced, arranged, composed, and/or…
Tony Redman
1 Min Read
Hello, my name is Tony, and I run a blog called Way Out Junk that focuses mostly on out-of-print children’s and novelty albums. Jeff contacted me and asked if I’d…
Ben Wiser
1 Min Read
Test of the Boomerang – Top Ten of 2008 I will dispense with the usual bullshit “Let’s take a look back…” year-end review. USA Today will have that shit in…
David Medsker
1 Min Read
The funny thing about music in 1985: they would make an extended mix of anything. Even funnier, people would dance to it. Take this week”™s subject, the UK band Vitamin…
Dave Steed
1 Min Read
I’d bet that most people right now would say “Welcome back” to all of you. But I’m not, because the false “Welcome back” is just a little pet peeve of…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Why is gold valuable? Why is it worth anything at all? Sure, it’s yellow and shiny. But so is brass. It’s scarce, but so is osmium, and you don’t see…
Ted Asregadoo
2 Min Read
The optimistic adage that a rising tide floats all boats is less sanguine when one contemplates the obverse. As the Great Recession of 2008 spills over to 2009 with what…
John C. Hughes
1 Min Read
After dipping his toe into the mainstream with his fourth album, Security, and its Top 40 hit, “Shock the Monkey,” it’s only natural that Peter Gabriel would continue to experiment…
Ted Asregadoo
1 Min Read
DOWNLOAD THE FULL MIX HERE Living where I do (the San Francisco Bay Area), the Napa Valley is quite close to my abode.Á‚ If you’ve ever been to a winery…
Scott Malchus
1 Min Read
You know you’re in for a long haul when you check the time counter on your DVD player, it tells you that only 29 minutes have elapsed and you exclaim,…
David Medsker
1 Min Read
Welcome back, Popdosers. Did you have a nice Mellowmas break? And is Alan O’Day the best sport in the world or what? I mean, he’s not quite as awesome as…
Scott Malchus
2 Min Read
Welcome back to The Three Strike Rule.Á‚ You’d think I could come up with a better title for this week’s column than that, huh?Á‚ Today is my daughter Sophie’s 10th…
Lance Berry
2 Min Read
Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008, Sony) purchase this DVD (Amazon) I have to say, I am pretty much the biggest fan of the Resident Evil games. From the moment I played…
Lance Berry
1 Min Read
The Duchess (2008, Paramount) purchase this DVD (Amazon) Period pieces have to fight an uphill battle, from the moment a studio decides to press forward and make them. They’re a…
Molly Marinik
1 Min Read
…Or at least for a little while. Beginning January 4, Planet Earth’s economic melt-down makes its way to Broadway. And not in the form of a snazzy new musical (which…
Kelly Stitzel
1 Min Read
Well, here we are in 2009. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and didn’t kick anyone in the face or anything. I know I was tempted a few…
Arend Anton
1 Min Read
What is the most important factor in the creation of a movie? Is it a good script, quality acting, or great visuals? Or is it something more? It is my…
Mojo Flucke
1 Min Read
Editor’s Note: This kicks off a new series where the Popdose staff reflects on memorable concerts they’ve witnessed. They’re not reviews, per se, but in places may exhibit review-like symptoms….
Lance Berry
1 Min Read
Transformers Animated: Season 2 (Hasbro, 2009) purchase this DVD (Amazon) I’ve never really been a big Transformers fan, even back in my childhood. I’ve never understood the cultural fascination with…
Dw. Dunphy
2 Min Read
It’s 2009, kids, and welcome back to another year of Popdose madness. So… How was your holiday season? Mine was pretty good. In fact, I would say mine was better…
Mojo Flucke
2 Min Read
Joachim Cooder produced his dad Ry’s new retrospective double disc The UFO Has Landed; he got to make the ultimate mixtape by picking which cuts would represent the elder Cooder’s…
Scott Malchus
2 Min Read
Cleveland in the wintertime can be a cruel, desolate town. The wind chill often drops temperatures below zero and gray slush mounds crowd the streets and seep onto the asphalt,…
Matchup Monkey
1 Min Read
Welcome to 2009!Á‚ I know this matchup isn’t entirely appropriate, seeing as we’re not hitting a new century, or even a new decade, but the editors would probably spank me…