Are you ready for some football? Lord knows Zack Dennis is — and with Week One’s kickoff just around the corner, he’s also ready to make his inaugural picks.
Zack Dennis
151 Articles
Dw. Dunphy
1 Min Read
I know what you were expecting. “See You In September” or “Summer Nights” from Grease or, in a sarcastic vein, “School’s Out” — but we don’t need no steenkin’ kitsch….
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
It’s hard to say no to a free bottle of tequila. It’s even harder to write a review of that free tequila where you explain how the only way they…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In “There’s No Secrets this Year,” the first song on Swoon, the Silversun Pickups come out swinging for the fences.Á‚ If the band has been bothered by frequent comparisons to…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In 1998, Terrence McNally’s play “Corpus Christi” was first performed in New York City. It wasn’t hard to predict that portraying Jesus as a promiscuous homosexual living in Corpus Christi,…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
A couple months ago, Jeff mentioned to me that he was thinking of putting together the Ultimate Drinking Mixtape in time for St. PatrickÁ¢€â„¢s Day. I got so excited that…
The Chartburn Panel
1 Min Read
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/bo2Aypi0R2c” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Mainstream Rock: Blue Oyster Cult, “Burnin’ for You” (1981) Mike: One of exactly two Blue Oyster Cult songs I’m familiar with (I’m sure we…
Bob Cashill
1 Min Read
There was a time, not too long ago, that when the Oscar nominations were announced, IÁ¢€â„¢d seen all the nominated films. Indeed, IÁ¢€â„¢d seen all the significant movies of the…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Buddy Revel, the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut of a bully in Three O’Clock High (1987), isn’t actually a bully. Bullying is a tool used to establish or enforce social dominance. And…
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…
Popdose Staff
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It all started back in September, when Robert Cass sent an e-mail to the staff telling us Billboard had announced that Chubby Checker’s “The Twist” is the top song of…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
A few years ago, my dad took a vacation to Hawaii. While he was there, he tried surfing for the first time. Even though he’s a good athlete, and solid…
Popdose Staff
1 Min Read
David Bowie – “Space Oddity” Peter Schilling – “Major Tom (Coming Home)” DwDunphy: It almost seems unfair that Peter Schilling’s “Major Tom” should go up against David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.”…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
I’ll start with the negative: seeing a Vampire Weekend show made me feel old. And that’s really the only thing I found disappointing about the show.Á‚ I’m not one to…
Zack Dennis
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There are fewer members of the Washington establishment that I detest more than Richard “Dickface” Cohen. I noticed yesterday evening that he’s finally soured on his hero John McCain, but…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
This past weekend I was the best man at my friend Rodger’s wedding. I spent a long time working on my toast, which went well, but there was something I…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
In Mike Judge’s 1999 comedy Office Space, its protagonist Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is described by the downsizing consultants as a “straight shooter with upper management written all over him.”…
Popdose Staff
1 Min Read
M83 – “Teen Angst” Placebo – “Teenage Angst” Zack: It’s hard to argue that there’s anybody who has a better grasp of teen angst than Gordon Gano of the Violent…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Basketball owes its success as a spectator sport to the fact that a miraculous shot at the end of the game can change everything in a single instant. ItÁ¢€â„¢s a…
Popdose Staff
1 Min Read
—- Def Leppard – “Rocket” Herbie Hancock – “Rockit” Mojo: “The exception that proves the rule” is a cliche whose meaning completely eludes me. It’s like saying just once, we…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
A number of months ago, Darren Robbins posted a column discussing how brazen arrogance seemed to be the most valuable asset in a playboyÁ¢€â„¢s pickup arsenal. If this is true,…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
For the least two years, the area in front of the Staples Center has been the site of a massive construction project, the behemoth “LA Live” complex. Costing approximately $2.5…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
One of of the most overlooked films of 2006 (a terrible, terrible year for movies; with redemption only brought by the likes of The Departed, Borat, and Casino Royale) was…
Popdose Staff
1 Min Read
The Popdose staff was sitting around the other day, doing what we do best — namely, talking about records that most people wish they didn’t remember — when a discussion…
The Chartburn Panel
1 Min Read
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/0KL_fgWgK40″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Mainstream Rock: Mike + the Mechanics, “Silent Running” (1985) David Medsker: I love Paul Carrack as much as the next guy, but is what…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
A sizable crowd was already waiting outside the Echo when I arrived at 8:30. One can often forecast how good a show’s going to be based on the enthusiasm of…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
I tend to make a lot of allowances for films that translate classic literature into high school settings. If nothing else, I respect the ambition of such an endeavor. And…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
A couple weeks ago, I planned a weeknight getaway down to Anaheim to watch the Angels play against their closest rival for the division crown, the Oakland A’s. We took…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
Nobody, and I mean nobody, has demonstrated an ability to manipulate popular culture better than Quentin Tarantino. The pop-culture reference is a staple of modern entertainment. Television shows like The…
Zack Dennis
1 Min Read
When I was living in Johannesburg, I spent about four months dating a woman who worked as a professional editor for film and television commercials. She put together a video…