Zooey Deschanel And Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

From 2011, here's Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt with "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

Enjoy!

Culture Brats Top 10 Best Of The Rest Of 2011

Last week, we gave you the best that pop culture had to offer in 2011 with our look back at the best movies, music, and television shows of the past year. This week, we're looking inward and giving you the best of Culture Brats!

So far, we've given you our ten most popular Ranked! columns of 2011, our ten most popular interviews of 2011, and our ten most popular reviews of 2011. Today, we're looking back at the best of the rest:




10. SmackTalk Victim: Meital Dohan's "Yummy Boyz"

9. Solitaire: The Movie

8. The Most Awesomest Skee-Lo T-Shirt Ever

7. SmackTalk Victim: Avil Lavigne, "What The Hell"

6. SmackTalk Victim: Ke$ha, "Blow"

5. SmackTalk Victim: Die Antwoord, "Rich Bitch"

4. SmackTalk Victim: Bag Raiders, "Sunlight"

3. Friends, '80s Style

2. SmackTalk Victim: LMFAO, "Sexy And I Know It"

1. John Hughes, Jerk

The Singularity, "Say What You Want"

From 2010, here's The Singularity with "Say What You Want."

Enjoy!

Culture Brats Top 10 Most Popular Reviews Of 2011

Last week, we gave you the best that pop culture had to offer in 2011 with our look back at the best movies, music, and television shows of the past year. This week, we're looking inward and giving you the best of Culture Brats!

Today, we're looking back at our 2011 reviews. Here are the top ten:




10. DVD Review: Primal Scream, Screamadelica Live

9. Music Review: George Michael, Faith (Deluxe Edition)

8. CD Review: Styx, Regeneration Volume I & II

7. CD Review: Angels & Airwaves, LOVE Part Two

6. DVD Review: Counting Crows, August And Everything After: Live At Town Hall

5. Book Review: Henry Rollins, Occupants

4. Musical Review: Rock Of Ages, Curran Theatre

3. Movie Review: Level Up

2. Concert Review: Prince's Welcome 2 America Tour

1. Concert Review: Glee Live! 2011 Tour

First Look: Modern Family: The Horror Movie

It's amazing how a few edits and some scary music can turn my sweet & sarcastic Alex Dunphy into a homicidal maniac.

First Look: D&D Sluggers, "Jam Of The Year"

If you've ever wondered what the band's gear looks like, here's your chance!

Oh My!, "Dirty Dancer"

From 2011, here's Oh My! with "Dirty Dancer."

Enjoy!



[source]

Culture Brats Top 10 Most Popular Interviews Of 2011

Last week, we gave you the best that pop culture had to offer in 2011 with our look back at the best movies, music, and television shows of the past year. This week, we're looking inward and giving you the best of Culture Brats!

Today, we're looking back at our 2011 interviews. It's hard to believe, but we did forty-seven interviews this year. Crazy, huh? Here are our ten most popular interviews of 2011:

10. The Science Of The Floating City: Thomas Dolby

Thomas Dolby spoke with us about his upcoming album, his online game, his past collaborations, the early days of MTV, how MTV gave his career a boost and nearly killed it, and Jessie J.

9. Last Indie Standing: Troma's Lloyd Kaufman

The co-founder of Troma Entertainment and writer/director of The Toxic Avenger and Class Of Nuke 'Em High talked about the TromaDance Film Festival, indie filmmaking, and the remake of The Toxic Avenger.

8. We're With The Band: Get Scared

Get Scared's Bradley Lloyd discussed touring in a van, their inspiration, their new album, and whether or not he can do a cartwheel.

7. Sunglasses On Airplanes: The Naked And Famous

David Beadle of The Naked And Famous spoke with us about the band, music videos, his musical influences, Nine Inch Nails, jeans, Andrew W.K., life on the road, and rock star moments.

6. Back To Where It All Started: The Human League's Philip Oakey

Philip Oakey spoke with us about The Human League's new album Credo, the band's early videos and MTV, touring, remaining a force for over thirty years, and how the US may have the wrong impression of The Human League.

Ready For World Domination: Our Interview With Stephie Coplan

PHOTO CREDIT: Shervin Lainez

This is my fourth post about Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians in a little over two weeks, so I might come off as a little obsessed. So be it. Give them a listen and you will be, too.

Stephie was nice enough to fuel my obsession by talking with me about how they came up with their band name, "Jerk!," the upcoming EP, her influences, touring plans, and her New Year's resolutions.

How'd you guys come up with The Pedestrians?
That's so funny. We actually went to Chipotle. I'm not even kidding. This is going to sound like a fake story, but it's totally true. We went to Chipotle one night right after we got together and we were pretty much like, "OK. We need a band name." We had been kicking around a few ideas for a few weeks but nothing really stuck. We just sat there and ate burritos and brainstormed. My bass player John said offhandedly, "Pretenders. Performers. Professors. Pedestrians." And I was like, "That's it! Pedestrians!"

We thought it would be easy to market ourselves if we could do stuff with street signs and traffic lights and the colors red, yellow, and green. We were going to go for a whole theme and none of that actually ended up happening. We've haven't done anything. We were going to call our album something like Yield or Stop And Go or something like that. But something about Pedestrians just sounded cool to us.

I love the song and video for "Jerk!" It's gotten some great buzz online. Has it been a crazy month for you?
Yeah. Oh my God. Definitely. Right after Thanksgiving is when we put it up. It helped that it got on the radio in Boston on the commercial alternative station. It's been crazy. Actually, to be honest, it's always cool of course when a blog picks it up and features it and stuff like that, but the cool thing for me has been hearing from friends I thought had kind of forgotten about me. It's so weird because Facebook is amazing in that I think it's removed the need for high school reunions and stuff like that because at any given moment you can tell exactly what your friends are up to. But I didn't think that anybody ever paid attention to me or knew what I was doing and now I've been hearing from people that I went to middle school with, elementary school with, preschool, people that I knew for only a summer at summer camp. People who I thought had totally forgot about me are telling me how much they like the song and that's just so cool to reconnect with everyone.

First Listen: The Flaming Lips, "I Am The Walrus"

Never has a cover made more sense.

Lilac, "So Young"

From 2011, here's Lilac with "So Young."

Enjoy!

Culture Brats Top 10 Most Popular Ranked! Columns Of 2011

Last week, we gave you the best that pop culture had to offer in 2011 with our look back at the best movies, music, and television shows of the past year. This week, we're looking inward and giving you the best of Culture Brats!

To kick things off, here are the 10 most popular Ranked! columns of 2011:




10. Top 20 Saturday Night Live Skits

9. Top 16 Bill Murray Roles

8. Top 20 Football Movies

7. Top 16 Movies About Prostitutes

6. Top 25 Musicians Turned Actors

5. Top 16 Winona Ryder Roles

4. Top 13 Shark Movies

3. Top 25 Atari 2600 Games

2. Top 20 Movie Prom Scenes

1. Top 17 Mockumentaries

CD Review: Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians

A lot of independently-produced debut albums sound like independently-produced debut albums: trite lyrics, off-key vocals, and poor musicianship because they're often recorded too early in a band's development. Some bands' debuts, however, sound as if they've been together for years. Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians are ready for their closeup: their self-titled EP is fun, catchy, witty, intelligent, and begging for you to take it home.

The album leads off with "Jerk!," which oozes with attitude and demands to be played loudly and screamed along to by everyone who's ever been wronged by a lover yet can't seem to break the ties with him or her. While "Jerk!" might remind you of Garbage, the rest of the album is totally different and sounds like Ben Folds due to Coplan's amazing piano skills and humorous lyrics. "Caroline" is Coplan at her Foldsiest and is a great character study. The funniest song on the album is "Take Me Back To The Suburbs," with its unbelievably catchy "get me to the burbs ASAP" refrain and pop culture references to Anthropologie, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, The Simpsons, Will Smith, Starbucks, Twitter, Urban Outfitters, Weeds, and The Wire. "Suburbs" was my favorite song on the disc until I spent this past weekend listening to and appreciating "We Don't Need Much," the album's closer, on a nonstop loop. "We Don't Need Much" is a sweet and mature song about love being more important than material items, and sounds like classic Liz Phair if Liz Phair had turned in her six-string for eighty-eight keys.

Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians is a great album. My only fear is that the critics' inevitable comparisons of Coplan to Ben Folds might overshadow the greatness of this EP. But I don't think that will happen because Coplan owns these comparisons; she wears them like a badge of honor. The question is: does the world need a younger, hipper, funnier, and prettier Ben Folds?

Yes. Yes it does.

And so do you.

Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians will be released on January 21, 2012. You can preorder it on their Bandcamp page for five bucks and will be able to download "Jerk" on the spot.

Book Review: Postcards From Divine

Who among us didn't love Divine? The hair, the sequin-encrusted frocks, the stiletto heels, the meticulously teased wigs, the... wait, do I see a hand raised in protest in the back?

Someone throw a lucite shoe at that dissenter!

Did you feel that, Negative Ned? That is the sensation of complete wrongness righted with the power of violence. Now sit down and keep that hand placed firmly at your side while we all bask in the warm glow of my review.

Where were we? Ah yes, Noah Brodie, Dan Marshall, Frances Milstead, and Michael O'Quinn's Postcards From Divine, the newly released book that features never before seen postcards and photos collected over the years by family and friends while the outrageously popular and magnificent Glenn Milstead traveled the world and entertained the masses.

Squirtgun, "Social"

From 1995, here's Squirtgun with "Social."

Enjoy!

SpongeBob SquarePants, "Don't Be A Jerk (It's Christmas)"

From 2009, here's SpongeBob SquarePants with "Don't Be A Jerk (It's Christmas)."

Enjoy!



Happy holidays, everyone!

Holly Golightly, "Christmas Tree On Fire"

From 2006, here's Holly Golightly with "Christmas Tree On Fire."

Enjoy!

Culture Brats Top 20 Movies Of 2011

Today, we're wrapping up our look at the the best of pop culture in 2011 with a look at the year's best movies:




20. The Guard
19. Take Shelter
18. Rango
17. The Adjustment Bureau
16. Hanna
15. Fright Night
14. Super 8
13. The Help
12. Crazy, Stupid, Love.
11. Midnight In Paris

Eurythmics, "Winter Wonderland"

From 1987, here's "Winter Wonderland" by the Eurythmics.

Enjoy!

Parentz, "Back It Up"

From 2011, here's Parentz with "Back It Up."

Enjoy!

Culture Brats Top 30 TV Shows Of 2011

We're still counting down the best of 2011! Today, we're highlighting the best television shows of 2011:




30. The Amazing Race
29. Awkward.
28. South Park
27. Torchwood
26. Haven
25. American Pickers
24. Smallville
23. Hell On Wheels
22. Sons Of Anarchy
21. American Horror Story
20. Justified
19. Homeland
18. Archer
17. Pan Am
16. Boardwalk Empire
15. Workaholics
14. Breaking Bad
13. Tosh.0
12. True Blood
11. How I Met Your Mother

First Listen: Norwegian Recycling, "Good Feeling"

Just in time for the holidays, here's a new song from Peter Bull Enger of Norwegian Recycling. "Good Feeling" contains bits and pieces from the following nine songs:

• Katy Perry, "The One That Got Away"
• Coldplay, "Fix You"
• David Guetta featuring Usher, "Without You"
• Avicii, "Levels"
• Black Eyed Peas, "The Time (Dirty Bit)"
• Britney Spears, "Hold It Against Me"
• Britney Spears, "Till The World Ends"
• Bryan Adams, "Summer Of '69"
• Chris Brown - Yeah 3X

dj BC, "You Shook Me All Noel"

From 2007, here's dj BC with "You Shook Me All Noel."

Enjoy!

Hunx And His Punx, "Too Young To Be In Love"

From 2011, here's Hunx And His Punx with "Too Young To Be In Love."

Enjoy!

Second Look: 21 Jump Street

This isn't much different than the red band trailer released last month, but the new bits in this trailer for 21 Jump Street make me want to see it all the more. I blame it on my obsession with Jonah Hill.



[source]

The Superions, "Santa's Disco"

From 2010, here's "Santa's Disco" by The Superions.

Enjoy!

Jesus Jones, "Right Here Right Now"

From 1991, here's Jesus Jones with "Right Here, Right Now."

Enjoy!

Culture Brats Top 35 Albums Of 2011

It's that special time of year when every pop culture site in the world takes a look back at the previous year, tries to make sense of it all, and compiles lists upon lists. Not wanting to be left behind, we're doing the same thing. Today, we're taking a look back at the best albums of 2011.




See? We even made a fancy graphic for it. That's how serious we are about this, folks.

By the way, even though all thirty-five of our favorite albums appear in that graphic, they are not in the correct order. So feel free to guess our #1. Or you could just continue reading.

The Culture Brats Top 35 Albums Of 2011

35. Ben Folds, The Best Imitation Of Myself: A Retrospective
34. Tom Waits, Bad As Me
33. The Black Keys, El Camino
32. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto
31. R.E.M., Collapse Into Now
30. White Lies, Ritual
29. Cloud Nothings, Cloud Nothings
28. The Sounds, Something To Die For
27. Ellie Goulding, Lights
26. Dynasty Electric, Golden Arrows
25. Kurt Vile, Smoke Ring For My Halo
24. Tally Hall, Good & Evil
23. Raphael Saadiq, Stone Rollin'
22. The Decemberists, The King Is Dead
21. Paul Simon, So Beautiful Or So What

So far so good, right? Onward to the Top 20!

Switchfoot, "Another Christmas (Old Borego)"

From 2004, here's Switchfoot with "Another Christmas (Old Borego)"

Enjoy!

Lana Del Rey, "Born To Die"

From 2011, here's Lana Del Rey with "Born To Die."

Enjoy!

First Look: Arcade Fire, "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"

This is a pretty freaky little video. But I have no idea why they've just now released it.



Arcade Fire's The Suburbs was our Album Of The Year for 2010. Curious who will take home the honor this year? Check back tomorrow.

My Tiger My Timing, "See You On New Year's Day"

Here's a brand new holiday tune from My Tiger My Timing!

From 2011, here's My Tiger My Timing with "See You On New Year's Day."

Enjoy!



Like what you hear? Click the Download button and it's yours for free!

The Marshall Tucker Band, "Can't You See"

From 1973, here's The Marshall Tucker Band with "Can't You See."

Enjoy!

Stephie Coplan, "No Assholes On Christmas"

Here's a brand spanking new Christmas tune from my current obsession!

From 2011, here's Stephie Coplan with "No Assholes On Christmas."

Enjoy!

Tatiana Kochkareva, "Christmas At Home"

From 2011, here's Tatiana Kochkareva with "Christmas At Home."

Enjoy!



Like it? You can download it for free!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day XII: Charity

It's the final day of our Twelve Days Of Christmas gift guide and today we're featuring charities:

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association
Not many people are aware of how crippling an autoimmune disorder can be. Actually, a lot of people just don't know about autoimmune disorders in general but they affect 20% of the population. This organization aims to increase education, public awareness, and research for the over 100 autoimmune disorders affecting people every day. I bet you know someone with an autoimmune disorder, too.

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl


Dragon Productions Theatre Company
On a personal level, this is a lovely group of people that I work with in northern California. They're small but mighty, and right now they have a Secret Santa who's matching donations dollar for dollar until they hit $10,000. A few bucks goes a long, long way for them to produce thought-provoking, quality live theatre. Dragon is working to support emerging playwrights, directors, actors, and designers. Everyone in the arts needs help getting started, and most people in the industry don't do it for the money because theater people are rarely paid what they're worth. They do it for the sheer joy of telling stories that matter. In this economy, arts organizations are hurting for funds, why not lend a hand to something that feeds the soul this holiday season? Also, they have a purple dragon as their mascot, and that's pretty rad.

Recommended By: Archphoenix


Drawing Autism
The artist says about the piece: "This was inspired by all wars in the world and people's indifference for all bad things. And also it was inspired by the lyrics of the Project Pitchfork song 'Vietnam.'"

The work by Milda Bandazaite is one of many you'll see in the book Drawing Autism. The volume is stuffed full of heartbreakingly amazing works by over fifty international contributors, each of whom is autistic. Part of its proceeds go to fund programs that support art and autism.

Recommended By: Jett Superior

Free Six-Track EP From AWOLNATION

AWOLNATION wants you to have a happy holiday and is trying to help by giving you a free six-song EP. And all they want in exchange is your email address!

Here's the tracklist:
1. "Silent Nation"
2. "MF"
3. "Sail (Live)"
4. "Not Your Fault (Live)"
5. "Soul Wars (Live)"
6. "Burn It Down (Live)"

"Silent Nation" is actually AWOLNATION's awesome cover of "Silent Night." If you're interested, head on over to their site and start downloading!

Steel Panther, "The Twelve Days Of Christmas"

Here's Steel Panther with their slightly NSFW take on the holiday classic:

Hipsway, "The Honeythief"

From 1986, here's Hipsway with "The Honeythief."

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day XI: Greed

Hey everyone! We're almost at the end. Today's the eleventh day of Christmas, and we're celebrating greed!

Flying Car
Dude, this is a flying car. I actually had a dream about this once where I was driving along and then all of a sudden I had a sudden need to escape pursuers and VOILA! My car had wings and I took flight. This is for people who need to make a quick getaway or who like their vehicles to perform more than one transportation service. In-flight peanuts are up to you.

Recommended By: Dufmanno


The Inspiration Archipod
This is for all the overworked, run down, just looking for one freaking moment of silence! type people in your life. Originally I thought this was some sort of space pod that transported you to another dimension but actually it's an onion house with shingles that sits in your backyard. Mine would be reinforced with corrugated steel and guard dogs to prevent wayward children from slipping inside to disturb my "peace."

Recommended By: Dufmanno

First Look: Geek Love

I got all excited when I heard Geek Love was coming to TLC.

Then I watched the trailer and discovered it's not an adaptation of Katherine Dunn's twisted little novel.

But it does look kind of twisted:



[source]

Robert Earl Keen, "Merry Christmas From The Family"

From 1994, here's Robert Earl Keen with "Merry Christmas From The Family."

Enjoy!

The Cast Of Cheers, "Family"

From 2011, here's "Family" from The Cast Of Cheers.

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day X: Apps

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love game to me... a bunch of apps:

Army Of Darkness Defense
Do you love Bruce Campbell, the Evil Dead series, and shooting things? Then this is the perfect game for you! Enjoy playing the role of Ash shooting down the Army of Darkness's minions all while he shouts out his trademark lines from the movie. But be warned, you will have to hustle in some of the later levels.

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl


Comics
A great way to buy and read comic books on your iPad. They have a pretty decent library and routinely offer sales and deals.

Recommended By: Archphoenix

First Look: Rock Of Ages

It's '80s hair metal! It's cheesy! It has dance numbers! Cover songs!

But... will it rock?

Cyndi Lauper, "Early Christmas Morning"

From 1998, here's Cyndi Lauper with "Early Christmas Morning."

Enjoy!

Nick Gilder, "Hot Child In The City"

From 1978, here's Nick Gilder with "Hot Child In The City."

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day IX: Gag Gifts

You know how some Christmas parties are about embarrassing each other, trying to get the stupidest gift possible? Today, we salute those parties!

Bob Ross Master Paint Set

Recommended By: Archphoenix


Emergency Underpants

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl

First Listen: Sinead O’Connor, "4th And Vine" And "Take Off Your Shoes"

Two new tracks from Sinnead! Both kick ass!



[source]

Run-D.M.C., "Christmas In Hollis"

From 1987, here's Run-D.M.C. with "Christmas In Hollis."

Enjoy!

Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians, "JERK!"

This landed in my inbox yesterday and... wow.

From 2011, here's Stephie Coplan & The Pedestrians with "JERK!"

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day VIII: Pop Culture Items

Today's Day 8! Here are some handpicked pop culture goodies:

Buster Bluth In Blue Painting
Tony Hale (hi, Tony! I love youuuu!) has ruined me. He's so good at playing Buster Bluth* that I can see his face and start laughing. If I woke up to this pop art panel featuring Busty's face every day it would definitely get a giggle from me. Imagine if it were hanging behind the toilet! I wonder if the fact that it's so... blue is a nod to Tobias Fünke? There's lots of other affordable pop art goodness at Peachy Apricot, too.

Recommended By: Jett Superior


Cassette Tape Night Lights
Old cassette tapes are upcycled into unique and surprisingly pretty night light lamps. Lighted by LED lights, these lamps look retro and coolly modern at the same time. Who knew?

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl

DVD Review: The Love We Make

I'm not sure which is worse: the fact that I wasn't aware of this wonderful documentary or that I am so ill equipped to speak with any authority on it.

You see, I am surrounded by rabid McCartney fans on every front so I hesitate to even open my mouth without the fear of being eaten alive at the slightest misstep.

Let's start with something I never knew.

On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Paul McCartney was sitting comfortably aboard an airplane in New York City awaiting take off when the unthinkable happened and history changed. His plans foiled but his resolve bolstered, this movie is the story of what happened in the six weeks that followed that catastropic nightmare and what one man was determined to do about it.

We are along for the ride with McCartney and Albert Maysles behind the camera as the legendary musician forms and executes a plan to do something for a wounded New York, a city very different from the one where the Beatles landed in 1964.

Queen, "Thank God It's Christmas"

From 1984, here's Queen with "Thank God It's Christmas."

Enjoy!

Marshall Crenshaw, "Someday, Someway"

From 1982, here's Marshall Crenshaw with "Someday, Someway."

Enjoy!

The Boy Least Likely To, "George And Andrew"

From 2010, here's The Boy Least Likely To with "George And Andrew."

Enjoy!

Wham!, "Last Christmas"

From 1984, here's Wham! with "Last Christmas."

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day VII: Fashion

Fashion time, kids!

Ariat Fatbaby Rodeobaby Envy
The Ariat Fatbaby, specifically the Rodeobaby Envy: I just blew your mind. You didn't know that cowboy boots could be modded to look so rock and roll and, well... like sex. Now you do. Use this knowledge responsibly. Maybe you should also buy a pair of Fatbaby Originals as backup, just in case you accidentally leave your Rodeobabys underneath someone's bed.

Recommended By: Jett Superior


AWOLNATION "Blame It On My A.D.D." Tee
It's no real secret that several of us Brats have a gigantic boner for AWOLNATION. It shouldn't shock you, then, when I suggest that you hit up their swag shop for the little 'BLAME IT ON MY A.D.D.' number. In blue. Size large. They discontinued the bright blue ones and the girly tees. I'll take what they have in a medium. E-mail me for my shipping address. Also you need to buy one for yourself and someone you want to look as rad as me'n'you.

Recommended By: Jett Superior

Tag For Change: Our Interview With Nick Martin Of Lost And Loveless

This has got to be one of the most heartwarming interviews I've done this year! Just in time to get me in the holiday spirit, I sat down to talk with Nick Martin, co-founder of the new clothing line Lost & Loveless, and guitarist for the band D.R.U.G.S. We spoke about teddy bears, the impact of positive change, Long Duk Dong, and of course, we had to throw some music in there, too.

Hi Nick! How are you doing today?
I'm doing really good. How's your day going?

Pretty good. So tell me how Lost & Loveless got started.
Well, I had a clothing company maybe three, four years ago that I started, and at the time realized I didn't have the time to put into it. So I kind of took a couple year break on it and I realized I did miss it and I wanted to get back into, hopefully, doing something with clothing again. And a good friend approached me and said he was starting a company so it kind of just spawned off from that. I kind of wanted to gear towards, you know, keeping what we're doing really positive and also having a charitable aspect to it. With the previous clothing line that I had at the time I was raising money for a little fire relief fund here in San Diego when there were all those... we had a ton of fires one summer. And I started a clothing company solely based on just raising money to help families kind of rebuild and restructure their lives. So I wanted to take that same kind of approach and mentality with Lost & Loveless this time around. We're not solely focused on just one charitable organization, we kind of want to have a broad spectrum of trying to, you know, raise awareness or help raise money for various charities so that's what the company is kind of founded on.

That's very inspirational. I know you just ran a Toys for Tots campaign in October. Do you have any immediate plans for more fundraisers?
Um yeah. You know... we have a million ideas and it's just a matter of trying to hone in on what the best ideas are and what the most feasible ideas are. Like I said, we want to keep a broad spectrum of different charities and different organizations that we want to help, but I kind of feel like it's gearing towards more helping kids as much as possible. I know for me personally I've got such a soft spot for kids; you know wanting kids to have an amazing life growing up and anything I can do to help to facilitate kids being able to achieve whatever they want. And I think a lot of our charities are really going to be geared towards kids. We want to get into the kids clothing world if we could and make shirts for kids and tie a charitable aspect toward that of you know, if a child wears one of our shirts then we'll donate another shirt to a child, and kind of instill [doing] charitable acts with kids at a young age. If they feel like they're making a change instead of just adults doing it, I want kids to feel like they're also doing something positive for the world. That's kind of the future of what we want to do charity-wise. And we want to make bears at some point next year, and do the same thing where if you buy a bear, another bear gets donated to a kid in need. So there's a million ideas of where we want to go with the charity aspect but I think it's going to be geared more towards helping like disadvantaged youth, I guess.

My Chemical Romance, "Every Snowflake Is Different"

From 2011 (and the upcoming holiday episode of Yo Gabba Gabba!), here's My Chemical Romance with "Every Snowflake Is Different."

Enjoy!

Billy Squier, "Rock Me Tonight"

There are better Billy Squier songs, but not better Billy Squier videos.

From 1984, here's "Rock Me Tonight" by Billy Squier.

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day VI: DVDs

It's Day Six and we've got TV and movie DVDs:

Dinner With Schmucks
I cannot even begin to tell you the ways that I was charmed by Dinner For Schmucks. To me, it was the perfect balance of hilarity (Jemaine Clement as freaky-silly conceptual artist Kieran Vollard; Zach Galafianakis as Therman Murch) and tenderness (Steve Carell's goofy-lovable Barry Speck). The closing vignette where Barry does the evolution of man is worth the price of admission alone. You can find Dinner For Schmucks on Amazon for less than ten dollars.

Recommended By: Jett Superior


Dragon Tattoo Trilogy
See the Swedish book hit with the original Swedish cast before you watch the Fincher version. Noomi Rapace is stellar as Lisbeth Salander.

Recommended By: Archphoenix

First Listen: Neon Trees, "Everybody Talks"

Man, this song is awsesome! If this song is any indication as to what's in store, I can't wait for the new album!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "All I Want For Christmas"

From 2008, here's "All I Want For Christmas" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Enjoy!

Blotto, "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard"

From 1981, here's Blotto with "I Wanna Be A Lifeguard."

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day V: Gadgets

It's go-go-gadget time, kids!

Dremel Saw-Max Tool Kit
A Hand. Rotary. Saw. What? Seriously, I want this! There are moments where I need to quickly cut through some pvc pipe, metal, or wood and I don't want to mess with finding the appropriate (or not so) hand saw (and *ahem* breaking it). And for those more delicate cuts I'm also lusting after this baby, the Rockwell Trans4mer.

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl


Garmin GTU
Keep track of your kids, pets, spouse, or elderly relatives when they wander off with this real-time GPS device. Just slap it on a backpack or collar (you know those older folks and their collars!) and get location updates from your smartphone.

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl

Free Download: Larry g(EE), "Yo Mama (Rahtid Sound 'Heart Of Glass' Remix Feat. Tropical Fantasy)"

Mr. g(EE)'s awesome voice is way too low in the mix, but it's still worth a spin. If you like what you hear, you can download it for free.



And don't forget, kids! Weekends drops on Friday.

Mariah Carey, "All I Want For Christmas Is You"

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever.

From 1994, here's Mariah Carey with "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

Enjoy!

Guided By Voices, "The Unsinkable Fats Domino"

From 2011, here's Guided By Voices with "The Unsinkable Fats Domino."

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day IV: Food

Welcome to Day Four of our Twelve Days Of Christmas gift guide spectacular. Grab yourself a plate because today we're covering food items:

Chocolate-Covered Bacon From Marini's Candies
I was soooooo skeptical about this whole concept. Bacon and chocolate just did not sound good. But I was so fricking wrong! The trick to Marini's brand of this treat is that the bacon is extra crispy before they cover it in their chocolate. The resulting taste is an amazing sweet, salty, smoky blend you didn't expect you could be craving for hours after.

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl


Garrett Popcorn
When I think of Christmas I think fondly of the big tins of popcorn a distant cousin used to send. They were those three-in-one jobbies so you got some buttered, cheese, and caramel popcorn in one big old tin. A tin that later doubled as a drum when it was empty. Anyway, if you want the ultimate in popcorn, order some Garrett's, a Chicago tradition. Just don't look at the calorie counter. Seriously.

Recommended By: Archphoenix

Putting The Culture In Culture Brats

This might be the first "opera" we've featured on Culture Brats:



[source]

Slade, "Merry Xmas Everybody"

From 1973, here's Slade with "Merry Xmas Everybody."

Enjoy!

Patrick Hernandez, "Born To Be Alive"

From 1979, here's Patrick Hernandez with "Born To Be Alive."

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day III: Music

Welcome to Day Three of our Twelve Days Of Christmas gift guide spectacular. Today, we're covering music gifts:

AWOLNATION, Megalithic Symphony
You probably won't read this anywhere else, so I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Megalithic Symphony was the best album released in 2011. For real.

Perfect For: Awesome people

Recommended By: Chris


Brian Jonestown Massacre, Singles Collection (1992-2011)
This year Brian Jonestown Massacre released a singles retrospective stretching from 1992-2011 called (duh) Singles Collection (1992-2011). They're a brilliant band whose work I don't think enough people know, so this is a good place to start. All kind of excellence on there, from start to finish.

Recommended By: Jett Superior

CD Review And Giveaway: Neil Diamond, The Very Best Of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recordings

Greatest hits packages are a tricky business. When you have an artist with a long and illustrious career, it's difficult to compile a whole CD of material that takes into consideration fan favorites and the artist's hits, while mixing in a few songs off the beaten path. The 23-track The Very Best Of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recordings does a damn good job of creating a definitive retrospective of Diamond's incredible career.

All the songs you know and love are here: "America," "Cherry, Cherry," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Forever In Blue Jeans," "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," "Hello Again," "Holly Holy," "I Am... I Said," "Love On The Rocks," "Song Sung Blue," "Sweet Caroline," and "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." There are also songs made by popular by other artists ("I'm A Believer" and "Red, Red Wine") and a song from each of his comeback albums of the '00s.

A big draw to this compilation are the liner notes, penned by Diamond himself, where he shares his thoughts and memories on the writing and/or recoding of each song. Here's what he had to say about my favorite song, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show:"

This very unique record (produced by Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman) was another Memphis creation (circa 1969). Bobby Woods on piano and Mike Leech on bass led me and the band to the promised land with this track. "Brother Love" was a very odd single (you couldn't dance to it because of all the tempo changes) but it caught on nonetheless. Almost immediately, it became one of my favorite songs to perform live and remains my show closer after more than forty years. Now that's what I call longevity!

The Very Best Of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recordings provides an excellent starting point for those not that familiar with his large body of work. And for his fans, it serves as an awesome one-disc retrospective of Diamond's career.

Win A Copy of The Very Best Of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recordings

Yup, that's right. We've got a copy of the album to give to one lucky reader. All you have to do is shoot us an email with Neil Diamond Contest in the subject line. This contest is open to all U.S. residents age 18 and up. We'll draw a lucky winner on Friday. Good luck!

Laura Warshauer, "I Love You, Mr. Grinch"

From 2011, here's Laura Warshauer with "I Love You, Mr. Grinch."

Enjoy!

James, "Laid"

From 1993, here's James with "Laid."

Enjoy!

The Futureheads, "Christmas Was Better In The '80s"

From 2011, here's "Christmas Was Better In The '80s" by The Futureheads.

Enjoy!

Corey Taylor, "X-M@$"

From 2010, here's Corey Taylor with "X-M@$"

Enoy

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day II: Books

Welcome to Day Two of our Twelve Days Of Christmas gift guide spectacular. In case you didn't read the title, today we're going to cover books.

I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story Of The Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum
This is the best book I read all year. It deals with MTV's video years, from the pre-launch to The Real World. Along the way, we're treated to quotes from the people who created MTV, the VJs, and a lot of the musicians back in the day. It's told as a series of quotes and at nearly 600 pages, it's a fascinating look back at the glory days of MTV and there's a lot of information and fun to be found inside.

Perfect For: Anyone who grew up in the '80s

Recommended By: Chris


Stays Crunchy In Milk by Adam P. Knave
Adam P. Knave is a friend of mine, and also one hell of a writer. His mind is all bendy and twisty in ways that make for an amazing story; he has great ability with both language and emotion. He has a good catalog and I'm waiting eagerly for a collection of "stories I'd tell you in a bar" to come out later this month. Since that book isn't out yet, I'm gonna recommend you pick up Stays Crunchy In Milk, because you are sentimental, you believe in loyalty, and you love the pop culture of your childhood, just like me.

Recommended By: Jett Superior

First Listen: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Soundtrack Sampler

Trent Reznor's been a busy little Oscar winner. He and colleague Atticus Ross teamed up to score David Fincher's film The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. You can now preorder the entire three hour score, which is actually kind of cool. There's also a free six song, 35 minute sampler available from the NIN website. Check out the NIN site, lots of interesting information about the score and various options and things available.

While I really enjoyed the original Swedish films with Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace, I'm curious to see what Fincher and company do with their take. I just read a piece on what Rooney Mara did to get and prepare for the role and girl went all out.

First Look: Secret Music, "T.O.Y.S."

Back in October, we shared Secret Music's "T.O.Y.S." with you. Well, the guys have released a video for the track and it is full of cool '80s stuff like Cabbage Patch dolls, Lionel Richie's "Dancing On The Ceiling" video, the Centipede video game, a lot of unfortunate fashion, even more unfortunate dancing, and a lot of creepy ventriliquist dummys. Oh, and there are plenty of clips from The Jerry Spring Show, too.

This could very well be the greatest music video ever made!

The Killers, "Cowboys' Christmas Ball"

It wouldn't be the holidays without an awesome new Killers holiday track!

From 2011, here's The Killers with "Cowboys' Christmas Ball."

Enjoy!

Lady Gaga, "Marry The Night"

From 2011, here's Lady Gaga with "Marry The Night."

Enjoy!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day I: Ornaments

Hey guys! It's that magical time of year... where every single website you read cobbles together some haphazard gift guide! And because we didn't want to be the middle school wallflower without a partner when the DJ put the needle on Journey's "Open Arms," we decided to throw our hat into the ring.

Except we decided to take it to the next level. Well, the twelfth level actually. We've divided our list into twelve topics and will publish twelve different lists. Because we love you!

To kick off our Twelve Days Of Christmas, here's a look at some ornaments:

Strip Nick
Every year I host an ornament exchange for several deranged individuals readers and friends. One of the swappers clued the rest of us in to Pornaments.com and a, uh, saucier side of Christmas that many people are unaware of. Behold, Santa as sex symbol! Be warned before you go sallying over there during business hours or family time: Strip Nick was just about the most PG-13 thing I could find on their site, but if you want a good laugh or a blue-themed ornament, take a peek over there!

Recommended By: Jett Superior


Yoda With LED Light Saber Tree Topper
My mom gave this to us last year and it is possibly the best gift she's ever given. Way better than some lame-o angel or snowflake, let this Jedi Master defend your gifts with his green glowing lightsaber (Force not included).

Perfect For: Star Wars geeks, people who don't want a regular old boring tree

Recommended By: Archphoenix


Zombie Ornaments
Just the usual holidays... but undead!

Perfect For: The bah humbug in your family.

Recommended By: The Weirdgirl