First Look: Katy Perry And Kanye West, "E.T."

You know, for all the hype, this is pretty pedestrian (although I did like the money shot at the end).



What do you think?

First Look: Teen Wolf

MTV had this genius idea awhile back - take werewolves, which are totally hot right now and an old '80s movie and make it into a TV series. So, coming this summer is Teen Wolf, the television series. Yeah, that Teen Wolf.

Presenting the first look at Teen Wolf:



Ohmigod it's like so dramatic/romantic. If I were into Twilight (which I'm really, really not) I'd probably dig this.

I'd rather just rent this:



How cute is it that they use his real name in the trailer?

Anyway, anyone going to try the new Teen Wolf?

The Power of the Internet Compels You!

Wonder Woman fans, finally some good news. Remember that fairly hideous costume that NBC revealed to the world not too long ago? According to Slice of SciFi, NBC heard our outrage and has tweaked the outfit accordingly. Gone are the oddly sky blue ill fitting pants and skank-red lipstick. Behold the new outfit in action.

Better yes? Still not totally amazing - I'd prefer if the bustier and boots and lasso didn't look really cheap (and she didn't look, I dunno, constipated). But it's definitely better.

In other news, Elizabeth Hurley has signed on to be the archnemesis Veronica Cale. And she's still really, really hot so that's something. And Cary Elwes has signed on to play the CEO of Wonder Woman's company. I kind of love Cary so that's exciting news.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Zero"

From 2009, here's "Zero" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Enjoy!

Top 25 Atari 2600 Games

For this week's Ranked!, we decided to rank out favorite Atari 2600 games. Here are our Top 25:

25. Jungle Hunt
24. Spy Hunter
23. Dig Dug
22. Gauntlet
21. Joust
20. Mountain King
19. Pole Position
18. Q*bert
17. River Raid
16. Donkey Kong
15. Night Driver
14. Asteroids
13. Berzerk
12. Haunted House
11. Combat
10. Super Breakout
9. Defender
8. Centipede
7. Yar's Revenge

Bringing the Coin-Op Classics Home—Old School

(My interview with Rob Fulop, the man who brought Missile Command to the Atari 2600, originally published in GameRoom Magazine, July 2006)

From the moment I first encountered a coin-op video game, all I wanted was to play as much as I possibly could. When I was nine years old, though, I was kind of dependent on Mom and Dad to give me a lift to the local bowling alley or arcade—and, needless to say, that didn't just happen every day, so I spent a lot of my formative years wishing there was a way to play more frequently.

I begged my parents for a dedicated Pong system or Pong-clone—and they always refused. They knew I'd get tired of it pretty quickly (even though I swore I wouldn't). So, it wasn't until I was working as a paperboy and able to save up my own money that I got my first home video game system: the Atari 2600.

There were a lot of cool (for the time) games on the 2600, but what I was really interested in was home versions of the games I played in the arcades. Luckily for me, Atari was dedicated to licensing coin-op games and turning them into home versions. The first titles for the 2600 were adaptations of Atari coin-op games of the 70s—Video Olympics (all of the Pong variants) and Breakout were the types of games the 2600 was designed to play. Other early Atari coin-op games, like Skydiver were also fairly easy to convert. But it wasn't until Atari grabbed the home video game license for Space Invaders that the Atari 2600 really began to take off. People bought the 2600 just to play Space Invaders. After the success of this title, Atari snatched up all of the best coin-op licenses, many of which were exclusive to the 2600. And, with a vast library of their own coin-op games to draw upon, Atari was the game system for those of us who wanted to bring our arcade game experience home in the days when owning an actual coin-op game wasn't even a thought that crossed most peoples' minds.

One of the most prominent 2600 programmers when it came to converting coin-op titles to home systems was Rob Fulop. Rob joined the company in 1978 as a summer intern in the coin-op division, where his first assignment was building a sound effects editor that was used to generate sound effects for Atari's short-lived pinball lineup. The following year, after graduating from UC Berkeley, Rob went to work full time in the home division. His game credits include the 2600 conversion of Night Driver and the Atari 400/800 version of Space Invaders. In addition, Rob also designed and programmed the home version of Missile Command, a coin-op classic that is among many collectors' favorite games today. I recently talked to Rob about the challenges of taking an arcade classic and bringing it to the home market. We also discussed his views on the video game market today as compared to the classic era.

The Sweetest Movie Ever Made

When Hasbro met Hollywood back in 2008, one of the first projects announced was Candyland. Today it's one step closer to reality. Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger have been tasked with weaving characters like Gloppy and Princess Frostine into a coherent story. It's okay though, these guys wrote both Kung Fu Panda movies, so it’s one step closer to being good.

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Buckner And Garcia, "Pac-Man Fever"

From 1981, here's Buckner And Garcia with "Pac-Man Fever."

Enjoy!

Anniversary Giveaway: Win A Totally Awesome '80s Prize Package

To help celebrate our one-year anniversary, we put together a prize package to give away to one lucky reader! Check it:

Here's what the lucky winner will receive:

1. '80s Alternative CD

Here's the tracklisting:

1. "Just Like Heaven," The Cure
2. "So Alive," Love & Rockets
3. "Blister In The Sun," Violent Femmes
4. "Veronica," Elvis Costello
5. "Like The Weather," 10,000 Maniacs
6. "Lips Like Sugar," Echo & The Bunnymen
7. "Under The Milky Way," The Church
8. "Here's Where The Story Ends," The Sundays
9. "Original Sin," INXS
10. "Mirror In The Bathroom," English Beat
11. "Rock Lobster," The B-52's
12. "She Sells Sanctuary," The Cult
13. "Birdhouse In Your Soul," They Might Be Giants
14. "Just Like Honey," Jesus & Mary Chain
15. "Jane Says," Jane's Addiction
16. "A Girl Like You," The Smithereens
17. "I'll Be You," The Replacements

2. Atari Greatest Hits Volume 1 (Nintendo DS)

Contains the following classic Atari games for the Nintendo DS:

1. Adventure
2. Asteroids
3. Centipede
4. Football
5. Haunted House
6. Missile Command
7. Pong
8. Tempest
9. ... and 42 other classic Atari titles!

3. Caddyshack DVD

"But when you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness." So I got that goin' for me, which is nice.

4. Kid's Breakfast Club T-shirt

Tag has been removed. I believe it might be a kid's Medium. Here's your chance to give the middle finger to that guy in the cul-de-sac who always has his kid in that Black Flag onesie.

How Do You Enter?

Easy. Just sign up for our newsletter. That's it. No tweeting, facebooking, or essay writing.

Giveaway ends April 15, 2011. The winner will be chosen through a random drawing. Void where prohibited. Yadda, yadda. yadda.

Good luck!

Culture Brats Year One: A Look Back

To help commemorate our one-year anniversary, some of us decided to share our favorite posts from the past year. Enjoy!

It's my favorite because to this day I still love the song even with the abysmal cover. My love for "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake is and always will be true and ever-lasting. Also? I can still torture my friend with it whenever it comes on the radio, which is surprisingly often. It's like our little tradition that I can see happening well into our nineties when we've forgotten to pop in our dentures and all the S's come out with a cute little whistle. "Like a drifter I wassssss (add whistle here) born to walk alone."


I didn't write the whole article but I did write the intro. It was kind of a childhood dream to "get" an interview from Corey, and, in my mind, was the first big "get" for the Brats. For me it marked the instant when I realized we were, in fact, rad and were going to take over the internet one '80s star at a time.


Concrete Blonde had been one of my favorite bands growing up (hell, I threw away good money for Sting tickets once just to see them open for him). I found her email address and asked if she'd answer a few questions for Culture Brats. I never expected her to say, "Yes." She did and that led to my favorite moment of the year, my interview with Johnette Napolitano. It wasn't groundbreaking, I was nervous as everything, but I thought I was cool as hell for the rest of that day.


One of the best things about being a Culture Brat, aside from getting to highlight pop culture goodness, is sparring with other writers. One of the most fun I've had writing a post was my Criss Cross Counter Punch throwdown with a Vapid Blonde when we debated the best Pfeifferest role. I loved our back and forth and it was a creative challenge to match wits with such a brilliant writer.

I'm not quite as prolific as some of my fellow Brats, but I definitely had a post that stood out in our first year. I am old enough to remember the Apollo program, the Apollo-Soyuz mission, and SkyLab, but the part of the space program I followed most closely was the space shuttle program. The loss of the Challenger is something that will always stay with me, and it was the least I could do to post my short memorial to the crew on the anniversary of that fateful day.


Last August, I'd only been a member of the Culture Brats family for a few weeks before Hollywood gave moviegoers the gift that keeps on giving: Piranha 3-D. I knew I had to write about it. I loved the movie, but it occurred to me that if I wasn't a college English teacher who deals with lovable, beery-eyed, hedonistic students every day, I might not have enjoyed all that gory teen evisceration quite so much. Read and see what I mean.


I'm not quite sure why this is my favorite post. Maybe it's because I have short term memory loss and can't remember everything I've written. Or maybe it's because George Michael has been on my radar for the last few weeks and it's OBVIOUS that he took my advice from last year to heart. Whatever the reason, this is it.



The jelly bracelet one. Because I still like jelly bracelets and I'm deep like that. I really do feel they are the under-appreciated accessory of this new century.


I had so much fun writing this post for a number of reasons: it was when the site first started and we were all buzzing off that energy; it was awesome interacting with my fellow writers in these Criss Cross Counter Punches; and I think most importantly my research led me to a deeper understanding and appreciation of both artists, which is really what loving pop culture is all about. Plus, Chag and I got some really good digs in. Burn!

Happy Birthday To Us

We launched Culture Brats a year ago today on March 29th, 2010. It all began with a Prince video. Along the way, we've had a lot of fun.

I think I speak for all of the Brats when I say how thankful I am for our readers. I appreciate everyone who's ever taken the time to read Culture Brats, as well as those who come back every day. I also appreciate everyone who's taken the time to tell their friends about us.

Finally, I'd like to thank my fellow writers at Culture Brats for making this site kick so much ass. Without you guys, this site wouldn't exist. We've had a great year and I truly believe the next year will bring us even closer to our inevitable world domination.

Now everyone help yourself to a slice of cake!

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Cover Tune Grab Bag, "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"

This makes me smile.



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Kiss, "Rock And Roll All Nite"

From 1975, here's Kiss, "Rock And Roll All Nite."

Enjoy!

Musical Review: Rock Of Ages, Curran Theatre

I took some family and friends with me to see Constantine Maroulis and the gang in Rock of Ages at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco this weekend. I was expecting to have nothing but a good time but the show actually exceeded my expectations.

We got there early to grab a drink and browse the merch. My husband and his friend found a t-shirt that they liked but I refused to allow the purchase, much less public wearing of (though I will admit it's a hilarious shirt).

We got seated in the mezzanine and were greeted with an awesome hair metal playlist. I mean, any show that has "Eye of the Tiger" playing preshow is my kind of musical. Suck it, Oklahoma.

CD Review: Dynasty Electric's Golden Arrows

Fact: Dynasty Electric's "Mountain Song," from the forthcoming album Golden Arrows, is the best song of 2011.

I know some of you might find that statement ridiculous given the fact that we're not even a quarter way through 2011 yet, but I stand by it. I've intentionally held this review to see if I'd change my mind and it wasn't just the "newness" of the song talking, but I've been listening to it for a month now and my opinion hasn't wavered a bit. Equally haunting and sexy, "Mountain Song" is a song about a love so powerful it doesn't "let life get in the way."

Dynasty Electric is a Brooklyn duo led by Jenny Electrik on vocals and Seth Misterka on everything else. I'm in love with Jenny Electrick's voice. An interesting mix of Alternaqueens Siouxsie Sioux, Tori Amos, PJ Harvey, Kate Bush, and Debbie Harry, Electrick's voice is what draws you in. I know they're going to get a lot of press for having Ski Beatz produce the album, but oh my God that voice!

Golden Arrows is all over the musical map, effortlessly grooving from genre to genre. The album kicks off with the slinky "Golden Arrows," followed by an industrial "Radiation," and then into a nearly-adult-contemporary "Infectious." Along the way, we're treated to "Bird Song," a happy and playful tune that is juxtaposed with Electrick's sultry delivery, and the Jefferson Airplane psychedelia of "Spell Of Time." You're even get a couple of dance tunes ("Box Of Light" and "Reality Check") before reaching the album's crown jewel, the aforementioned "Mountain Song." In the end, Golden Arrows comes off as an amazing mixtape your best friend lovingly made for you.

Verdict: The moment their record company decides to release the album, pick it up.

Death In 8 Bits

Check it out! Tons of classic video game deaths, set to an 8-bit version of Tears For Fears' "Mad World."



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New Music Releases: Mountain Goats, Whitesnake, Pearl Jam, Colin Hay, And Radiohead

Here are this week's new releases by '80s and early '90s artists. We've compiled this list to the best of our abilities.

Artist: Mountain Goats
Title: All Eternals Deck
Release date: March 29, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Thirteen new tracks.


Artist: Whitesnake
Title: Forevermore
Release date: March 29, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Sixteen new tracks. Rock!


Artist: Pearl Jam
Title: Vs.
Release date: March 29, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Reissue
More information: Remaster of the 1993 classic, contains 3 new tracks.


Artist: Pearl Jam
Title: Vitalogy
Release date: March 29, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Reissue
More information: Remaster of the 1994 classic, contains 3 new tracks.


Artist: Colin Hay
Title: Gathering Mercury
Release date: March 29, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Fourteen tracks from the former Men At Work frontman.


Artist: Radiohead
Title: The King Of Limbs
Release date: March 29, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Eight new tracks.


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Set Your DVRs: Week Of March 28, 2011

Here are the musical acts appearing on the talk show circuit this week. We compiled this list to the best of our abilities. Check your local listings and don't shoot the messenger.

Monday, March 28th
Conan: Little Big Town (R)
Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Sounds
Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Far East Movement
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Vanilla Fudge
The Tonight Show: Los Lonely Boys

Josie Cotton, "Johnny Are You Queer"

From 1981, here's Josie Cotton's "Johnny Are You Queer."

Enjoy!

For Those Of You Who Are Over Or Never Liked Radiohead

Now if someone would just create a Weezer recovery group.

DINOSHARK! DINOSHARK! DINOSHARK!

Roger Corgam rocks my socks:



Best part? The whole stupidly awesome Eric Balfour grenade/Jet Ski scene. Movie magic.

First Listen: Gaga Goes Country

Well, not totally country. But this is pretty cool.

Calling All TMBG Fans

If you don't know what TMBG is then you're probably not a fan. Anyway, I've been shopping for household goods because we just moved and I ran across this gem.



Blue canary in the outlet by the lightswitch, who watches over me...

I now own one. I love it! Little birdie's going to help me from killing myself in my dark, long bedroom with a step. Because he's my only friend.



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Citizen Cope, "Bullet And A Target"

From 2004, here's Citizen Cope's "Bullet And A Target."

Enjoy!

Attention Music Bloggers and Music Fans

I love hearing about other fans' experiences with music -- how you came to discover your favorites, those pop culture "transgressions" when you just can't comprehend an artist's or album's popularity now matter how many chances you give it (been there many times myself), and just the way music shapes your own personal narrative. Despite all that, I'm often at a loss when it actually comes to writing about music. Most pop music is geared toward people much younger than me, and the stuff I was raised on is growing increasingly irrelevant as a new wave of nostalgia crests. I need inspiration, bad. Enter the Music Diary Project.:

I’m going to suggest the first full week of April (Monday 4th to Sunday 10th) for this little social experiment, and I want you to join in. If you’re a music fan, writer, lover, maker, or whatever, and you keep a blog or website of any kind, join in. For a full week make a note of everything you listen to, and any contextual details you care to add to it, and throw it up online. You might want stick something on Tumblr every time you listen to something, or you might save up and write a massive missive at the end of the week. You might list every single song in detail, or merely impart in passing that you spent an hour with a dubstep playlist. Just tell us about it. (Sick Mouthy)

I really like this idea. I'm especially curious to see how fans' writing differs from critics' writing, and how they overlap.

First Look: New Voltron

So MTV News tipped me off to something big - first look images of the new Voltron! Please gods of entertainment, don't let this be as disappointing as the new Wonder Woman outfit. Ok here we go:



Ok, my first thought: SASSY! And I'm not sure I want my Voltron lions to be sassy, like some kind of Sex and the City girl. I mean, I know it's the Princess's lion and all (yes, I know this without checking, SHUT UP) but really? Hm. MTV has a few more images, as does the official Voltron Facebook page. I don't hate it as much as Wonder Woman's blue pants, and some of the other renderings look kinda good. What do we think, Brats?

Figurines, "Hanging From Above"

From 2010, here's "Hanging From Above" by Figurines.

Enjoy!

Did You Think You'd Ever Want To See Another Kim Cattrall Flick?

I'm here to change your mind.

What do you think?

Remembering Stand By Me

Because I am a geek girl I follow Wil Wheaton on Twitter. Like many girls my age, I had a bit of a crush on Ensign Wesley Crusher back in the day.

Anyway, Wil wrote a blog post this week that I wanted to share. He and the gang from Stand By Me got together last week to record a track for an upcoming special edition 25th anniversary Blu-Ray disk. He talks about running back into Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and the lack of River Phoenix. It's an eloquent and lovely and kinda heartbreaking tale. Go read it.

I have to say, I kind of adore that movie. I wore the soundtrack out - it was easy to do with cassettes. It's the perfect blend of funny and scary and poignant. A truly lovely film. It definitely encouraged my fear of leeches - when we camped in Minnesota in the summers I didn't even want to get NEAR the water.


I do, however, want to get a big scary dog and name it Chopper.

Any Stand By Me fans out there? Anyone else as traumatized by the leech scene as I was?

Mother Mother, "The Stand"

From 2011, here's Mother Mother with "The Stand."

Enjoy!

Top 20 Movie Prom Scenes

For this week's Ranked!, we decided to rank our twenty favorite movie prom scenes. Did your favorite make the list?

20. Buffy The Vampire Slayer
19. She's All That
18. American Pie
17. Prom Night
16. Fast Times At Ridgemont High
15. Valley Girl
14. Jawbreaker
13. Saved!
12. Just One Of The Guys
11. Napoleon Dynamite
10. Can't Buy Me Love
9. Grease
8. Not Another Teen Movie
7. Never Been Kissed
6. Romy And Michele's High School Reunion

Spring Is In the Air, and Up Your Shorts

Don't you feel the warm, golden sunshine, and hear the twittering of birds while you're sniffing the first of the spring flowers? Yeah, me neither. So of course trying to survive the blustery cold weather is the perfect time to think about shorts!

Two hot trends for shorts right now are.... wait for it... leather and lace! (Damn it, Madonna, this is all your fault.) Now I'm sure in the secret mountaintop lair where fashion designers meet to sip Manhattans and discuss upcoming apparel as a takeover strategy (oh, you know they do it), shorts in unconventional fabrics sounded like a fabulous idea. "Oh dahling! It will be so chic! Leather will elevate the whole outfit! And the masses could certainly use some elevating! *titter titter*" It's not even as if I've never seen a pair of leather or lace shorts done well. (I just won't be grabbing a pair to chase my kid around in anytime soon.) But in the end it is always those few pieces that make even Fashion (capital F) look back and say, "What were we thinking?"

Leather running shorts. Can't you just see Richard Simmons wearing these for those dressier workouts?

First Look: George Michael, "True Faith"

This is George Michael.



He looks disgusted, right?

I have no idea what put him in such a mood. But I can tell you I may have had a similar expression on my face the first time I heard his cover of New Order's "True Faith." I just wasn't a fan of hearing his awesome voice through a vocoder.

But then yesterday I saw the video for the song. And George's face doesn't do this video justice:

Deep Dark Robot, "Won't You Be My Girl"

From 2011, here's Deep Dark Robot with "Won't You Be My Girl."

Enjoy!

Remember How I Was Excited About Wonder Woman?

Back in the day, my younger, more naive self was kind of excited to hear that Wonder Woman was making a return to the small screen. Then I started hearing more about it.

*sigh*

A first look picture was posted to Michael Ausiello's TV Line and it's, well, let's be polite and say it's not what *I* would have designed. Let's see it shall we?

New Music Releases: Duran Duran, Green Day, And Soundgarden

Here are this week's new releases by '80s and early '90s artists. We've compiled this list to the best of our abilities.

Artist: Duran Duran
Title: All You Need Is Now
Release date: March 22, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Reissue
More information: Same thing as the December iTunes release, but with five additional tracks.


Artist: Green Day
Title: Awesome As F**k
Release date: March 22, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Seventeen live tracks.


Artist: Soundgarden
Title: Live On I-5
Release date: March 22, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Seventeen live tracks. I'm assuming they differ from Green Day's seventeen live tracks.


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Set Your DVRs: Week Of March 21, 2011

Here are the musical acts appearing on the talk show circuit this week. We compiled this list to the best of our abilities. Check your local listings and don't shoot the messenger.

Monday, March 21st
Jimmy Kimmel Live: Brett Dennen
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon: Little Dragon
Late Show with David Letterman: British Sea Power
Lopez Tonight: 30 Seconds To Mars
The Tonight Show:

The Smashing Pumpkins, "Tonight, Tonight"

From 1995, here's "Tonight, Tonight" by The Smashing Pumpkins.

Enjoy!

All Mario, All The Time

It's Friday, so that must mean it's time for my third post mentioning Mario this week.

But like you wouldn't want to play this:



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Remember Double Dare? Good Charlotte Does.

This is why you get in a rock band: so you can make videos recreating things you loved as a kid.

JoBoxers, "Just Got Lucky"

From 1983, here's "Just Got Lucky" by JoBoxers.

Enjoy!

SmackTalk Victim: Die Antwoord, "Rich Bitch"

Hello and welcome to SmackTalk, where each week we attack mock critique a music video or movie trailer. This week, we're taking a look at the music video for Die Antwoord's "Rich Bitch." Hope ya love it!



Archphoenix: AH! Vampire skeleton lady! Seriously, why does she weigh 12 pounds?



Archphoenix: Ok, this guy is awesome. Holographic skull glasses and a flattop.

Daddy Geek Boy: I remember those glasses. I used to have them. I thought they were cool. I was 8.

Daddy Geek Boy: A weird look and auto-tune does not a Gaga make.

You're A Plumber. You're Not Some Kind Of Hero

This live-action Mario trailer was shown at SXSW. Or something like that.

I would watch this movie if it were real.



Side note: This is my sixth post for Culture Brats about Super Mario Bros. I think it's time for an intervention.

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Turtle Power!

This made me happy: Nickelodeon is bringing a new version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the small screen! It's set to debut late 2012 (boo! now now!) but an early teaser trailer has been released to whet your appetite.



It looks a little darker than usual. Friends of mine have told me over the years that the graphic novels go kinda dark, which surprised me. I mean, they are teenage turtles who like pizza. How dark can that really get?

But it's no Vanilla Ice, that's for sure.



I really just wanted to post that.

Who's stoked for the return of the turtles? (They're green - does that make me safe today?)

The Non-Commissioned Officers, "Evolve"

ESPN has been playing this commercial every five minutes, so I feel obligated to play this song.

From 2010, here's The Non-Commissioned Officers with "Evolve."

Enjoy!

Top 25 Nine Inch Nail Songs (5-1)

For this week's Ranked!, we decide to rank our favorite Nine Inch Nails tunes. Here is the Top Five:

5. "Hurt"

Top 25 Nine Inch Nails Songs (10-6)

For this week's Ranked!, we decide to rank our favorite Nine Inch Nails tunes. Here are numbers 6-10:

10. "March Of The Pigs"

Top 25 Nine Inch Nails Songs (15-11)

For this week's Ranked!, we decide to rank our favorite Nine Inch Nails tunes. Here are numbers 11-15:

15. "Mr. Self Destruct"

Top 25 Nine Inch Nails Songs (20-16)

For this week's Ranked!, we decide to rank our favorite Nine Inch Nails tunes. Here are numbers 16-20:

20. "Heresy"

Top 25 Nine Inch Nails Songs (25-21)

For this week's Ranked!, we decide to rank our favorite Nine Inch Nails tunes. Here are numbers 21-25:

25. "Happiness In Slavery"

The Greatest Star Wars Recreation Ever

Over the years, many people have made Star Wars fan films that recreate scenes from the epic movie series. I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this may be the greatest one ever.



Of course, I would watch Simon Pegg and Nick Frost read a phone book and still be entertained.

Against Me!, "Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart"

From 2007, here's Against Me! with "Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart."

Enjoy!

Review: Passive Me, Aggressive You By The Naked And Famous

Hype is a tricky thing. Not enough of it, and nobody knows you exist. Too much of it, and everybody wishes you didn't. The Naked And Famous have been the recipients of a large amount of hype over the past few months. Released back in September, Passive Me, Aggressive You debuted at number one in the band's home country of New Zealand. The album's first single, "Young Blood," won New Zealand's Single Scroll Award. The band was also nominated for the BBC's Sounds Of 2011 poll and followed that up by winning the Philip Hall Radar Award at the Shockwaves NME Awards last month. But for The Naked And Famous, the hype has been legitimate: they really are worthy of all the praise being heaped upon them.

Passive Me, Aggressive You is a rich, layered affair full of hooks and synths, walls of sounds that don't sound overproduced like a lot of synth-heavy bands. Alternating between the somber vocal stylings of Thom Powers and Alisa Xayalith, whose vocal urgency sounds like she might explode if she doesn't get the words out, the band is at its strongest when Xayalith takes the mic. While co-lead vocalist Thom Powers has a fine voice, Xayalith's is so unique, it's almost a crime not to use it any chance you can. The only time Powers leaves his near-whisper behind and shows any desperation in his voice is in the album's closer, "Girls Like You," which also turns out to one of the album's strongest tracks.

While their detractors tend to write them off as MGMT knockoffs due to hits "Young Blood" and "Punching In A Dream," The Naked And Famous wear their influences on their sleeves, as is evident with the Nine Inch Nailsish piano-driven interlude of "The Source" and the bombastic breaks in "Frayed" (both songs' names even sound like they could be NIN songs). The '80s come shining through in a lot of their songs, especially "All Of This" and "Eyes," but nothing tops the of quiet-loud-quiet-loud dynamic of the disc's best track, "No Way."

In this era of a la carte music, it's rare to find an album, much less a debut album, so solid from start to finish. The only misfire on the disc is "A Wolf In Geek's Clothing," which sounds out of place with Passive Me, Aggressive You's dozen other tracks due to its loud industrial stomp that owes more to Nirvana than Nine Inch Nails.

Passive Me, Aggressive You is an excellent debut from The Naked And Famous. Based on the strength of this album, I belive we'll be enjoying them for years to come.

Verdict: Get it now.

Culture Brats Live Ep IX Tonight

Please join us for Culture Brats Live tonight on Talk Radio Unlimited. To listen, please visit Talk Radio Unlimited at 10 PM ET and click the "Listen Live" button. To call us on the air, dial 612.293.4262.

Tonight's topics will include:

• The Naked And Famous
• The Smurfs
• Super 8 
• Tonya Kay and Video Game Reunion 
• Duran Duran and David Lynch
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• SXSW
• Morrissey
• And more!

Please join us tonight at 10 PM for Culture Brats Live on Talk Radio Unlimited.

The Children Of The '80s Are Reclaiming Pop Culture The Airwaves.

David Lynch + Duran Duran = Live Concert Film

Billboard is reporting that David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive) has teamed up with Duran Duran to produce a live webcast concert video as a part of the American Express "Unstaged" concert series.

What the what?

On March 23rd, the day that Duran Duran drops the physical version of All You Need Is Now, at 10 PM Eastern time the David Lynch directed concert footage of a Duran Duran show will air live from the Mayan Theatre in LA. You can watch live, or anytime for the following month at their special VEVO site.

The article gives more details on the AmEx series and the event itself. It actually sounds kind of cool. Incidentally, Duran Duran is playing at Coachella. Anyone going?

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Review: Mayday Parade's Valdosta EP

Last week, Mayday Parade released Valdosta, a six-song acoustic EP consisting of four remakes of songs spanning Mayday Parade's debut EP and two full-length albums as well as two new tracks.

The first track, "Amber Lynn," mixes violins and steel guitar to tell the story of a young man's love for a woman. Or he could be waiting for the restraining order she took out on him to expire ("Amber Lynn, I've got three days to keep away"). I'm still not sure. The four remakes didn't really do anything for me save "Jamie All Over," due to the group singalong in the song's break. But the best track on the EP is the finale, "Terrible Things," which starts out as a piano ballad before the rest of the band kicks in. A song about death, this is easily the most mature song on the EP.

Verdict: Hit up iTunes and download "Amber Lynn" and "Terrible Things" and save the rest of your money for the new album because if these two songs are any indication, it'll be worth waiting for.

First Look: Conan the Barbarian Teaser Trailer

The first official teaser trailer for the Conan remake was released to Yahoo! Movies and it looks, well, incredibly lame. Check it out:



I actually laughed at the live/love/slay line. I think it's supposed to be an homage to this, classic line from the original film:



Except lamer. This teaser make anyone want to see the film?

Yes, Virginia, You Can Run Away By Balloon

There are moments when science preserves magic and this is one of them. As part of a new show that National Geographic Channel is launching this Fall called How Hard Can it Be?, their team of scientists, engineers, and balloon pilots recreated the flying house from the Disney/Pixar movie Up utilizing a 16 x 16 foot house and 300 balloons.

Per the Inside NGC blog, "Setting a new world record for the largest balloon cluster flight ever attempted, the entire aircraft from top to bottom was a whopping 10-stories high, made it to an alititude of 10,000 feet, and flew for about an hour."

My inner child is positively giddy. Check out this partial footage from the show.



Brilliant, scientists. Brilliant.

General Public, "Tenderness"

From 1984, here's General Public with "Tenderness."

Enjoy!

Firedancer: Our Interview With Tonya Kay

When I first heard about Atom's Video Game Reunion, I was pretty stoked. A live action web series about a 25-year reunion of video game stars that have gone to pot? Sign me up!

I tracked down Tonya Kay, who plays Princess Peach in the series. She was nice enough to talk about Video Game Reunion, Glee, Kenny Rogers, burlesque, and elephants. Below is a transcript of the interview.

How are you doing today?
I'm good. How are you?

I'm great. I've watched the first three episodes of Video Game Reunion. I thought they were hilarious.
Thanks.

I think it's a great mix of humor, references to video games, the '80s, and the '90s. What attracted you to the role?
What attracted me to the role is that Princess Peach is just so fricking nasty. I really wanted to play Princess Peach because I felt like I empathized with her. She doesn't have a lot of friends. It's just because she's so authentic. She's so genuine and so self-expressed and I relate to a lot of that, so I thought I could bring a little bit of heart to what would otherwise be a flat, two-dimensional, just nasty character. Instead, I would like to think she's kind of a real human being. Almost lovable, in her own way.

Divide And Kreate, "Crazy In The Deep"

A mashup of Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" and Gnars Barkley's "Crazy."

Damn, this is good.



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Indie Ferris

Here's Ferris Beuller's Day Off recut as an indie film.



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New Music Releases: New York Dolls, Bob Geldof, Nick Lowe, And J Mascis

Here are this week's new releases by '80s and early '90s artists. We've compiled this list to the best of our abilities.

Artist: New York Dolls
Title: Dancing Backward In High Heels
Release date: March 15, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: A dozen new songs from the '70s punks.


Artist: Bob Geldof
Title: How To Compose Popular Songs That Will Sell
Release date: March 15, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Ten new tracks from the former Boomtown Rats frontman.


Artist: Nick Lowe
Title: Labour Of Lust
Release date: March 15, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Reissue
More information: Remastered 1979 classic also contains the UK-only track "Endless Grey Ribbon" and B-side "Basing Street."


Artist: J Mascis
Title: Several Shades Of Why
Release date: March 15, 2011
Rebirth or Reissue: Rebirth
More information: Ten new tracks from the former Dinosaur Jr. frontman.


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