Entertainment
Entertainment Picks (July 3, 2009)
3 Things to check out this weekend
The Garth Factor
By Patsi Bale Cox
Hardcover, 335 pages $24.99
Amazon 1599950995
The unprecedented country music boom of the 1990s was largely the result of the impact of Garth Brooks, a transplanted Okie whose success in Nashville changed the game plan—and opened up the playing field—for every record company in town. This solid exploration of his superstardom is also an insider’s glimpse into a music industry blissfully basking in Garth’s white-hot glow while wondering just how to capture his brand of lightning in a bottle.
—Neil Pond, American Profile
The Glorious Fourth of July
By Diane C. Arkins
Hardcover, 128 pages ($19.95)
Amazon 1589806115
The red-white-and-blue spirit of Independence Day past is captured in this collection of retro fireworks packaging, posters, postcards, parade decorations and party favors from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And if you’re itching to pitch a stars-and-stripes party of your own, there’s also a roundup of vintage menu suggestions, games, poems and other suggestions for celebrating the Fourth of July with a festive, old-fashioned bang.
—Neil Pond, American Profile
Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1960, Vol. 1
DVD ($26.98)
Amazon B001QU880M
Children today don’t remember when Saturday mornings were blissful blocks of back-to-back cartoons, an oasis of merriment at the end of a week revolving around schoolwork and grown-ups. But baby boomers certainly recall it—and will love the fond memories sparked by this five-hour collection of 33 Saturday-morning ‘toons, including “Top Cat,” “Quick Draw McGraw,” “The Jetsons,” “Secret Squirrel,” “Magilla Gorilla” and numerous lesser-known weekend characters, such as Marine Boy, Ricochet Rabbitt and Punkin’ Puss.
—Neil Pond, American Profile
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Entertainment Picks (July 30, 2010)
Extraordinary Measures,
Doo Wop,
Jesse James’ Hidden Treasure
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Entertainment Picks (July 23, 2010)
The Karate Kid/The Karate Kid II Collector’s Edition,
The Devil Can Ride,
Alice in Wonderland
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Entertainment Picks (July 16, 2010)
Rock Shrines,
Clint Eastwood Sings Cowboy Favorites,
The Leaders We Deserved (And A Few We Didn’t)
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Entertainment Picks (July 9, 2010)
Steven Seagal Lawman: The Complete Season One,
I’ll Wait in the Car,
Twistable, Turnable Man: A Tribute to the Songs of Shel Silverstein
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GAMETIME: Split/Second
As we all know, racing involves drivers competing against each other at breakneck speeds in usually fragile cars. One wrong move can send one of these cars spiraling out of control and seriously ruin somebody’s day. If that doesn’t sound dangerous enough, the team behind the new racing game Split/Second decided to make your greatest enemy the tracks themselves. The premise behind Split/Second is simple: the titular show decides to rig racetracks with explosives and traps. The drivers can activate these tracks periodically throughout the races, to either destroy the other racers or alter the course. And of course, all of this resulting chaos is filmed and put onto the television. Big booms equal big ratings, right? It’s here that Split/Second runs into its biggest and most disappointing flaw: the only time you’re reminded that you’re racing for a show is the occasional announcer between episodes in the career mode. While this doesn’t hurt the gameplay in any real way, the game could’ve really benefited from announcers commenting on the chaotic races. It was a missed opportunity to not provide any witty or humorous voice-overs.
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Entertainment Picks (July 2, 2010)
The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science,
The A-Team: The Complete Series,
Letter to Heaven: Songs of Faith and Inspiration
Dolly Parton -
Entertainment Picks (June 25, 2010)
Pop Memories of the ’60s,
Edge of Darkness,
Under the Neon Sky
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Entertainment Picks (June 18, 2010)
Valentine’s Day,
Curtains: Adventures of an Undertaker-In-Training,
The Sundance Kid,
NOW That’s What I Call the USA: The Patriotic Country Collection
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GAMETIME: Final Fantasy XIII
The Final Fantasy series has always been known for its stellar production values, brilliant storytelling and interestingly varied cast of characters. I’m talking about the “main” Final Fantasy series, the ones with the roman numerals, not the vast number of spin-off series that these games have started. Square Enix’s amazing work has earned them a large number of devoted fans, fans who eagerly look forward to the next title in the series; such as the recently-released Final Fantasy XIII. Square Enix has outdone itself with this latest title, which is easily apparent as soon as you boot up the game and the intro video gushes out of your TV screen. They make full use of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3’s graphic power to bring you a beautiful game, just like they used to with the PlayStation 2. If you aren’t playing this on a high-definition television, you’re definitely missing out on one of the best-looking games out there.
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Entertainment Picks (June 11, 2010)
Record Store Days,
Saving Private Ryan,
Life
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Entertainment Picks (July 30, 2010)
