Audrey Hendrickson

Here we are in the thick of August's silly season, which last year was focused on talk of death panels and this year is dominated by the threat posed by a ZOMG Ground Zero terror mosque.  It's almost as the media has nothing else to do with their time, besides quash intellectual debate and foment fear.  Might we suggest they take a break from the crushing twenty-four-hour news cycle, in favor of a movie or two?  With that in mind, here's a look at recent DVD releases, care of our good friends at Scarecrow Video.

The silly season of August also means fewer new DVDs of note, but there have been a few out recently that are worth your while: last week brought Date Night and this week marked the release of The Good, the Bad, and the Weird, a Korean take on the spaghetti western. There's also Cemetery Junction, which I honestly don't know much about, but when the words "written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant" are used, I say, "yes please."

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This week also brings the release of the HBO biopic on autism spokesperson/animal lover Temple Grandin, which will assuredly win Claire Danes an Emmy, along with a DVD of Grandin herself speaking on the topic of autism. And there's The City of Your Final Destination, which was not very well-reviewed, even with the presence of Sir Anthony Hopkins, Charlotte Gainsbourg, and Laura Linney.  There's also Skellig: The Owl Man, in which Tim Roth plays Skellig, who is, yes, part-owl, part-man.

In terms of special editions, Criterion has their new releases of Crumb, Louie Bluie, and Black Orpheus. The Orlando: Special Edition gives lush treatment to the sexy, gender-bending Tilda Swinton costume drama. Meanwhile, the 25th anniversary of The Animals Film brings the shocking documentary on animal exploitation and cruelty for the first time to DVD.

Of course, there's a few new releases to be avoided at all costs: Furry Vengeance, The Last Song, and Dead Man Running. The less said about those three, the better.  And the award for most ridiculous new DVD out this week is Burning Bright, in which a woman and her young autistic brother are trapped in a house during a hurricane...with a killer tiger on the loose.

That's the subject line of an email I received yesterday, promoting a tweetup this Monday morning with the monumental German director/intellectual madman himself. Ostensibly, it's an event to drum up interest in First Look Studios' upcoming DVD release of My Son My Son What Have Ye Done, Herzog's collaboration with David Lynch, which played at the Northwest Film Forum this spring.  But really, this is an opportunity to throw your thoughts at Werner and get one of his trademark dry-witted replies.  Animal-related questions encouraged, for sure.

Herzog will respond in real-time to questions tweeted to the First Look Studios' Twitter account, @1stlookstudios, with his responses posted on the First Look Studios' YouTube channel. Though Herzog himself is not a member of Twitter, his persona is quite popular on the social network, as seen through the popular trending topic #WernerHerzogvsChuckNorris, where users weigh in on who is tougher, Werner Herzog or action star Chuck Norris.

Tweeting to Werner commences Monday morning, so send your questions @1stlookstudios by August 23rd at 9:45 a.m. PDT.  Full press release after the jump.

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First Look Studios Hosts The First Social Media Press Day With Werner Herzog 

(Los Angeles, CA) –On Monday, August 23, 2010 First Look Studios is hosting the first press day exclusively conducted within social media platforms with the acclaimed director, Werner Herzog, on behalf of his September 14 DVD release of MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE? Herzog will respond in real-time to questions tweeted to the First Look Studios’ twitter account, @1stlookstudios, with his responses posted on the First Look Studios’ Youtube channel, http://www.youtube.com/user/FirstLookStudios. Though Herzog himself is not a member of Twitter, his persona is quite popular on the social network as seen through the popular trending topic #WernerHerzogvsChuckNorris, where users weigh in on who is tougher, Werner Herzog or action star Chuck Norris.

With this social media press day, First Look Studios is transforming the traditional press junket into an event where key press, bloggers and fans can participate directly with talent in a this interactive medium. MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE? is the first collaboration between legendary filmmakers David Lynch, who produced the film, and director Werner Herzog. This psychological thriller stars Academy Award® nominees Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, and Willem Dafoe, and is loosely based on the mysterious true crime story of a young stage actor who, obsessed with a Greek tragedy he's rehearsing, slays his own mother with a sword. We would like to receive all Twitter questions for Werner by 9:45AM (Pacific Time) Monday, August 23.

ABOUT FIRST LOOK STUDIOS www.firstlookstudios.com

First Look Studios, a leading independent supplier in the entertainment marketplace, acquires, markets and distributes feature films, television series and specialty programming. First Look owns a vast home entertainment library consisting of over 1000 titles, including War, Inc., Transsiberian, Priceless, The Proposition and King of California. First Look also distributes a growing number of product lines to major retailers including Scripps (Food Network), Carsey-Werner ("The Cosby Show") and VideoAsia (Battle Warrior starring Tony Jaa). Recent theatrical releases from First Look Studios include Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.

Twitter: http://twitter.com/1stlookstudios

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/FirstLookStudios

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/firstlookstudios?ref=ts

Blog: http://blog.firstlookstudios.com/

Though it's cooled off considerably now, Monday night a hot and sweaty Neumo's played host to a packed crowd for Freelance Whales and Tokyo Police Club.  I've seen both bands before, and came into the show with my own preconceptions.  While I feel that Freelance Whales has its moments, some of their lyrics are downright cringeworthy, and while they've got good chops, the lead singer is so overtly geeky that it is occasionally painful.  As in, I ache for him, not with him.  Our own Josh is much more generous: Freelance Whales remain one of those bands with acres of potential. I mean, aside from the player-hater lyric, that song ["Hannah"] is fine Mates of States-ish girl/boy vocals. Tons of people seemed genuinely entranced. To the point of arm-dancing even!

As to Tokyo Police Club, the first time I saw them is going on four years ago (!), and oh, how much the boys have grown.  As in, now the Ontario quartet can legally drink--but they have just as much energy as ever. They brought the clap-happy super-short songs from their first two EPs, as well as the (relatively) more mature work from their two full-lengths, including new album Champ's near pitch-perfect, near power ballad "Breakneck Speed." Says Josh: I very much appreciated how well suited the venue was for that band. They really brought it, light and soundwise, in a way that few other mid-level indie rockers do.

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Surprisingly, there were a lot of bros at the show (some of whom should've been straight-up iced), so I'm guessing that the TPC discography is getting heavy airplay at the frat house.  Keeping with the bro theme, the band itself always has some tender bro-to-bro moments (broments), and Monday night's show was no exception, as it included some guitar playing to each other whilst on bended knee, as well as a playful cross-stage tambourine toss.

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One final note: Tokyo Police Club knows how to encore.  They closed with their theme song "Cheer It On" (and seriously, more bands need a song where they yell their name in the chorus), which was preceded by Weezer's "My Name is Jonas." For the record, if any other bands want to start doing Blue Album Weezer covers (or even a show consisting of the entire album start to finish), please go right ahead--as an audience, we will graciously oblige you by losing our shit.

Wednesday, August 18th

• Lenny White's Anomaly with Jimmy Herring--former Miles Davis/Chick Corea/Return to Forever drummer teaming up with Widespread Panic/Allman Bros. guitarist Jimmy Herring for a jazz/rock/fusion extravaganza @ Jazz Alley
• "Crystal Beth," a solo performance by Beth Fleenor benefiting the Frank Agency @ Fandrich Piano Studio (1513 14th Ave.)
• The Hold Steady, America's favorite big time bar band, bring boisterous literate rock to town. With Jaill @ Showbox Original Flavor
• Mary Roach talks about the finer points of filling your suitcase for interplanetary travel, reading from her new book Packing for Mars @ Kane Hall

Thursday, August 19th

• The first of three nights of Brown Derby's take on Saturday Night Fever @ Re-Bar
• Earshot Jazz's monthly showcase features Art of Jazz with Marc Seales Group, UW professor and stellar pianist Marc Seales & co. playing music from the new CD American Song Book @ SAM
• Gnomedex 10 begins! (and runs through August 21) @ Bell Harbor International Conference Center
• Ivory in Ice World plays a rare unplugged set featuring members Ivory Smith and Sara Edwards @ the Can Can
• Singer David Lowery does double-duty with his bands Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven @ Neumo's

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Friday, August 20th

• Squeee! It's the top ten contestants from the last season of American Idol @ Key Arena
• Two in the Wave documents the friendship-and-feudin' of Truffaut and Godard (through August 26) @ Northwest Film Forum
• Whedonists! Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog gets a live showing (through September 4) @ Balagan Theatre
• deComposition, a devised theatrical performance directed by Jess Smith opens @ the Erickson Theatre
• Artifakt Art's Fourth Annual Graffiti Jam @ Lo Fi Performance Gallery

Saturday, August 21st

• Be prepared for some serious weirdness with a private meet-and-greet with Tommy Wiseau @ Central Cinema, before yet another midnight screening of The Room @ the Egyptian
• For a less weirdo auteur interaction, check out the Vincent Moon retrospective (through the 26th), with the director of some of the best modern music videography in attendance @ Northwest Film Forum
• Whether you call him Frank Black or Black Francis, the Pixies singer will be @ the Triple Door
• Ira Glass tells his radio stories in a clipped, nasally manner @ Benaroya
• After Ira takes Benaroya with sentimental tales, he and Dan Savage spin (really?!) a late night dance party @ Re-Bar
• Get rootsy all day long [free 26-song sampler here] with No Depression Fest @ Marymoor
• FREE! Trumpeter Thomas Marriott and his "Flexicon" group, with Evan Flory-Barnes, Rick Mandyck and Jeremy Jones @ Lucid Jazz Lounge

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Sunday, August 22nd

• TRUST brings their slate of great DJs to a free all-day BBQ @ Red Lion Hotel
• Another great day at the races with the Longacres Mile @ Emerald Downs
• Just a typical Sunday: Bondage for the Bedroom with Lamalani, International Ms. Leather 2009 @ Babeland

Monday, August 23rd

• It's a free (with RSVP) day of female-centric films at the Women's Empowerment Summer Screening Series @ Seattle University
• Things are bound to get heavy, with Boris, Red Sparrowes, and Helms Alee @ Neumo's

Tuesday, August 24th

• The Cuong Vu Trio, called "the jazz version of a rock music power trio," with Seattleite Luke Bergman on bass and Vu's longtime partner in crime Ted Poor on drums @ the Triple Door
• If there's one thing that's funny, it's social justice.  That's why the Social Justice Fund presents an Evening of Comedy and Social Justice with Seattle comic Hari Kondabolu @ Central Cinema

Photo credit: Rachel Gray/Woodland Park Zoo

Squeeee! Another two penguin chicks recently hatched at the Woodland Park Zoo, bringing the Humboldt exhibit's total for the year up to seven new penguin babies. The chicks hatched on August 2nd and 4th and are currently bonding with their parents in a private nesting burrow.

Like the other babies, they've got to be conditioned to interact with zookeepers for feedings and weighings (as well as learn how to swim) before they can be introduced to the public. These chicks are the first offspring of mama Cujo and daddy Oedipus, who at 18 and 20 years old respectively, are the oldest birds in the colony.

The five older chicks, which hatched in April, joined the adult penguins on public display in early July.

In other important Cute Zoo Animals News, check out this drugged red panda and the snow leopard cubs (along with their mom) testing out some cologne.

Ridiculously twee baby penguin video after the jump.

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Boo hoo? Seattle's own Boo Davis has been making her heavy metal quilts for years now. Thanks to her tough but cutesy designs, Boo's quilts have been featured in everything from BUST to British Vogue to Ye Olde Boing Boing, as well as making the gallery rounds.

And now in anticipation of her upcoming quilting book, Dare to Be Square Quilting: A Block-by-Block Guide to Making Patchwork and Quilts, she's landed a piece in the Style section of today's New York Times. In it, the quiltress dishes about her Quiltsryche made-to-order studio, veganism, crafting, and, of course, metal. Plus there's a slide show!

Boo may have toned down the hard rawk overtones--in the book, there's no devil's horn quilts, nor one with the phrase "rock out with your cock out," but she's still kept her quirky, design-friendly aesthetic, while giving good tips on how to quilt, using simple shapes and patterns (as in only squares and rectangles), even if you're just a beginner. The book's available August 31.

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A previous Blitz Capitol Hill Art Walk scene, courtesy of TSB Flickr pool member JeanineAnderson

Wednesday, August 11th

• One last night for grocery-bagging competition doc Ready, Set, Bag! @ Central Cinema
• Daytime baseball, Mariners vs. A's @ Safeco Field

• UMAMI Performance's dance work home | bodies through Sunday @ INSCAPE
• If you listen to The Mountain, you'll like Western Australia's folk-rocking The Waifs @ the Triple Door
• Andy Butler brings his dancey Hercules & Love Affair project together with a live band @ Neumo's

Thursday, August 12th

• Hope you already have tickets to get retro with Blondie and the B-52s @ Chateau Ste. Michelle
• Second Thursday means it's Blitz @ Capitol Hill Art Walk
• Chromeo and Holy Ghost should be extra fun. Probably why the Green Label Sounds' show is already sold out @ Showbox
• Former Tonight Show bandleader Kevin Eubanks (through the 15th) @ Jazz Alley
• Contemporary Classics' The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee starts its closing weekend @ the Ballard Underground

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Friday, August 13th

• KEXP's free outdoor concert series continues with tunes from hot hot hip hoppists State of the Artist, Noddy, and recently renamed Brite Futures @ the Mural Amphitheatre 
• Check out a reading, book signing, and musical presentation for Talking 'Bout a Revolution: Music and Social Change in America with ex-Journeymen and author Dick Weissman @ Elliott Bay Book Co.
• Get all dolled up and head to the track for ladies-only Hats and Heels Night @ Emerald Downs
• Vancouver's Irish, Mexican & roots musical wonders, The Paperboys, hold a multi-culti hootenanny @ the Triple Door
• You love them in commercials of all sorts, see Melbourne's the Temper Trap selling nothing but their own tunes @ the Showbox
• More Mexican guitarists by way of Ireland?! Yes, please. If they were making Once about a couple who rocked their guitars as hard as acoustically possible, Rodrigo y Gabriela would've been the stars. Find yourself in awe of them @ Marymoor Park
• Irrealist Theatre opens Amniotes: an imaginary History of the End of the World from 1954-20XX @ Free Sheep Foundation (2115 5th Avenue)

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Saturday, August 14th

• It's the second summer Saturday of experimental jazz in the park, care of the Monktail Creative Music Concern and Sounds Outside @ Cal Anderson
• It's also the second day for Doe Bay Music Festival, which brings a long list of fantastic Northwest musicans like Fruit Bats, Grand Archives, the Maldives, and Hey Marseilles to an intimate gathering of ~750 at one of the area's most picturesque spots @ Orcas Island

• KEXP's annual BBQ at Seattle Center runs from 2 to 9 p.m. and is now super-free. With performances from Quasi, Suckers, the Lonely Forest, the Joy Formidable, Dinosaur Feathers, and Victor Shade @ the Mural Amphitheatre 
• John Roderick hosts the first of his two dates in a mini-residency @ the Triple Door
• Blogger April Winchell explores the dark side of Etsy craze with her book Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF @ Elliott Bay Book Co.

Sunday, August 15th

• See! Raiders of the Lost Ark. Eat! Your pizza. Drink! Your beer (through 8/25) @ Central Cinema
• Fans of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (you know who you are)--they're slumming @ Benaroya Hall

Monday, August 16th

• To celebrate the Dimitriou's debut of the Amina Figarova Sextet, they have a free (with RSVP) show @ Jazz Alley
• Green Label Sounds presents the most fun you'll have on a Monday night. Spazzpop & flashing lights from Ontario's Tokyo Police Club with support from Brooklyn's Freelance Whales @ Neumo's
• The Ruined Cabaret is a fundraising send-off to the production @ Intiman Theatre

Tuesday, August 17th

• Poet, Bainbridge resident, and University of Washington professor Linda Bierds reads from her poetry collection Flight, with Julie Sheehan who is a drinker @ Elliott Bay Book Co.
• One Pot presents a roving dinner party with readings and discussions about soul music. After the feast, the party continues with DJs Riz, Cooky Parker, and Mike Nipper, as well as a performance by THEESatisfaction @ Neumo's

Oh, hello there. Now that we've got a weekend of summer rain and Blue Angels under our belt, it's time to take a look at the latest releases on DVD, care of our good friends at Scarecrow Video. The big DVD out this week is Kick-Ass, which was a lot of fun. (And yes, while the film is ostensibly about Kick-Ass, it's really all about Hit Girl and Nic Cage's sly take on Batman.) But don't let the kids see that one--it's actually pretty violent. Instead, steer them towards Diary of a Wimpy Kid, based on the book series of the same name.

The Ghost Writer is the smart thriller that Shutter Island should've been, assuming you can get past the fact that it was directed by Roman Polanski. Oscar-nominated stylized French prison drama A Prophet (Un prophète), in which a new inmate learns how to work the system, also hearkens back to Scorsese's glory days. And there are two crummy releases with the word "life" in the title: To Save a Life, a glorified after-school special, and After.Life, a bad horror flick with Christina Ricci as a dead girl who doesn't accept she's dead just yet.

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On the documentary tip, there's a look at the life of Jim Henson in Henson's Place: The Man Behind the Muppets, and a look at D&D nerds in Dungeon Masters. Meanwhile, Sweetgrass is a poetic paean to real-life current-day cowboys driving their sheep flocks through the West, while All God's Children examines the offspring of missionaries who faced abuse at the hands of their parents' colleagues. And if you didn't get enough hardcore harp action with Joanna Newsom in town, check out Harp Dreams: Inside the International Harp Competition, following the thirty-one young contestants who are amongst the best harpists in the world.

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As to special editions, there's two more Roger Cormen releases, care of Shout Factory, whose plots are evident from the titles alone: Piranha and Humanoids from the Deep. This week also brings the 25th anniversary edition of The Breakfast Club. And there's a big old release in the form of The Kim Novak Collection, which includes five of the icy blonde's films: Picnic, Jeanne Eagels, Middle of the Night, Bell, Book and Candle, and Pal Joey.

In the random grab bag, there's Open House, a real estate thriller starring True Blood's Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer. And I'm going to close with a title that you would think requires no further explanation: Cop Dog. Except the crime-fighting dog in question is also a ghost. Complicated!

Joanna Newsom, harp not pictured (Photo: Annabel Mehran)

Last-minute Tuesday, August 3rd

• Neighborhood block parties should be popping up all around the city as part of SPD's "Seattle Night Out" program @ blocked-off streets near your home / Capitol Hill
• The Mariners, coming off the worst July in franchise history, could use some cheering and hugs when they return home against first-place Texas @ Safeco Field

Wednesday, August 4th

• Joanna Newsom, her harp, and Robin Pecknold sing, strum, and maybe play a Kid Rock [?!] cover @ the Moore
• Paco Jones and a trio of other acts rock @ the Comet
• Rick Moody reads from The Four Fingers of Death ("Mash up Isaac Asimov with Thomas Pynchon, with dashes of Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut") @ Elliott Bay Book Co.

Thursday, August 5th

• First Thursday means art walking @ Pioneer Square
• It's a very special happy hour, featuring a free cello recital by the Seattle Symphony's Acting Principal Cellist Eric Gaenslen, followed by the first performance in years (!) from Wonderful @ Havana
• The Seattle Storm--the best pro women's hoops team in the world, undefeated at home this year--host Connecticut @ KeyArena
• Rafe Esquith is all "WON'T SOMEONE LIGHT THE CHILDREN ON FIRE?" @ Seattle Central Public Library

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Friday, August 6th

• Throughout the month of August, KEXP presents a series of free after-work concerts at the Mural Amphitheater. The series kicks off at 6 p.m. ("doors" at 5) with Elliott Brood, Grand Hallway, and Gabriel Mintz @ Seattle Center
• Two One of baseball's top young pitchers @ Safeco Field: Zach Greinke of the Royals.
• Ex-Gay, No Way author Jallen Rix defenestrates the idea that being gay is a phase @ Elliott Bay Book Co.
• The First Annual "Seafarer Follies" brings an aquatic cabaret guest starring Waxie Moon as King Neptune to an adoring public (also Saturday) @ the Triple Door

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Saturday, August 7th

• The Seattle Square attempts to revive Pioneer Square with a weekly outdoor market complete with indie crafts, vintage sales, mobile food vendors, and local DJs @ Occidental Park
• The Watson Twins are just like the girls in The Shining, except they're not scary and they play folk-alt-country @ the Triple Door
• The Satori Group presents WhizArtBang!, a monthly dinner and cabaret of performance (RSVP req'd) starting @ Delicatus

Sunday, August 8th

• John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey act as "a pop-jazz Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers" @ Jazz Alley
• Seattle's home-grown version of NASCAR, unlimited hydroplane racing @ Lake Washington
• The rising Sounders continue their late charge toward the MLS playoffs against Houston @ Qwest Field
• Check out the lush boy-girl harmonies and lazy melodies that are part psychedelic pop, part backwoods country, care of Suicide Squeeze's Cotton Jones @ Sunset Tavern

Monday, August 9th

• Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, aka Will Oldham, brings his post-punk Americana, along with The Cairo Gang and Sir Richard Bishop @ the Showbox 
• The UW Husky football team has their first fall practice of the year, open to the public @ Husky Stadium

Tuesday, August 10th

• This month's edition of The Round combines their usual slate of music, art, and poetry with some summer grillin' @ Fremont Abbey
• Do some good! It's a concert benefiting the family of the victims of the June Fremont fire @ Showbox SoDo
• Nearly eight years to the day since its last studio release, Brad supports its new record, Best Friends?, with a release party @ the High Dive
• Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War is the name of the book that BU professor and ex-military officerAndrew Bacevich has written, so you know what you'll get @ Elliott Bay Book Co.

He will possess your heart, homeless youth. Photo of Ben and Zooey at the Grammys care of Larry Busacca/Getty Images.

Say what you will about Ben Gibbard (and believe me, I do), but along with writing occasionally cringeworthy lyrics, Zooey Deschanel's better half is also capable of doing some good.  For the children, even. 

The proof? See the Death Cab frontman's just-announced intimate performance at the Crocodile Wednesday, November 3rd to benefit Teen Feed, a local nonprofit that provides meals to homeless youth and young adults in the U District.  Unfortunately, the show is 21+; sorry children!

Tickets are $30 and go on sale this Friday, August 6th at the Croc box office and all Sonic Boom locations.  Full details after the jump.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Ben Gibbard announces Seattle benefit show for Teen Feed

August 3, 2010, Seattle, WA:  Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard is playing an intimate benefit show for Teen Feed on Wednesday, November 3rd at the Crocodile in Seattle.  Teen Feed is a nonprofit that operates a seven-night-a-week meal program for homeless youth and young adults in the University District of Seattle.  Tickets are $30 and will be available starting August 6th at the Crocodile and Sonic Boom Records.

The Teen Feed, which began as a six night per week meal program, recently expanded to cover all seven nights. Proceeds from this benefit show will directly support this expansion which ensures that homeless youth can access a safe dinner every night they are in need.  Founded in 1986, Teen Feed works with the community to offer support to meet basic needs, build strong relationships, and ally with homeless youth as they plan their future off the streets.

In 2009, Teen Feed served over 11,000 meals and case managers assisted 60 homeless youth enter into stable housing. Teen Feed case managers are present every night for youth in need. 

"I believe in the work of Teen Feed," says Gibbard. "I wanted to do my part to help raise awareness and money for the organization."

A former homeless youth who frequented Teen Feed meals and is now successfully employed and off the streets said, "Teen Feed was consistent, dependable, and genuine.  I totally credit Teen Feed for keeping me alive."  To find out more about Seattle's homeless youth or the work of Teen Feed, please visit www.teenfeed.org.

Ticket Information available at online at http://thecrocodile.com/index.html or http://www.sonicboomrecords.com/tickets/