Because “sampling popular culture is not a crime,” or at least it damn well shouldn’t be. As I have repeated as nauseum here, I want to see creators get paid for their efforts but I also believe that copyright law in America has swung too far in their favor to …

The Caribbean and nearby islands in the Atlantic are a happening place for music tourism. We mentioned the Cayman Jazz Fest in June. Jam Cruise 3 sails for the Bahamas in January. Now we get word about a new festival – The Turks and Caicos Music and Poetry Festival – …

Unlike the more subtle appeal of a Hilary Duffary, I immediately, intuitively apprehend the many and various charms of Halle Berry, who may well transcend the form-fitted leather slinkiness of Jennifer Garner in Daredevil – a claim not lightly made from this desk. So, in the upcoming film we have …

A reader pointed me in the direction of BarterBee.com, saying he was very happy with the system. He was anxious for me to help spread the word as the more people participate, the wider the selection: enlightened self-interest, I approve. Members exchange CDs (movies and games coming soon) the old-fashioned …

I am somewhat nonplussed about the appeal of Hilary Duff, but at least she isn’t slutted out or anorexic, and her sort of normal charm may be just the right mojo for a movie called A Cinderella Story: Cinderella never had it this bad. In A Cinderella Story – a …

Most working musicians don’t make a whole lot of money, but they do get to do what they love, and if they are good and/or lucky enough to tour, they can travel to places they otherwise would have never seen, which counts for something. Of course for many, as they …

I have been singing the praises of Scott Miller and the Commonwealth for some time. I reviewed Upside Downside in January: I totally dig the alt-country rock of Scott Miller. Upside Downside, his new one with his band the Commonwealth (Shawn McWilliams – drums, Eric Fritsch – keyboards, Park Chisolm …

July 30th sees the return of the thinking man’s scary movie director, M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs – how hard would it have been to change his last name to the much more melodious “Shamalamadingdong”?) with The Village, from Touchstone Pictures. Described as: In M. Night Shyamalan’s …

Keen observers will have noted that I have been physically, intellectually – but I assure you not emotionally – at a distance from Blogcritics for the last several weeks, beginning, really, when we went on vacation to Orlando in late May. Some of it is just logistics: the behind the …

Former president Bill Clinton (maybe someone was unaware that Clinton is a former president, so I put that in just in case) is live with NPR’s Diane Rehm – she of the spasmodic dysphonia – right now. Clinton is most effective in an intimate setting and Rehm is a very …