If you've ever seen one of the celebrity roasts that have propagated like offspring of aroused rabbits over the last decade, then you know Jeffrey Ross. He's insulted Andy Dick, Hugh Hefner, Bea Arthur and William Shatner, among others. He wore a huge fur coat onto the stage of PETA activist Pamela Anderson's roast. They call him "Roastmaster General" at the New York Friars' Club, "The Meanest Man in Comedy" in New York Magazine and hundreds of mocked celebrities just call him an asshole. Is there is a softer side to this BU alumnus that you don't see on stage? In advance of his shows this weekend at the Comedy Connection, The Muse tried to find out.
The Muse: You've become famous for your roasts over the last few years. Do you still like it, or is it getting a little stale?
Jeffrey Ross: What could be better? Embrace who you are, that's what I always say. Dave Chappelle sat me down a little while ago and gave me some very good advice: if you find a lane, take it. It's tough to get a hook in this business, to separate yourself from the other thousand comics. I always tell people my favorite roast is the next one I've got coming up.
Muse: Along those lines, what's your favorite putdown you've said to somebody?
J.R.: I remember at the Hefner roast, right after 9/11 -- it's the one we talk about in The Aristocrats. Tommy Davidson, very funny guy, gets up there and does a song for Hefner as Sammy Davis Jr. Instead of "Candy Man," though, it's "P**** Man." "Yes, the p**** man can." And Hef gives him a polite smile. So I'm next after Tommy, and once I get up there I say, "If Sammy Davis were alive to have seen that, he'd have poked his other eye out." Because Sammy only had one eye.
So, yeah, that one isn't the most famous but it's a personal favorite.
Muse: Speaking of The Aristocrats, do you have any good stories about that movie, the joke, what it was like to be in it?
J.R.: Well, to be honest, the directors Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette had to corner me in New York just to convince me to do it. Every comic I knew that was asked about it considered it an annoying obligation at best. I saw them walk up to Chris Rock and ask him, and he threw his hands up and said, "OK, if I have to!" It seemed like a unanimous waste of time, it wasn't going to matter, it wasn't even going to see the light of day. Rarely am I proven wrong, but it turned out to be terrific. It was a huge love letter to free speech, to the Bill of Rights, to comedy. It showed comedy as an art form, like jazz. It showed how so many comedians have their own styles, can approach something from a completely different way. I have the poster up in my office now, and my name is on there -- right between Don Rickles and Sarah Silverman.
Muse: I'm impressed you admit thinking it would bomb instead of pretending to be in on it from the start.
J.R.: No, I thought it was going to be a huge flop. It was just guys going around with handheld cameras. If you look at my scene, I'm eating an ice cream. I don't even show them the courtesy of finishing my dessert before I talk to them.
Muse: What do you think about the presidential race right now -- is it easy to find comedic value there?
J.R.: I think that with politics, the longer it goes on, the better for comedy. I root for the crazies, the people about ready to go off the edge. In my mind, it's really just a big new reality show at this point, America's Next Top President. When it comes down to it, we should just get Tom Bergeron to emcee, or Ryan Seacrest. Then again, I'm not the best judge of this kind of thing. The last guy I voted for was Clay Aiken. Twenty times. But there's some serious fun in joking about the candidates, because something new changes everyday. The jokes start to write themselves.
Muse: Like Obama's pastor.
J.R.: Isn't that hysterical? He's up there with his Cosby sweater on. Actually, I don't want to say anything bad about Obama, [if he gets elected president] I'm still looking to get invited to his inaugural Block Party. And with McCain, even if he did end up having sex with an aide, well. this time it won't be a scandal, it will be a miracle.
Muse: What would you say to the kids languishing in school, who want to do what you're doing but they're stuck because there's no comedy degree?
J.R.: The key in comedy is life experience. Go out there and get different jobs, have relationships, do all that stuff. The best people in comedy have failed at other things first. You don't become a comedian at 5 like Justin Timberlake in the Mickey Mouse Club. You need to do life things, see some bands, fall in love, fall out of love, sprain your ankle, knock up your RA. Just build experience. Comedy comes from pain, and you can find that kind of stuff in life. And if you decide you want to get up on stage, do it every single night of your life.
Jeffrey Ross will be at the Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall for 8:00 pm and 10:15 pm shows both Friday and Saturday.
---Steve Cimino, Muse Staff
Friday, March 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Not Quite Magic Enough
Penelope is made with the basic ingredients of any modern-day fairytale: one aristocratic girl plagued with issues of insecurity, a number of shallow suitors with ulterior motives, and a Halloween masquerade where the characters can resolve their misunderstandings. The film chronicles the story of a girl who must learn to find solace in a curse that has given her a pig’s snout for a nose from birth. The only way the girl can break the spell is to marry a blue-blooded suitor willing to embrace her pig nose, and accept her for who she is inside.
Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) has been sheltered from exposure and the outside world her entire life. Her mother (Catherine O’Hara) has hired a professional matchmaker to find a qualifying husband for Penelope, but every time an eligible suitor sees Penelope’s snout, he heads straight for the nearest exit. While watching suitors catapult through a second-story window tugs at our schadenfreudal strings, beneath the gag lies the painful reality of the rejection that Penelope experiences after each match-making session. When Penelope discovers that the only suitor (James McAvoy) who returns for a second date might harbor a duplicitous identity, her hopes towards a successful marriage vanish, and her desire to break free from her home and identity escalates.
From there, the story takes place in the fantastical equivalent of modern day New York City with a London edge. The setting echoes the eclectic cast, which seems to save the film from its stale storyline. Christina Ricci’s charming ringlets manage to compensate for the woefully prosthetic snout glued to her face, and James McAvoy’s piercing blue eyes legitimize the incredulity of Mother Wilhern’s match-making agenda. The secondary characters also enliven the story; Reese Witherspoon’s spunky character plays an integral role in helping Penelope adjust to the city, while Peter Dinklage’s stoic one-liners (“Edward, don’t lick Max”) add humor to an otherwise vapid script. Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) also makes an unexpected appearance that highlights the pleasant mix of English and American actors.
Visually, the film falls short of a Pan’s Labyrinth experience, and Penelope’s room in the Wilhern mansion is the only space that manages to make strides towards evoking a Pinocchio workshop-meets-Dali-kind of surrealism. The rest of the rooms, like the other characters, are static and ordinary and lack a touch of mysticism. The music also fails to produce a cradle for an enchanted setting, which underscores the haphazard integration of the fantastic and the modern. The film is a stop-and-start fantasy, one that is irrevocably interrupted when all you can notice are the unnatural crevices separating Penelope’s porcine snout from Ricci’s porcelain face.
--- Yumi Araki, Muse Contributing Writer
Penelope Wilhern (Christina Ricci) has been sheltered from exposure and the outside world her entire life. Her mother (Catherine O’Hara) has hired a professional matchmaker to find a qualifying husband for Penelope, but every time an eligible suitor sees Penelope’s snout, he heads straight for the nearest exit. While watching suitors catapult through a second-story window tugs at our schadenfreudal strings, beneath the gag lies the painful reality of the rejection that Penelope experiences after each match-making session. When Penelope discovers that the only suitor (James McAvoy) who returns for a second date might harbor a duplicitous identity, her hopes towards a successful marriage vanish, and her desire to break free from her home and identity escalates.
From there, the story takes place in the fantastical equivalent of modern day New York City with a London edge. The setting echoes the eclectic cast, which seems to save the film from its stale storyline. Christina Ricci’s charming ringlets manage to compensate for the woefully prosthetic snout glued to her face, and James McAvoy’s piercing blue eyes legitimize the incredulity of Mother Wilhern’s match-making agenda. The secondary characters also enliven the story; Reese Witherspoon’s spunky character plays an integral role in helping Penelope adjust to the city, while Peter Dinklage’s stoic one-liners (“Edward, don’t lick Max”) add humor to an otherwise vapid script. Nick Frost (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) also makes an unexpected appearance that highlights the pleasant mix of English and American actors.
Visually, the film falls short of a Pan’s Labyrinth experience, and Penelope’s room in the Wilhern mansion is the only space that manages to make strides towards evoking a Pinocchio workshop-meets-Dali-kind of surrealism. The rest of the rooms, like the other characters, are static and ordinary and lack a touch of mysticism. The music also fails to produce a cradle for an enchanted setting, which underscores the haphazard integration of the fantastic and the modern. The film is a stop-and-start fantasy, one that is irrevocably interrupted when all you can notice are the unnatural crevices separating Penelope’s porcine snout from Ricci’s porcelain face.
--- Yumi Araki, Muse Contributing Writer
Laughter, for the lucky ones
If you like laughter at all, god help you if you miss Louis C.K. this weekend. The star of the dearly departed Lucky Louie and occasional Chris Rock collaborator/Pootie Tang director is taping his next comedy special Chewed Up at the Berklee Performance Center. There are few working comics who are so expert at mining their misery for laughs, and not small laughs, but the big, loud, stomach-achingly cathartic ones. With one show on Friday night and two on Saturday, it promises to be a brilliantly offensive affair.
--- Jeff Greco, Muse Staff
--- Jeff Greco, Muse Staff
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Bravery rock out at the Paradise
After an agonizing 30 minutes, the lights finally dimmed and the crowd erupted into shrieks before The Bravery even started the first few notes of "Split Me Wide Open." The energy in the room kicked into gear, and the past impatience melted away as arms went up, swaying in unison. By the time the opening drum solo of "Public Service Announcement" filled the room, all delays were forgiven.
The Bravery formed, like most modern rock bands, in New York City, but have enjoyed considerable fame abroad in the UK. They supported British heavyweights such as U2 and Depeche Mode on tour in the past, and have sold out multiple music festivals on both sides of the Atlantic every year - and they certainly don't disappoint on stage.
Whereas many underground rock bands start out with the classic guitar, bass, and drums line up and then may experiment with synths and keyboards on later albums, The Bravery heavily displayed their electronica tendencies alongside the guitar riffs and drum rolls in their self-titled debut album and actually decided to "experiment" more with acoustic instruments and a more organic sound for their second album. They haven't left their dance-rock roots, though; The Sun and the Moon is planned as a 2-disc release, one side a tracklisting of more classic rock songs, and the other side a self-remake of the same track-listing giving tribute to their synthetic home turf.
For their Boston concert at the Paradise Rock Club on Monday, two U.K. bands opened up the show. Your Vegas, a generic Brit rock outfit, helped get the crowd's ears accustomed to the futuristic, resounding bass beats, but the energy didn't really get going until the next band, Switches, took the stage. "You're a nice and polite crowd, but tonight we want to turn you into whores," lead singer Matt Bishop crooned into his microphone. The crowd roared its approval.
The show sold out weeks in advance, and the venue cramped under the pressure; people began bottlenecking in the corners and second-level by the time the Bravery finally appeared. Decked in fitted leather jackets, blazers, sweater vests and perfectly cropped cigarette jeans with exposed argyle socks, the Bravery embodied the image of young rock stars in the 60s. They kept up a steady conversation with the crowd, lead singer Sam Endicott casually flicked used guitar picks into the audience between songs and bassist Mike Hindert even whipped out a red Sony Cybershot from his jacket pocket and snapped a few pictures of the crowd before launching into "The Ocean".
The set list included over half of the songs from their second album, as well as a few teasers for the upcoming self-remake album that will release in March. The lighting was kept dim for the majority of the songs, perhaps to allow for full impact of the near-seizure inducing flashes that kicked up once the opening bars of "Honest Mistake" sounded. The concert generally displayed the new organic rock side of the Bravery's musical radar, but they did end their encore with "Unconditional," a song from their debut dance-rock album.
Judging by the way the crowd's feet never once stopped moving during the entire set, The Bravery know how to put on a good show.
--- Bing Chen, Muse Contributing Writer
The Bravery formed, like most modern rock bands, in New York City, but have enjoyed considerable fame abroad in the UK. They supported British heavyweights such as U2 and Depeche Mode on tour in the past, and have sold out multiple music festivals on both sides of the Atlantic every year - and they certainly don't disappoint on stage.
Whereas many underground rock bands start out with the classic guitar, bass, and drums line up and then may experiment with synths and keyboards on later albums, The Bravery heavily displayed their electronica tendencies alongside the guitar riffs and drum rolls in their self-titled debut album and actually decided to "experiment" more with acoustic instruments and a more organic sound for their second album. They haven't left their dance-rock roots, though; The Sun and the Moon is planned as a 2-disc release, one side a tracklisting of more classic rock songs, and the other side a self-remake of the same track-listing giving tribute to their synthetic home turf.
For their Boston concert at the Paradise Rock Club on Monday, two U.K. bands opened up the show. Your Vegas, a generic Brit rock outfit, helped get the crowd's ears accustomed to the futuristic, resounding bass beats, but the energy didn't really get going until the next band, Switches, took the stage. "You're a nice and polite crowd, but tonight we want to turn you into whores," lead singer Matt Bishop crooned into his microphone. The crowd roared its approval.
The show sold out weeks in advance, and the venue cramped under the pressure; people began bottlenecking in the corners and second-level by the time the Bravery finally appeared. Decked in fitted leather jackets, blazers, sweater vests and perfectly cropped cigarette jeans with exposed argyle socks, the Bravery embodied the image of young rock stars in the 60s. They kept up a steady conversation with the crowd, lead singer Sam Endicott casually flicked used guitar picks into the audience between songs and bassist Mike Hindert even whipped out a red Sony Cybershot from his jacket pocket and snapped a few pictures of the crowd before launching into "The Ocean".
The set list included over half of the songs from their second album, as well as a few teasers for the upcoming self-remake album that will release in March. The lighting was kept dim for the majority of the songs, perhaps to allow for full impact of the near-seizure inducing flashes that kicked up once the opening bars of "Honest Mistake" sounded. The concert generally displayed the new organic rock side of the Bravery's musical radar, but they did end their encore with "Unconditional," a song from their debut dance-rock album.
Judging by the way the crowd's feet never once stopped moving during the entire set, The Bravery know how to put on a good show.
--- Bing Chen, Muse Contributing Writer
The Band’s Visit
On the surface, The Band’s Visit is a film about an Egyptian police band, the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, lost in Israel for a night. The band is set to play at an Arab cultural center but ends up in a city of “no cultural center, no culture at all” due to the ineptitude of one of the musician’s English skills. Once the band finds out there are no more buses for the day and no hotels in the town, they must stay the night with several Israelis. Underneath, however, it is about men from two different cultures discovering how much they have in common.
Although the musicians receive glances and taunts from others in the town, their hosts behave civilly towards the Arab guests. Music plays an essential part in the relationships that develop between the musicians and their hosts, as the title would suggest. The hosts express a fascination with music and engage their guests through conversation about music. This common interest in music eventually leads to deeper understandings of one another as the Egyptians and the Israelis open up to each other more and more.
The Band’s Visit provides a thoughtful and humorous meditation on universality and expectations. Though the film recently won eight Israeli Academy Awards, The Band’s Visit was disqualified as Israel’s submission to the 2008 Academy Awards because strict Academy guidelines prevent a film from being classified as “foreign language” if more than 50 percent of the dialogue is in English.
Writer/director Eran Kolirin sat down with the the Muse to talk about his debut feature.
Muse: How personal is the film for you; are you a musician for example?
Eran Kolirin: Yeah, I’m kind of a frustrated musician, a very bad one. And yeah, it’s a very personal movie for me. Not necessarily in the most obvious biographical way –– I never had an encounter with Egyptian policemen. It’s personal in the way that movies and art are; they kind of sum up your inner psychological feelings.
Muse: Have you dealt with both Arab and Israeli cultures?
EK: Finding my own identity, looking for my own identity as someone who lives in the Middle East who has roots also in Europe and [lives] the schizophrenic existence of Israel: being on the one hand separated from the region and on the other hand kind of wanting to have some connection to the region. [Israel], on some other days, wants to be all immersed in the West. Also in my own personal life, [dealing with] the loss of my naiveté . . . and you know all those things came together for my film.
Muse: What was the inspiration for the quirky character in The Band’s Visit who waits for hours at a pay phone for his girlfriend to call?
EK: The Middle East is a very waiting region, the most waiting region in the world. I was joking with an Egyptian guy I met who saw the film about how much waiting there is in the Middle East, just waiting for something to happen! But also, my wife, my son and I used to live in this apartment in Tel Aviv and there used to be some guy I noticed in the street who would sit in his car for hours and hours every day and me and my wife would call him “the waiter.” We would joke about the waiter, waiting for something. Then one day I walked into the street and I [saw] him again in his car, but with a woman this time, [whom] he was kissing passionately. He was 50 years old or 60 and so was she and you know, he waits, and when she has the feeling for it, she comes!
Muse: In writing the film, did you seek to comment on Arab-Israeli relations primarily or to create a broader tale of clashing cultures?
EK: It’s not such an analytical process. You don’t say ‘This is the most important thing.’ When you create, it’s not as structured as an essay. It’s kind of a mural of your own psychological state in the moment. The same way you as a person have your personal life, feelings about politics, your theory of the universe or your relationship with your cat, [the film] consists of many things . . . that all come together. It’s not as structured as you described it, it comes much more from the way you are.
--- Michael O'Leary, Muse Staff Writer
Although the musicians receive glances and taunts from others in the town, their hosts behave civilly towards the Arab guests. Music plays an essential part in the relationships that develop between the musicians and their hosts, as the title would suggest. The hosts express a fascination with music and engage their guests through conversation about music. This common interest in music eventually leads to deeper understandings of one another as the Egyptians and the Israelis open up to each other more and more.
The Band’s Visit provides a thoughtful and humorous meditation on universality and expectations. Though the film recently won eight Israeli Academy Awards, The Band’s Visit was disqualified as Israel’s submission to the 2008 Academy Awards because strict Academy guidelines prevent a film from being classified as “foreign language” if more than 50 percent of the dialogue is in English.
Writer/director Eran Kolirin sat down with the the Muse to talk about his debut feature.
Muse: How personal is the film for you; are you a musician for example?
Eran Kolirin: Yeah, I’m kind of a frustrated musician, a very bad one. And yeah, it’s a very personal movie for me. Not necessarily in the most obvious biographical way –– I never had an encounter with Egyptian policemen. It’s personal in the way that movies and art are; they kind of sum up your inner psychological feelings.
Muse: Have you dealt with both Arab and Israeli cultures?
EK: Finding my own identity, looking for my own identity as someone who lives in the Middle East who has roots also in Europe and [lives] the schizophrenic existence of Israel: being on the one hand separated from the region and on the other hand kind of wanting to have some connection to the region. [Israel], on some other days, wants to be all immersed in the West. Also in my own personal life, [dealing with] the loss of my naiveté . . . and you know all those things came together for my film.
Muse: What was the inspiration for the quirky character in The Band’s Visit who waits for hours at a pay phone for his girlfriend to call?
EK: The Middle East is a very waiting region, the most waiting region in the world. I was joking with an Egyptian guy I met who saw the film about how much waiting there is in the Middle East, just waiting for something to happen! But also, my wife, my son and I used to live in this apartment in Tel Aviv and there used to be some guy I noticed in the street who would sit in his car for hours and hours every day and me and my wife would call him “the waiter.” We would joke about the waiter, waiting for something. Then one day I walked into the street and I [saw] him again in his car, but with a woman this time, [whom] he was kissing passionately. He was 50 years old or 60 and so was she and you know, he waits, and when she has the feeling for it, she comes!
Muse: In writing the film, did you seek to comment on Arab-Israeli relations primarily or to create a broader tale of clashing cultures?
EK: It’s not such an analytical process. You don’t say ‘This is the most important thing.’ When you create, it’s not as structured as an essay. It’s kind of a mural of your own psychological state in the moment. The same way you as a person have your personal life, feelings about politics, your theory of the universe or your relationship with your cat, [the film] consists of many things . . . that all come together. It’s not as structured as you described it, it comes much more from the way you are.
--- Michael O'Leary, Muse Staff Writer
Late-night yuk fests return with end of writer's strike
Was that a tinge of desperation in Jon Stewart’s voice last Tuesday, informing his Daily Show audience that members of the Writers Guild of America were voting to end their strike? “If they vote ‘Yes,’ they’ll be back for tomorrow’s show,” said the exhausted host. “If they vote ‘No,’ I will kill them.”
Of course, the WGA did vote to resolve the bitter three-month-long fracas between its film and television scribes and their benefactor, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with approval by 92.5 percent of the WGA’s voting members. The decision, 100 days in, came not a moment too soon, as early public support for the work stoppage had eroded into resentment in the last weeks, not only for the AMPTP but for the writers’ union itself, which Hollywood types saw as disorganized and vindictive.
The strike angered viewers by forcing suspension of production on countless network series and sitcoms, many of which will not air again for months. But a far more instructive development came when the politically-oriented yuk fests on Comedy Central — Stewart’s The Daily Show and its chaser, The Colbert Report, hosted by Stephen Colbert — returned to air in early January, sans writers. Barred from producing formal written material, armed with whatever they could carry in their heads, Stewart and Colbert cornered themselves into performing the barest version of their shtick one could imagine, giving viewers a unique opportunity to see them sweat a little. The results were mixed, and fascinating.
Stewart, for example, scaled back the silliness during his guest interviews, asking more direct questions than usual to his cautious visitors — hardly a welcoming gesture. The reportage of the day’s main news story — normally entirely scripted — became fodder for every ’80s pop culture reference Stewart could muster, in an effort to fill the requisite eight minutes before the commercial break. He found himself chuckling almost as much as his studio audience.
Colbert, trained in improvisation and sketch comedy at Chicago’s Second City, took more naturally to conditions ripe for improv. Particularly skilled at interaction with his guests, he seemed to perpetually overbook them: no less than three graced the Colbert stage each night, leaving the remaining time mostly to pre-recorded segments.
In a moment of collaborate creativity/desperation (take your pick), the two men joined with NBC’s Conan O’Brien to feud over which host “created” the success of presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who had “pledged” to make Colbert his running-mate months earlier. With details too convoluted to reproduce, the faux spat culminated in a backstage brawl that worked its way through all three studios over the course of an evening.
These men, vital to the public discourse in this most trying of presidential elections, thanked the union gods last week to finally regain the lifeblood of their craft, and so should we.
--- Dan Seliber, Muse Contributing Writer
Of course, the WGA did vote to resolve the bitter three-month-long fracas between its film and television scribes and their benefactor, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with approval by 92.5 percent of the WGA’s voting members. The decision, 100 days in, came not a moment too soon, as early public support for the work stoppage had eroded into resentment in the last weeks, not only for the AMPTP but for the writers’ union itself, which Hollywood types saw as disorganized and vindictive.
The strike angered viewers by forcing suspension of production on countless network series and sitcoms, many of which will not air again for months. But a far more instructive development came when the politically-oriented yuk fests on Comedy Central — Stewart’s The Daily Show and its chaser, The Colbert Report, hosted by Stephen Colbert — returned to air in early January, sans writers. Barred from producing formal written material, armed with whatever they could carry in their heads, Stewart and Colbert cornered themselves into performing the barest version of their shtick one could imagine, giving viewers a unique opportunity to see them sweat a little. The results were mixed, and fascinating.
Stewart, for example, scaled back the silliness during his guest interviews, asking more direct questions than usual to his cautious visitors — hardly a welcoming gesture. The reportage of the day’s main news story — normally entirely scripted — became fodder for every ’80s pop culture reference Stewart could muster, in an effort to fill the requisite eight minutes before the commercial break. He found himself chuckling almost as much as his studio audience.
Colbert, trained in improvisation and sketch comedy at Chicago’s Second City, took more naturally to conditions ripe for improv. Particularly skilled at interaction with his guests, he seemed to perpetually overbook them: no less than three graced the Colbert stage each night, leaving the remaining time mostly to pre-recorded segments.
In a moment of collaborate creativity/desperation (take your pick), the two men joined with NBC’s Conan O’Brien to feud over which host “created” the success of presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who had “pledged” to make Colbert his running-mate months earlier. With details too convoluted to reproduce, the faux spat culminated in a backstage brawl that worked its way through all three studios over the course of an evening.
These men, vital to the public discourse in this most trying of presidential elections, thanked the union gods last week to finally regain the lifeblood of their craft, and so should we.
--- Dan Seliber, Muse Contributing Writer
Vee Vee for Vegan
At Vee Vee, the new mid-priced quasi-vegetarian restaurant in Jamaica Plain, imaginative-looking dishes using an intriguing combination of ingredients make for a small but enticing menu.
Unfortunately, whoever penned the menu at the small and romantically lit bistro must not have wielded the cooking utensils, because the seemingly promising dishes are slightly underwhelming.
A spaghetti squash “stuffed” with a few cheddar-enrobed and overcooked vegetables that look appealing on the menu leads to some glum and hungry scavenging of other diners’ selections in hopes of redeeming the dry, stringy and unsatisfying dish.
Still, even if you’re disappointed by your not-so-scrumptious plate, prepare for some major mooching off of those in your party who ordered the tastier dishes.
The linguine coated in creamy goat cheese and studded with walnuts, caramelized onions and pancetta is delicious, although it could benefit from some garlic and fresh herbs. The lightly-fried filet of cod is a little under-seasoned, but is perched atop a mound of mushroom ragout that could lead the culinary-unadventurous to embark upon a heated love affair with wheat berries.
Also notable is the roasted beet and gorgonzola salad, a shrimp and scallop fritter accented with a well-dressed tuft of greens and spicy chipotle aioli, and a fresh-tasting fettuccine with tomatoes, clams and bacon.
The pancetta and bacon present on what initially seems to be a vegetarian menu is a little perplexing, but it seems that all of the dishes at Vee Vee can be easily modified to suit the strictest of herbivores.
Want dessert? Ditch the dry chocolate tort in favor of the miniature carrot cake. Thickly iced with decadent cream cheese frosting and lemon curd and accompanied by a sugary praline, this dessert is definitely worth abandoning any pre-spring break diet for the night.
--- Leah Mennies, Muse Contributing Writer
Unfortunately, whoever penned the menu at the small and romantically lit bistro must not have wielded the cooking utensils, because the seemingly promising dishes are slightly underwhelming.
A spaghetti squash “stuffed” with a few cheddar-enrobed and overcooked vegetables that look appealing on the menu leads to some glum and hungry scavenging of other diners’ selections in hopes of redeeming the dry, stringy and unsatisfying dish.
Still, even if you’re disappointed by your not-so-scrumptious plate, prepare for some major mooching off of those in your party who ordered the tastier dishes.
The linguine coated in creamy goat cheese and studded with walnuts, caramelized onions and pancetta is delicious, although it could benefit from some garlic and fresh herbs. The lightly-fried filet of cod is a little under-seasoned, but is perched atop a mound of mushroom ragout that could lead the culinary-unadventurous to embark upon a heated love affair with wheat berries.
Also notable is the roasted beet and gorgonzola salad, a shrimp and scallop fritter accented with a well-dressed tuft of greens and spicy chipotle aioli, and a fresh-tasting fettuccine with tomatoes, clams and bacon.
The pancetta and bacon present on what initially seems to be a vegetarian menu is a little perplexing, but it seems that all of the dishes at Vee Vee can be easily modified to suit the strictest of herbivores.
Want dessert? Ditch the dry chocolate tort in favor of the miniature carrot cake. Thickly iced with decadent cream cheese frosting and lemon curd and accompanied by a sugary praline, this dessert is definitely worth abandoning any pre-spring break diet for the night.
--- Leah Mennies, Muse Contributing Writer
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
OneRepublic: far from a one hit wonder
Torrential rain couldn’t keep concertgoers from the Paradise Rock Club on Friday night, judging by the line for the OneRepublic show curving down Commonwealth Avenue. While the night was wet and miserable, the band’s exhilarating performance was worth the wait.
The night began with openers The Daylights, a band of Texas-born brothers and their Danish drummer, followed by Eric Hutchinson, a singer/songwriter with a dry sense of humor. The Daylights’ lead singer won the audience over with great vocals, lyrical ease and a Patriots tee hidden under his leather jacket, and Hutchinson spoofed three of Justin Timberlake’s hits.
But once the Timbaland-sampled band OneRepublic took the stage, the crowd immediately got going. After playing a handful of selections from the band’s just-released album Dreaming Out Loud, including“All I Need,” “Mercy,” “All Fall Down,” “Tyrant,” “Goodbye Apathy” and the latest single “Stop and Stare,” the band played a surprise interlude of songs they said they wish they had written. OneRepublic gave “Bittersweet Symphony” a new spin with much credit owed to the band’s amazing celloist, followed by the ubiquitous summer hit “Umbrella” by Rhianna.
The set ended with “Won’t Stop,” the famous “Apologize” and “Someone to Save You.” Through each song, the crowd belted the lyrics back to the band. The show seemed to end abruptly as the band left the stage, but quickly reentered for a much-desired encore featuring “Come Home” and “All We Are.”
--- Nikki Issembert, Muse Contributing Writer
The night began with openers The Daylights, a band of Texas-born brothers and their Danish drummer, followed by Eric Hutchinson, a singer/songwriter with a dry sense of humor. The Daylights’ lead singer won the audience over with great vocals, lyrical ease and a Patriots tee hidden under his leather jacket, and Hutchinson spoofed three of Justin Timberlake’s hits.
But once the Timbaland-sampled band OneRepublic took the stage, the crowd immediately got going. After playing a handful of selections from the band’s just-released album Dreaming Out Loud, including“All I Need,” “Mercy,” “All Fall Down,” “Tyrant,” “Goodbye Apathy” and the latest single “Stop and Stare,” the band played a surprise interlude of songs they said they wish they had written. OneRepublic gave “Bittersweet Symphony” a new spin with much credit owed to the band’s amazing celloist, followed by the ubiquitous summer hit “Umbrella” by Rhianna.
The set ended with “Won’t Stop,” the famous “Apologize” and “Someone to Save You.” Through each song, the crowd belted the lyrics back to the band. The show seemed to end abruptly as the band left the stage, but quickly reentered for a much-desired encore featuring “Come Home” and “All We Are.”
--- Nikki Issembert, Muse Contributing Writer
Get Lost again...
After three seasons of smoke monsters, exploding hatches and mysterious “Others,” even the most diehard Lost fanatics need some answers. With the premiere of Season Four last Thursday, it seems as if they may start to get their wish.
Picking up where Season Three’s cliffhanger left off, it appears that Season Four will show through flash-forwards what happens to the “Oceanic Six” in addition to the continued on-island saga. While this opens up a whole new box of speculation, it does feel like the show is finally moving toward a fixed point.
We also got a glimpse of what appeared to be Christian Shepard (Jack’s dead father) in the enigmatic Jacob’s cabin, which would be quite a twist, opening up a world of new possibilities to what the survivors’ purpose on the island could be. And the arrival of a freighter with the promise of rescue has divided the survivors into two factions –– those whose trust the rescuers (or those who trust Jack) and those who don’t (and have placed their faith in Locke).
At this point, the show is almost impossible to predict, but if the rest of the episodes this season are as riveting as the first, it should be a great seven more episodes for Lost fans. Tune in Thursday night for more plot-twisting fun.
--- Justin Marble, Muse Staff Writer
Picking up where Season Three’s cliffhanger left off, it appears that Season Four will show through flash-forwards what happens to the “Oceanic Six” in addition to the continued on-island saga. While this opens up a whole new box of speculation, it does feel like the show is finally moving toward a fixed point.
We also got a glimpse of what appeared to be Christian Shepard (Jack’s dead father) in the enigmatic Jacob’s cabin, which would be quite a twist, opening up a world of new possibilities to what the survivors’ purpose on the island could be. And the arrival of a freighter with the promise of rescue has divided the survivors into two factions –– those whose trust the rescuers (or those who trust Jack) and those who don’t (and have placed their faith in Locke).
At this point, the show is almost impossible to predict, but if the rest of the episodes this season are as riveting as the first, it should be a great seven more episodes for Lost fans. Tune in Thursday night for more plot-twisting fun.
--- Justin Marble, Muse Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wannabe Fashionistas Meet Their Idol
Although she had a nearly sold out show at the TD Banknorth Garden to prepare for, Victoria Beckham managed to squeeze in some quality time with her fans at Saks Fifth Avenue on Wednesday.
In typical Beckham fashion, a smile was barely cracked, and conversation was minimal. However, when a fan approached with the latest issue of Vogue, Posh just couldn't control herself and - gasp - emoted. Showing a rare public display of excitement, Beckham briefly halted the meet and greet to admire her new ad for Marc Jacobs, which she claimed she had yet to see. She even ushered one of her handlers over to check it out.
--- Charlie Adelman, Muse Managing Editor
In typical Beckham fashion, a smile was barely cracked, and conversation was minimal. However, when a fan approached with the latest issue of Vogue, Posh just couldn't control herself and - gasp - emoted. Showing a rare public display of excitement, Beckham briefly halted the meet and greet to admire her new ad for Marc Jacobs, which she claimed she had yet to see. She even ushered one of her handlers over to check it out.
--- Charlie Adelman, Muse Managing Editor
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