Wed 12.1 – Sun 12.5
From Flavorpill:
“Day one of this inaugural film fest kicks off with a gala showing of Bride and Prejudice from director Gurinder “Bend It Like Beckham” Chadha. Screening 14 films from pan-South Asian directors spanning India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal, as well as Diaspora productions from the US, UK, and Iran, Colors in Fusion balances the saccharine high of big-budget Bollywood beats with sobering, sociopolitical dramas (Black Friday, The Clay Birds) and a concurrent documentary festival, Films for Freedom, at the Rubin Museum of Art. More than just great reels, SAIFF also wants to put the “festive” back in festival with five nights of after parties: ready yourself for booty-shaking bhangra.”
Click here for more info

FROM ALLHIPHOP.COM
Trick Daddy recently finished taping a cooking show pilot for MTV. If the show is picked up, the rapper said he would invite his peers to participate on the program. “You know a lot of n**gas think they know how to cook,” Trick told AllHipHop.com. “I’ma show you how n**gas f**k up & burn eggs. And have the shells in them.”
For the full story log on: http://www.allhiphop.com/hiphopnews/?ID=3806

One of the best bands from Scotland, The Delgados, have been together for over ten years now. Their five albums are some of the most interesting music to come from Scotland in recent times. Most of the band met in college. They are Stewart Henderson (bass guitar), Emma Pollack (vocals/guitar), Paul Savage (drums), and Alun Woodward (vocals/guitar). They are dedicated songwriters. Their songs feature a mix of female and male vocals. In 1996, they started their own record label, Chemikal Underground, thus having a hand in the Scottish Underground music scene, and discovering bands like Bis, Arab Strap, Mogwai, and Sluts of Trust.
The Delgados’ first album Domestiques (1996) immediately caught the attention of the late John Peel. He soon introduced The Delgados to the world by featuring their music regularly on his radio show. The band toured with Elastica and The Wedding Present, who were at the height of their popularity at the time. They soon worked on their second album, Peloton (1998). They even played a show at John Peel’s house for his 50th birthday party. Still they were a very underground band.

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Freelance FREEwilliamsburg designer and Condé Nast employee Jeff Campbell (AKA Teen Wolf) has been collecting Dr. Pepper rip-offs for 8 years now. This was too bizarre for us to not share. Our favorites are Dr. Wow and the perplexing Dr. Lynn. Click for larger image:

Help add to his collection. Email Jeff at jeff_campbell@condenet.com

by Dave Thomas
Well, it’s been a full year now that I’ve been doing these previews at Freewilliamsburg. It seems (and was) only a year ago that I predicted that “The Last Samurai” would make $133mil. Fortunately, I only overshot it by $20mil, and nobody guessed that these previews are full of lies, lies, horrible lies! Um, until I said that, I guess.
OPENING 12/3

CLOSER
WHAT’S THE PITCH?
Really attractive people cheat on each other.
WILL IT SUCK?
Director Mike Nichols has a knack for couples behaving badly (“The Graduate,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”).

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The first four digitally remastered recordings by our favorite Krautrockers, Can, were released to, frankly, not nearly enough fanfare. After all, this weirdo quartet of Cologne hippies influenced everyone from Brian Eno to Tortoise to Stereolab to Comets on Fire. Their long-form, improvised ambient funk merged jazz with rock. More importantly, Can was among the first to experiment with electronic improvisation.
If you’re a newcomer to their work, start with 1971′s Tago Mago. 1972′s Ege Bamyasi is equally rewarding, if not as immediately accessible. Soundtracks is an important record as well, but mainly for the people already familiar with Can’s work. Their debut, 1969′s Monster Movie is the only Can record to feature vocalist Malcolm Mooney (who later had a legendary nervous breakdown). It’s a more straightforward rock album, but the 20 minute “Yoo Doo Right” hinted at what was to come.
The release of the remainder of their catalogue is scheduled for 2005 and 2006. We can’t wait to for the reissue of Future Days, their most lovely and essential record.

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The Bird Blobs are an aggressive band similar to the Australian bands of the late 1970s like The Scientists and Birthday Party. They don’t sing so much as scream the vocals. It’s blues and rock and roll and it’s exciting. Their weird time signature and angular guitars recall Captain Beefhart. They often fight with audience members. Make sure you are not in the front rows or you might get hurt. People have described The Bird Blobs saying: “This music is enough to revive your dead grandma.” Check them out.
-Alexander Laurence
NEW YORK DATES:
Tuesday 23rd November – Lit
Friday 26th November – CBGB
Sunday 28th November – The Mercury Lounge
Website: www.birdblobs.com

By Johnathan Rickman
DC Progressives Join Heads
How can progressives and political activists best work together to build a viable third party that adequately expresses their shared values and convictions, and what is the best way to oppose another four years of regressive Bush administration policies both domestic and foreign?
Those questions were debated on November 11 between rows of fold-out chairs in a church basement in the nation’s capital at a public forum hosted by the DC chapter of the International Socialist Organization (ISO).
The forum featured four speakers from four different organizations: Ben Dalbey of the ISO, Jay Marx of the DC Statehood Green Party (DCSGP), Niyi Shomade of the Ralph Nader 2004 presidential campaign, and Shahid Buttar of the DC Spokes Council.
Coke Vs. Pepsi
Ben Dalbey kick-started the event by asking rhetorically how on earth a president with only a 49 percent approval rating could waltz to victory.

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photo care of tangentialism
[from tienmao:] Last night was the opening night of Fornino, the new pizza place on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg (CLICK HERE FOR MENU). Dutifully, Adam and I went to try it out and it was excellent. We had three small pies, sampling as much as we could without getting too full. Michael Ayoub, the chef/owner, has three “generations” of pizza on his menu and we sampled piesfrom two – the first and third.

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by Alexander Laurence
Sometimes when an election doesn’t go your way, you need a sexy diversion. Har Mar Superstar (Sean Tillman) is a chubby white man from Minnesota who sings R&B tunes while dancing frantically. His live shows, sung to the backing track from a boom box, usually culminate in stripping down to his underwear. He has been around for years and has been busy. He has tour extensively and has penned songs for Jennifer Lopez and Kelly Osborne. He opened shows for The Strokes and Incubus. These are only some of the highlights of the real story.

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