He’s not called Sly for nothing
You will talk about: Sylvester Stallone. We have nothing but respect for people like Stallone who refuse to let their careers die. One gets the feeling he got 2006’s “Rocky” sequel and this week’s “Rambo” sequel made by sheer force of will -- the same will, perhaps, that has kept his musculature in WWE working order even at 61. (Friday)
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You should talk about: Cat Power. We’re usually uninterested in cover albums -- mostly because of a knee-jerk belief that the first person to sing a song probably did it best, and any attempt to redo the song will just be a poor imitation of the original. But Chan Marshall, who performs under the name Cat Power, couldn’t sound like she was imitating someone if she tried. We loved her first album of covers (most of which she rendered unrecognizable), and we anticipate liking this one, called “Jukebox,” which features covers of songs by Hank Williams and James Brown as well as her originals. (Tuesday)
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You could talk about: “Thunderbirds.” We have only a passing knowledge of this cult classic from the ‘60s starring a bunch of puppets as an elite crime-fighting team. We borrowed an earlier box set from a wacky uncle a few years ago but barely made it through 15 minutes. Still, we like weird stuff and cult reissues -- in this case a 40th-anniversary collector’s edition mega-set. (Tuesday)
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You will hear about: The Academy Award nominations. Honesty alert: We hate award shows. Hate them. Have always hated them; watch them on TiVo (only because we cover entertainment) and try to make the whole thing last about 15 minutes if possible. (We don’t like graduations either). But while we don’t care about the Academy Award nominations, we expect to hear lots and lots about them when they are announced this week. (Tuesday)
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The media will talk about: Sundance! The Sundance Film Festival began Jan. 17 and ends on the 27th, but this week is the heart and soul of the whole shebang -- when each day the indie film reporters tell us about a new breakout hit (that we won’t see for two years) or some horribly depressing documentary (that we won’t see ever). Let the games continue!
-- Deborah Netburn
