February, 2009

On night three the Jalapao tribe reflects on the difficulties of their first tribal council. Day four inspires some to look for sustenance other than veggies.  Some Survivors experiment with huge worms, things with 18 legs and other bugs that turn out to be very, very chewy. 

At Timbira, Sierra reflects on how it felt to be the first with votes cast against her and mentions the clue to the hidden immunity idol. Now, I don’t know what compels contestants to do this, but whoever has the Hidden Immunity Idol or the clue to the Idol feels as if they have to tell someone else about it. Sierra reveals to Brendan that she has the clue and recruits him to help find it.  And he helps – by digging, and digging, and digging. Debbie finds them and Sierra comes up with a bonfire pit lie to cover their butts.  When Debbie mentions the beach bonfire to the tribe we get the first glimpse of the “not so pretty side” of Candace who says “I just don’t think it makes that much sense. I probably won’t go.  I’d rather sit around here and talk crap.”  The next morning Candace and Coach have a heated discussion about making food and outspoken Candace and egotistical Coach continue to argue throughout the morning. 

Back at Jalapao camp a conversation leads to the revelation that contestant Taj is married to Eddie George (who everyone knows except tribe mate Stephen ). 

The first and only challenge of the episode is a water basketball game and the prize is immunity and fishing gear. Also, the winning team picks the first person to pay a visit to Exile.  First, it starts pouring rain, then the lightening comes making me wonder if the Survivors should even be competing in a water event. But they do and here’s the rules – three team members from each tribe race through the water to get a basketball and work together to get up to the basket and make a shot.

The catch, three team members from the opposing tribe will try and stop the others from making those shots in any violent manner they so choose (including holding people under water, holding onto their bikini tops, pushing, shoving, tackling at the knees and other injury provoking activities).  Timbira takes the lead when both Candace and Brendan make baskets. 

But Jalapao poses a challenge when Sydney scores, then JT makes a shot and finally Stephen makes the winning basket. Jalapao wins immunity and reward.  They send Brendan to Exile but wait, there’s more. Jeff reveals that Brendan gets to choose someone from the winning tribe to go with him to Exile and he chooses Taj.

Tribe Timbira is sent back to camp to think about their upcoming Tribal Council. 

Tribe Jalapao puts their new fishing gear to work right away.  And JT and Stephen bond during a fishing excursion.

On Exile, Brendan and Taj each choose an urn.  Brendan’s has two notes in it which he must read in private. A trend that’s immuring this season is people not understanding these clues.  Brendan doesn’t understand the following statement about his clue “But in tribal homelands is the thing that you seek.” (Meaning the idol is back at camp). And Brendan won’t understand “tribal homelands” until he finally reads the clue to Taj who makes is clear that the idol is at camp.  Brendan is also given the option to switch tribes, which he does not.  The two Survivors bond during their time at Exile. 

When Brendan returns to camp he lies saying that Taj’s urn had the clue, that she went for a walk and didn’t mention if she found anything or not when she returned. Brendan also mentions that Taj seems to be on the outs with her tribe and that this could be useful information later in the game. 

At Timbira they discuss who they want to vote out and Candace brings up how Coach failed physically at the challenge. Next Coach, Tyson and Debbie discuss how Candace is being negative.  Everyone thought they’d vote for Sierra, but people seem to be getting tired of outspoken Candace.  And Coach confesses, “The girls think we’re still voting for Sierra but for me the obvious choice is Candace because she’s just cancer on the tribe.”  Candace and Erinn discuss the possible people who could be voted out and Candace says “Listen, I’m gunna tell ya right now, it ain’t you or me, they know what we’re worth.” 

At Tribal Council Jeff recaps how Sierra felt when she was the first person with votes cast against her.  And trust is brought up as a major issue. We finally hear Survivor Jerry say more than 5 words in a row as well.  Once the votes are counted, Candace, almost unanimously, is the 2nd person voted out of Survivor and an important lesson is learned – do not be the outspoken person on Survivor because you’ll be the first two people voted out of the game!

Best surprise: With song/dance man Hugh Jackman as host, surprise presenters, and funny gag bits, the Oscar’s was one of the most entertaining it’s been in a long time. (Ratings were even up 6 percent from last year’s telecast.)

Worst surprise: Chances are you won your office pool because just about no surprise winners threw off our ballots. “Slumdog Millionaire” cleaned up winning 8 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay as predicted, and Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger, and Penélope Cruz won as expected. The biggest upset was Sean Penn winning Best Actor over Mickey Rourke, but really we all knew it was between the two anyway.

Worst use of presenting the Best Pictures:  Up until the last ten minutes of the show, you wouldn’t even know which films were nominated for Best Picture, and isn’t this what the night was really all about? Instead of showcasing clips throughout the night like usual, the clips were only shown right before the award was handed out. Even worse, they were intermingled with previous films that have similar themes making the clips confusing and taking attention away from the nominees.

Best presentation of movies: The montages of film genres recapping the best of 2008 were done so in great pop culture fashion. Coldplay’s “Lovers in Japan” played to the great romance flicks, Wall-E the adorable robot found a tape of the best animation movies, and the hilarious James Franco and Seth Rogen reprised their “Pineapple Express” roles as they watched DVDs of the funniest comedies.

Worst use of presenting the Best Songs: The song nominees, which are usually played in their entirety throughout the night, also weren’t given their full due. The two “Slumdog Millionaire” songs and “Wall-E” song were shortened and played one after the other. We all knew “Jai Ho” was going to win, but “Wall-E” should have been given it’s own set piece rather than making John Legend sing with “Slumdog’s” Indian back-up dancers and drummers.

Best use of presenting awards: Rather than randomly presenting awards, the telecast walked the audience through the making of a movie starting with the screenwriting process to art direction to editing. Stars associated with the category was also a nice touch like action hero Will Smith presenting Best Visual Effects and Sound Mixing and “Religious” filmmaker Bill Maher presenting Best Documentary.

Best presenters: Steve Martin and Tina Fey presented the screenplay awards humorously (“Don’t fall in love with me” Martin stoically told a googly eyed Fey) and controversially (poking fun at Hollywood-favorite Scientology). And don’t forget about Ben Stiller who delivered a dead-on impression of Joaquin Phoenix’s bizarre appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman” while presenting with Natalie Portman. It would have been even funnier though if it wasn’t just parodied at the previous night’s Independent Spirit Awards.

Best use of presenters: Keeping most of the identities of the presenters top-secret beforehand made for a more exciting show because you never knew who was going to come out next. Hello Will Smith, hello Reese Witherspoon!

Worst use of presenters: While it was fun seeing past winners like Nicole Kidman, Robert De Niro, and Christopher Walken, presenting the nominees, it came off too self-congratulatory. Instead of comments like “You really nailed it” and Marion Cotillard clasping her hands together cooing “Thank you” to Winslet, let’s see some clips instead. Most viewers at home haven’t seen all the movies, so it’d be more interesting to see the performances for which they’re nominated. 

Best acceptance speech: Instead of the director or co-stars accepting on his behalf, the acceptance of Heath Ledger’s Oscar by his family was much more touching. “Tonight we are choosing to be happy and celebrate what he has achieved,” his mother, Sally Bell, said.

Funniest acceptance speeches: Where to begin? First there’s Phillipe Petit, the subject of the documentary, “Man on Wire,” who not only balanced the Oscar on his chin, he also made a coin disappear.  Then the Japanese director of the Best Animated Short, “Kunio Kato thanked Mr. Roboto.” Finally, Best Director, Danny Boyle, bounced up and down in homage of Tigger for his children.  

Worst camera shots: Awkward alert… Not only did Jennifer Aniston have to present an award mere feet away from Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the camera cut away to Brangelina twice! At least Jolie and Pitt made nice and weren’t giving dirty looks.

Best use of teeny boppers: While baby faced stars like Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Robert Pattinson, and Amanda Seyfried presented and performed on stage to most likely draw in the younger audience, their presence was downplayed and didn’t make the Oscars feel like the Teen Choice Awards.

Best secret talent: Anne Hathaway showed off her really good voice in her pretend-impromptu song and dance number with Jackman. Look out Beyoncé. Maybe you won’t be needed next year.

Here are the winners of the major categories:

Best Picture: “Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Actor: Sean Penn, “Milk”

Best Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Supporting Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Can’t get enough of celebrities? Are you a pet-lover? Then you’ll love peoplepets.com as much as Mickey Rourke loves his dogs. Go visit this site.

The new Web site from People magazine is a one-stop site for breaking news, features, photos, pet fashion and silly animal videos. You won’t even have to go to You-Tube anymore for your funny animal fix because peoplepets.com gathers them all right here.

The news section provides breaking pet news like the passing of Rourke’s beloved Chihuahua; but, if you’re already a celebrity news aficionado, you probably won’t find anything here you don’t already know.

The pet features, however, are both interesting and unique. Where else are you going to find photo slideshows of “100 Years of Famous Dogs,” and “Top 10 Pet Moments of 2008.”

The pet fashions are one of the highlights of the Web site with its photos of pets modeling the practical (an absorbent towel), the interesting (a waterproof dog collar), and the fancy (a gold rhinestone trench coat). Details on the cost and where to find the items are helpful, and the price ranges cover every economic bracket from the affordable raincoat at Wal-Mart for $6.97 – $9.97 to the more expensive camo base coat at Paw Palace Online for $42.99.

Don’t forget this Web site is from People magazine. Those familiar with the magazine will enjoy “Today’s Walk of Fame,” which is like Star Tracks only all the celebrity spottings include their furry friends.

While the majority of the Web site is devoted to celebrities and pets, there’s also photos of real-life pets, behind-the-scenes footage of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and even videos of foxes jumping on a trampoline.

Written in a loose, informal tone, People Pets is also very user-friendly. You can post comments, enter a caption contest for funny pet pictures, and upload cute pictures of your own pet.

So even if you won’t ever be on the same Web site as Paris Hilton, who knows? Maybe your pooch will have its picture next to Hilton’s Tinkerbell.

Thursday February 12 started the 18th season of CBS’s Survivor.  The 16 new contestants take a flatbed truck into the middle of the Brazilian desert where reliable host Jeff Probst announces that on one side of the truck sits team Timbira and on the other side is team Jalapao.

The Two Tribes:

Timbira Tribe – Coach (Benjamin Wade from MO, soccer coach), Candace (attorney from OH), Tyson (cyclist from Utah), Brendan (entrepreneur from NY), Debbie (Debra Beebee a principal from AL), Sierra (model from CA), Jerry (Army Sergeant from SC) and Erinn (hairstylist from WI).

Jalapao Tribe – Sandy (bus driver from KY), Carolina (bartender from CA), JT (rancher from AL), Joe (real estate agent from TX), Taj (former pop star from TN), Sydney (another model from NC), Stephen (consultant from NY) and Spencer (the youngest on the show is a student from FL).

The Survivors have one minute to collect as much stuff off the truck as possible. Each team makes their own pile but one team forgets a key item – water. With temperatures already past 100 degrees Jeff announces they must carry their supplies on a 4 hour trek to camp.  All team members must do this except one. The first vote-out of the game happens now and is based solely on first impressions. Jalapao votes for Sandy due to her age. Team Timbira vote Sierra seemingly because she’s the weakest (she later confesses she has strep and is on antibiotics).  Next, Jeff fills everyone in on the fact that these contestants aren’t actually voted out and will receive a helicopter ride to camp. 

Once the outcasts arrive at their sites there’s a message stating they can either start building shelter for their team and try to convince them they aren’t as worthless as they appear OR they can use a clue and start their hunt for the immunity idol hidden some where nearby. Sierra builds camp and is highly successful, getting most of it together before dark and before her team arrives.  Sandy decides to look out for number 1 and hunts for the idol, but doesn’t understand the phrasing of the clue. The words that confuse her…”Ten paces” and “single palm tree.” Sandy doesn’t know what a “pace” is and searches for the idol near trees that look nothing like Palm Trees.

Once Jalapao arrive at camp they express their let down at no shelter.  Tribe Timbira is thrilled at Sierra’s hard work to get most of the camp set up.  The next day, Survivor Tyson decides to shed his undies and help collect water from the river.  He later confesses to the camera “I’m probably not the stereotypical Mormon.”

Challenge number one is a reward and immunity challenge.  Six Survivors race across sand hills into the water to retrieve a raft with puzzle planks on it.  Once all six members are at the raft they can untie it and bring it to the shore where the two remaining teammates will assemble the planks to create steps.  Once assembled everyone must climb to the top and any two people can come together to finish a table maze, which will release a flag to win.  The two outcasts, Sandy and Sierra, take control and lead their individual teams in solving the staircase puzzle.  Sandy and teammate Taj of Jalapao finish their staircase first giving them a substantial lead over Timbira.  But when Timbira finishes their staircase the other team still hasn’t finished their table maze and in the end Erinn and Brendan speed through their table maze and Timbira wins the first challenge.

At camp the Jalapao tribe talks about their upcoming tribal council. The most obvious person to vote for is Sandy, but some teammates realize her contributions to the days challenge and are already tired of another tribe mate, Carolina and her overly vocal views on every single aspect of camp life.  At tribal council, Sandy in singled out, but the spotlight moves to Carolina too.  Once the votes are cast it is the overly opinionated Carolina who is the first to be voted out of Survivor Tocantins.

This first episode didn’t reveal a lot about the personalities for this season, it was more down to business than usual. But I have a feeling more and more will be revealed pretty quickly this season. So until next time…

Sexy siren Salma Hayek married her beau, Francois-Henri Pinault in a small, intimate affair in Paris on Valentine’s Day.

If not for three small things about Hayek, I could really like her:

(1) She’s beautiful — and in the true sense, not just the “Man, she’s hot!” kind of beauty (although she really IS hot);

(2) She’s successful, as is evident by her 2003 nomination for her portrayal as painter Frida Kahlo in “Frida,” her ‘day job’ as an executive producer for one of ABCs gems, “Ugly Betty” AND her recurring role on the NBC hit series “30 Rock.”

And the third and final reason: she no slummer: her new husband is a VERY wealthy entrepreneur with business interests in high-profile brands like Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Puma.

Yep. I really hate her. But in the spirit of true sisterhood, here’s my own special shout out: Live long, love longer. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs Pinault!

Oscar night is fast approaching – this Sunday – to be exact. Will it be a victory for “Slumdog” or “Benjamin Button?” Which tough guy will win: Mickey or Sean? Which of our best actresses of today is it going to be: Kate or Meryl?

If you don’t have your scorecards filled out yet, here’s Positively Celebrity’s guide to help you out because we’re predicting who’s going to walk away a winner and who we think should really be one.

Best Picture

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

“Frost/Nixon”

“Milk”

“The Reader”

“Slumdog Millionaire”

Should and will win: With its nearly unstoppable wins at the Golden Globes, SAG, BAFTA and guild awards, look for “Slumdog Millionaire” to take home the biggest prize come Oscar night and deservedly so. This vibrant, inspirational, romantic, and energetic film will leave you feeling like a millionaire long after you leave the theater.

Best Actor

Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”

Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”

Sean Penn, “Milk”

Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Should Win:  Langella has already won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Richard Nixon, and he deserves an Oscar too. He pulls off the enormous task of encapsulating the former president’s mannerisms and voice without coming off as a caricature. Just as challenging, he also makes the audience feel empathy for a man who went down in history cast off as a crook.

Will Win: This is close. It very well could be Penn, but I’ll give the edge to Rourke. Academy members love a comeback story and both Rourke and his character are the comeback kids of the year. He also showed us he’s got what it takes physically and emotionally by playing an emotionally complex wrestler with a heart.

Best Actress

Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”

Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”

Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”

Meryl Streep, “Doubt”

Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Should and will win: Winslet for her intricate, dark turn as a tram conductor-turned-Nazi prison guard. She gave heart and emotion to a remorseless woman who was involved in Nazi war crimes and seduced a teenager. It doesn’t hurt either that she’s been racking up awards left and right this season, has five previous Oscar nominations, and stars in a film with the Academy-favorite topic of the Holocaust.

Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin, “Milk”

Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”

Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”

Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”

Should and will win: Ledger for his dynamic, groundbreaking, and humorously creepy performance as the Joker. He stole the show from Batman by keeping our eyes glued to him whenever his chaos-loving sociopath came on screen. Unlike Jack Nicholson’s previous mediocre Joker, Ledger, with his smeared clown make-up, truly made for one darkly twisted clown.

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, “Doubt”

Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Viola Davis, “Doubt”

Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”

Should win: Even though she was only in two scenes, Davis managed to bring a whole movie’s worth of character backstory, emotions, and desires into those few precious moments on screen. Plus, she more than held her own against heavyweight Meryl Streep, which is alone no easy task.

Will win: Now with Winslet out of the running (the Academy chose to nominate her in the leading category instead), Cruz will most likely win for her domineering, vivacious turn as an emotionally unstable, eccentric ex-wife. She also won a BAFTA Award last week, which is a good sign she might win at the Oscars.

Best Director

Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”

Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”

David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”

Gus Van Sant, “Milk”

Should and will win: Boyle for delivering the beautifully crafted “Slumdog Millionaire.” He delivered intricate chase scenes, oversaw soaring camera shots over Mumbai, and brought out emotional performances from his young – and even younger, untrained – actors.

There are some Woody Allen movies that are so good, you can’t think of anything more endearing (Crimes & Misdemeanors, Annie Hall, Match Point, even Scoop). Unfortunately, there are also some that miss the mark so completely that you can‘t think of anything more frustrating (Deconstructing Harry, Celebrity, and his latest flop, Vicky Cristina Barcelona).

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is only mildly entertaining despite standout performances from Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. The story sets up a love triangle by placing its protagonists, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) in Barcelona for the summer. Vicky is engaged to another American named Doug.

After meeting a Spanish painter named Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), Vicky is unimpressed initially and further annoyed that her friend, Cristina, is swept away by his (not so) alluring charm. This soon changes after they spend a night out together and conclude the night making love. Vicky acknowledges the night as a mistake, but can’t stop thinking about Juan Antonio. The feeling is reciprocal, but Juan Antonio begins dating Christina because she is the ‘sure thing.’ To make matters more complex, Allen introduces his first love interest, Maria Elena (Penelope Cruz) into the proceedings, resulting in a three way love affair between her, Cristina, and Juan Antonio.

Maria Elena is just a little off her rocker. She attempts to kill herself unsuccessfully, before coming to stay with Juan Antonio (who by this time is living with his main squeeze, Cristina). A combustible situation like this can only last so long before blowing up and it does in a not so hilarious fashion.

The conclusion of this movie is so unsatisfying that I can’t put it into words. Also, I would have hated seeing this in the theater because the subtitles go by so fast that you can’t follow the Spanish being said. One of the best parts of the movie was Juan Antonio’s insistence that Maria Elena please speak English while staying in his house. That is about the only time I was sincerely amused. Oh well, Woody, I guess you can’t hit ‘em out the park every time.

There’s a lot more to wrestlers than their crazy super hero names, shiny neon-colored tights and over-bulged muscles. Or at least there is to Randy the Ram Robinson, the emotionally complex “Wrestler.”

Randy’s a past-his-prime wrestler who hasn’t moved on. He visits the hair salon to maintain his shoulder length long blonde hair, basks in the fluorescent light of tanning beds to keep up his golden tan, and continues pulling on those neon green tights to keep going back in the ring. Just as the little plastic Randy the Ram action figure representing his glamorous alter ego doesn’t fit in with the old beat-up van that makes do as his home when he doesn’t make the payment on his trailer, Randy doesn’t fit into the real world. 

The only world he knows and loves is wrestling. While the matches are all coordinated in advance down to each minute step, it doesn’t mean the fighting’s not real – or brutal making for a few very hard-to-watch scenes. One sequence in particular involving staples and barbed wire is not for the faint of heart. Then again it turns out to be too much for Randy too who has a heart attack that forces him to give up wrestling.

At this point the film becomes more interesting and complex because we’re brought more into Randy’s life. We see he lives alone in a messy, out-dated trailer where he plops into his bed with his clothes on and places his hearing aides on the nightstand. His only entertainment is playing wrestling video games staring his own alter ego on the old-school Nintendo system from the ‘90s with the neighbor kid.

The only people in his life he cares about are the luke-warm stripper he tries to befriend and his long-lost daughter. He’s come to know Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) from frequenting the strip club she works at, but she never quite warms up to him all the way. She distances herself not wanting to date a customer, but they’re brought together because Cassidy is past her prime too. She wants to move on to a better life with her young son but is stuck in the strip club being passed over for the much younger girls. “’90s suck!” they shout while dancing over the more familiar ‘80s music of their glory days.

One who has a harder time warming up is his daughter Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). They have the potential to make up and start new again – beautifully symbolized by them strolling through the old, torn-down buildings along the New Jersey shoreline they used to visit years ago. It’s a little hard to fully understand their relationship, however, because the film doesn’t go into their background. Why hasn’t he been around her so long? What did he do to hurt her so badly? In a poignant and sorrowful scene, he tells her he’s “a broken-down piece of meat” and doesn’t deserve her. But why?

Eventually, his self-destructive ways give in and he ends up hurting Cassidy and Stephanie once he starts connecting with them. Is that just the way he is – a narcissist who’s just absorbed in his own little world of wrestling? Or was he pushed there to his isolated world by the apathetic people around him that don’t reciprocate his feelings?

After all, we do see how he gets pushed to the breaking point from a series of rude customers at the deli he must work at to make ends meet after he had to quit wrestling. At first Randy doesn’t seem like he’s going to acclimate to his new deduced job. Depicted very cleverly, the camera tracks Randy from behind as he walks down the hall to the deli amid the familiar sounds of the roars and cheers of the wrestling crowd as he’s about to enter a match. Just as he would rip the curtain open to step into the match, he rips open the curtain into the deli – only now the rooting and cheering abruptly stops. This is Randy’s new life whether he likes it or not.

To much surprise, Randy does come to like it. He’s cutely content calling off the numbers of the customers waiting in queue, serving up their half pounds of potato salad and pieces of chicken breast, and making friendly, cheeky conversations with his customers. Yet, just as his wrestling days came to a halt, so did his deli days because of a couple of annoying, cluelessly rude customers who pushed him to his limits.

On the one hand, we want to tell Randy to grow up and to move on. Especially, in the sad scene where he gathers with some other washed up D-List celebrities in a local community building to sign autographs for a few sole fans, sell worthless memorabilia, to snap pictures with fans on junky Polaroid cameras.

But then again, Randy’s only happy wrestling and his life revolves around it. In fact, for much of the film’s opening the camera tracks Randy from behind as if his whole life is a lead-up into a match. And why shouldn’t it be? Life just rejects him, and he’s forced to just reject it right back. Even when people call him Robin, his real name, he adamantly rejects it by taking on the new name he gave himself for the wrestling world. It’s a constant tug of war between the real world rejecting him and him rejecting the real world. But, as he tells Cassidy, the only place he gets hurt is outside of the ring. So “The Wrestler” tells us that basically you’re on your own in this world so just do what makes you happy.

Pearl Jam will be releasing its ninth studio album sometime in the fall, reports Rolling Stone magazine. They plan to release the LP on their own in the U.S., without a label. The album, which is yet untitled, finds them reuniting with producer Brendan O’Brien, whom they haven’t worked with since 1998’s “Yield.”

Frontman Eddie Vedder is excited about the new record: “The new record feels good so far – really strong and up-tempo, stuff we can sink our teeth into.” The band has indicated a shift toward short, fast tunes – citing Guided by Voices as an inspiration – but also indicated that some things simply stay the same. “There’s plenty of ballads, too,” says guitarist Stone Gossard.

The LP finds the band rehearsing together for the first time collectively instead of hitting the studio with a handful of ideas. Adds bassist Jeff Ament, “There’s a couple of great things that Ed brought in that could be real departures for us. Whatever wave Ed caught with Into the Wild has taken him to different places.”

In short, expect another stellar album from America’s preeminent rock band.