Going back to the disc
I am one of the many who, when Netflix split the fees for streaming from those for DVD rentals, decided to go streaming-only. When I’d had both, the sixth disk for the first season of Glee languished by my tv set for months. It would probably still be there if they hadn’t threatened to make … Continue reading
Where have all the Muppets gone?
There’s something so sincere about Muppets. Though made of felt in Crayola colors, they seem to radiate something more human than the human. A stringy ear shake from Sesame Street’s Barkley, a gentle spindly-frog-armed gesture from Kermit, a huffy contraction of the snout from Piggy –these non-verbal cues were so expressive and meaningful and alive. The … Continue reading
Holiday party food and foibles: grown-up edition
Sometimes I forget that I’m a grownup. I still feel like I’m only 21. Every now and then, something will remind me that I’m no longer the target audience for Ke$ha’s music. This week I had drinks with someone born in 1990. I get cranky about the music that’s popular—why is it all club music? … Continue reading
December 5-9, 2011
Nothing sours you on Christmas music faster than working in retail. But for the second year, Mike Vincent does some digging and gives you a Christmas mix that will break those stale, repetitive Christmas music blahs. Read “The war against Christmas music, part 2”
In line with his general contrary nature, Mike Vincent’s end-of-the-year wishlist starts off with some music and a video game, but quickly spins out into items of a less material nature. Read Mike’s “Dysphonia wishlist”
It’s hard to justify spending $60 on new release video games. With a bit of patience, you can get the same game for half the price or better, and use the money you save for important things like more video games. Still, especially as online play becomes more important, there are concrete downsides to waiting. New columnist Maurice Pogue helps you sort it out in “Buying ain’t what it used to be”
Rosemary Van Deuren’s second installment of “Peeps to Watch Out For” talks to four very different and very talented artists working in book and graphic novel illustration, animation design, and more. Read “Kassandra Heller, Eric Orchard, Rebecca Dart, Alexis Barattin”
The Idler’s orgy of end-of-the-year materialism continues in Ana Holguin’s “PopHeart wishlist”
The Gamers’ Club is playing EarthBound. Read “The end is the beginning is the end” by Daniel J. Hogan
As the end of the year approaches, many of us are shopping for gifts for loved ones. And ourselves. Over the next couple of weeks, Idler writers will be sharing their gift suggestions (and wishlists). Get started with Kate Sloan in “Practically awesome” and Lindsey Malta’s “Thoughtcicles wishlist”
In the first in an occasional series on comfort food, Gavin Craig takes on macaroni and cheese. “Adult” versions are starting to show up in respectable (or pretentious) restaurants, but Gavin shares a recipe that passes muster with the toughest mac & cheese critics he knows: his daughters. Read “Mac and cheese”
The war against Christmas music, part 2
In all the time that I worked in a record store there was generally one genre of music that we never really looked forward to playing: Christmas Music. Well, that isn’t really true. There were lots of things we never looked forward to playing and rarely did, but Christmas music always felt like such a … Continue reading
Buying ain’t what it used to be
I’m sitting in the chair as Marcus, one of the students at Barber College of Lansing, finishes my cut. Gotta keep that lineup tight! “Check twenty-three” he says, still chuckling to himself while still processing his mistake. Two weeks ago, we were discussing video games and he was going on about Ninja Gaiden Three on … Continue reading
Kassandra Heller, Eric Orchard, Rebecca Dart, Alexis Barattin
Peeps to watch out for is a look at some of the next generation of up-and-coming creative people in the arts. For this installment, I’ve selected four very different and very, very talented artists working in book and graphic novel illustration, animation design, and more. With an emphasis on 2D illustration, these artists started out … Continue reading
