The Useless Critic 2.0

As Rebecca waxed earlier, the first signs of fall are upon us. The cloudscapes are gloomier; the air is colder; STARBUCKS UNVEILS THEIR NEW FALL LINE-UP. TV shows begin again, streets are quiet in the afternoon, so forth. there are certain kinds of music that put me in the mood for the fall season. I like relaxing music; I like the sort of music you could study or take a nap to. well maybe not like, a full nap, but an afternoon siesta deal. and why Starbucks has not jumped on Sam and Ruby, I will never know completely! they're this acoustic soul duo straight out of the American south (Nashville, to be specific!). and they were perfect for long, lazy summer days but now they're great for doing whatever it is we do in the fall. pick pumpkins? get ready to hibernate? IDK. their voices gently coincide and work off each other in an easygoing way. it's just some of the most beautiful, peaceful, real music I've fallen upon lately. If you like (shudder) John Mayer or Jack Johns...

watch SOME VELVET MORNING, which is pretty trippy . and as is the video. Before there was Zooey and Matt or Dean and Britta or any of those other cute male-female duos that occupy important spaces in mainstream music (I guess it's arguable about that last pair), there was Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood . I feel it's criminal I overlooked them until my 20 th year of existence, when I listened to one of their albums on a whim after getting a job at my local zoo. It was a rainy May; I was stuck in the basement; the album was totally streamable on last. fm . (not so anymore!) This is a pair that's as American as baseball or apple pies. Kids should listen to their catalog in elementary school, along with the music of Woody Guthrie, Ke $ha and the Gershwins . If my parents had been more into music, I wish they would have made me listen to them as a small child. I think I would have loved Nancy and Lee as a toddler, as a kid, as an adolescent. Their music conjures up thoughts ...

Abracadabra, this week’s spotlight/ shoutout is a dual honor, and it goes to Emily Perkins and Katie Isabelle (her friends call her Katie, and I have declared myself a BFF.) Oh and in the pic Katie I is on the left and Emily P is on the right. You might recognize these two as the ugly stepsisters from “Another Cinderella Story.” BUT!!!! Before that they starred together in the “Ginger Snaps” trilogy. And the reason they earn this weeks’ S/S is because “Ginger Snaps” is awesome! No joke. It is a well-done low budget horror film, that isn’t sold on a bunch of dumb slutty girls dying and mindless, senseless gore. I am just glad to know that those still exist out there. It should be in select video stores or even possibly online. “Ginger Snaps” has action, adventure, mysticism, teen angst, comedy, drama, suspense, and possibly other qualities. Now GS 2 and GS: Ginger Snaps Back, are not so hot. But they were worth watching. Katie Isabelle also appeared in “Freddy vs. Jason,” which was okay...