While I’m usually happy as a pea in pod to share some of my favorite upcoming films every weekend, there comes a time that an entire weekend or evening must be put aside for special screenings. These festival screenings of films separate those who are merely interested in showcase from the die hard film geeks. It is for the latter’s sake that I simply must post this notice, lest they miss another film fest. While each one of these festivals warrants their own blog posts, for now please mark your calendars.
- 2007 St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase (presented by Cinema St. Louis)
July 21-26, 2007 @ the Tivoli Theater, Centene Center for Arts & Education, and Blueberry Hill (check schedule for show times)This seventh annual showcase of local films of national quality features a special compilation screening of “This is Lo-Fi Saint Louis”, including a discussion of videography and blogging with Bill Streeter. In fact most films in the showcase will feature a Q&A with their creators, all of whom are supposed to have strong ties to the area and many for whom this screening might be the only one of their works. That alone can justify the $10 ticket price (or $8 for students), which are available ONLY through the Tivoli Theater’s box office in advance, and on a first-come, first-serve basis during the festival (no internet or phone sales).
Happy Thoreau day. 190 years ago today David Henry Thoreau (later changed to Henry David) was born.
Now log off and go simplify. Post your T-Day exploits in the comments and a prize will be awarded to the best one.
This week’s song comes through one of my favorite (and one of the best) music blogs out there now, Stereogum. so I can take no credit for finding it. Hopefully, though, if you aren’t already an SG reader, you will be now and I can take credit for turning you on to a great site.
The song of the week is Built To Spill’s cover of the Gladiator’s ‘Rearrange’.
Update: The link is now here.
Why did I choose a song from a well-known band hosted by a well-known site? Well, I have a bit of a history with this song. I first heard it when I saw Built To Spill at the Polish National Home in Brooklyn last winter. I loved the song and someone told me it was a cover, so I scoured New York to find a Gladiators album with the song on it. I finally found it, and loved the collection of tunes I bought, but I longed for a recording of the cover. Finally, today when I checked Steregoum, there it was.
So now you can enjoy the song without paying $20 to see the band. Without enduring a string of subway closures to get home at two in the morning, and without spending several weekends hunting through obscure record shops’ bargain bins to find what you so desperately crave.
Enjoy.
Because sometimes console gaming is just a little too solitary, why not meet other local gamers at the No-Frills LAN party? Our friends @ Warfactory (the same folks behind the annual LANetarium at the Science Center) are planning another LAN party, this time a bit more focused playing with friends instead of competition ladder tournaments. For those of you who still consider computer gamers to be for the socially maladjusted, here comes another chance to prove your prejudice wrong. According to the Warfactory website:
So what does this mean? Basically, we organize everything for you and give you a great place to LAN with all our equipment (including our fancy new core switch!) and we join you for a day of fun.
The best part … IT’S TOTALLY FREE!!!!!. To ensure that you’ll have a seat, however, we are accepting a $5 payment to “payments@warfactory.net” which we will refund or give you credit at the LAN for pizza/drinks.
So here’s your chance to pwn some n00bz and frag yr friends (as they say). It’ll all go down at the Banwidth Exchange Building in downtown St. Louis this August 18th, 2k7 edition. Just bring your computer and add Bawls…
I love France, French, Français. When I visit big cities I can find Little Italy with ease or pass by Chinatown without a thought. Russian, Romanian, German, Dutch…it seems that the only city that has a decent French Quarter is the one and only Big Easy. Now, don’t get me wrong, we’ve got a rich French history here in the old Louis IX’s namesake city. I guess what I’m missing is the culture, the people…the opportunity to practice my French. I’d take residence in a true “Little France” area of town in an instant.
But maybe I’ve got hope this weekend in St. Louis’ Soulard district. Bastille Day* is on its way, complete with events all weekend set to project you into that angry French mob you’ve always wanted to be a part of. Off with his head!
Here’s the rundown from stlcamp.org:
21st ANNUAL SOULARD BASTILLE DAYS FESTIVAL
JULY 13TH - 15TH, 2007
FRIDAY, JULY 13TH
6:00 pm A farewell gathering at the corner of Russell and Menard for Queen Marie Antoinette & King Louis. Gather at Joanie’s, Johnny’s or The Bastille to send the King and Queen off to their dreaded fate. (more…)
It’s no secret that Highway 61 blog has its share of gamers in its staff, in fact we’ve used the power of the internet to hook up our neighbors with a Wii on at least one occasion. We don’t know if you’ve been following the news coverage of E3 this week, but here are a few good sources to follow every keynote speech and announcement. You know, because the News Channel on your Wii has an editorial pro-Nintendo bias 
One announcement in particular caught my attention, in part because it is hardly game related: Nintendo unveiled the “Check Mii Out” channel for the Wii. As a kind of avatar version on Hot or Not, this channel will give us yet another chance to show off our celebrity look alike Miis. Of course if you can’t wait to trade celebrity Miis, we’re definitely open to making some new friends or at least virtual semblances of Albert Pujols for playing Baseball. There’s no reason why Wii can’t be friends…you’re not a Wiitard, it’s all in the mind.
“Can you write some advice to an aspiring journalist?”
“Is that you?”
“Yeah. I’m in broadcasting.”
With a grin, he immediately hunched over my copy of Chuck Klosterman IV, writing frantically with his black sharpie. I wondered if it would bleed through the thin pages.
I think his words are going to push me through Broadcast II next semester when I’m feeling despondent and need to hear something encouraging. Thanks Chuck, you’ve already made my semester.
We think we owe you a drink, so instead of the coffee we usually serve ya on Sunday, we thought we’d mix it up a little. Tonight we’re serving up a martini special, in varieties of vodka, gin, and link based flavor.
- We were really sad to see the kids over @ Urban Studio “Adventure in Media” class end. Their blog offered a glimpse of the future of new media, and we half expected them to start replacing us by posting their media projects at the end of class.
- Speaking of what’s news in Old North, we’re sure you’ve already heard the big news about Blairmont. Not that we wouldn’t like $100 million put towards redevelopment (just ask poor Michael Allen), but we think it’s disingenuous for people to call it a waste of money. Last time we checked, St. Louis has a massive development sitting on a known floodplain.
- It’s good to know the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center’s website is back. It’s also good to know Black Bear Bakery has a website. Just saying….
- Pssst…actual coffee links
- We would’ve been suprised that the Iron Barely has been named “best (american) homestyle comfort food” in St. Louis, but we think it’s one of town’s best kept secrets. And while we heard about it from friends, we’d like to thank the readers of Sauce Magazine for letting the cat out of the bag.
Resume adult swim! Although I don’t really keep a Saturday morning ritual like I did when I was just a youngin’, I found myself watching cartoons this morning. Star Clipper’s blog got me started, with a post about The Simpsons movie site. And while I won’t join the arguement over which season was the last good one, I will thank them for for tipping me off to the Simpsons avatar generator. I’ve been parading my Simpson’s charecter around Moe’s tavern, as if it wasn’t so much watching a cartoon as making a cartoon.
As for the clip above, I couldn’t help but think “Have the blues ‘done left this town?” until I saw Bender dancing to Louie Armstrong’s cover of “St. Louis Blues”. If you don’t like it, you can bite my shiny metal ass!
Congratulations to the lucky winner of a physical copy of the mixtape (see above video for results). Thanks again to everyone who tried out our “Summer in the City” mixtape for the past two weeks. By now the tape should have taken you well into summer, so stay tuned to our Last.fm group for another mixtape coming out in the next couple of weeks.
