Love the cover art and I'll definitely be getting this next Tuesday. It was annoying that the writer kept writing The Saboteurs when it should have been The Raconteurs. Not just once, but twice...where was his proofreader? Doesn't anybody fact-check anymore before publishing? For Jack White fans in the NYC area, Jack White will be appearing next Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the New York Public Library as part of the Live from the NYPL event on the occasion of the release of "The Rise and Fall of Paramount Records". Greil Marcus will also be part of the program. Tickets go on-sale today. http://jackwhiteiii.com/news/

Haven't had a chance to hear anything from the new album other than the lead single. Haven't watched SNL in ages either...I hear there's a new cast of unfunny white people that Lorne Michaels has chosen...I'll have to catch the Gaga bits on YouTube as I'll be at an Edgar Wright thing that night.

For some reason I thought I was 6-8 or worse. I've been immersed in the AFI Fest all week so I haven't had time to pay much attention to football. When I briefly checked the scores Sunday on my phone and saw GB and Indy and SF and Tennessee losing, I just assumed I was heading for a disastrous week.

Absolutely. It beggars belief that the setlist is even in question at this late date. I mean, it's listed on this very website for crying out loud.

At last, it is the final day of the AFI Fest and my last screenings of the week. A wrap-up of the good, the bad and the ugly is forthcoming.

How in the hell am I still in first place after the dismal last two weeks I've had? My Week 11 picks: Indianapolis Buffalo Chicago Cincinnati Philadelphia Detroit Atlanta Arizona Houston San Diego New Orleans NY Giants Seattle Denver New England

I know you were asking Juliet, ebk, but I had the same reaction as you to "Last Vegas". Much like "The Counselor" and "The Family", the cast gave one hope for something better than what was actually delivered. Count me as one who has always had a soft spot for Mary Steenburgen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpBETvNqHvQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h6SRrn7NA0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

A heartbreaking work of staggering genius. Gina Rowlands and Peter Falk are mint.

It's too early to whoop it up. If they do it in April-May, then yes. Sorry we were so inhospitable to your Canucks over the weekend...Rick's Sabres had a similar lousy visit to Southern California, hehe. Puhhhlease. It was nice hosting your Sabres. Hope they enjoyed their stay in Southern California. Please come back again soon.

Been eating like a bear lately. Since I'm spending most of the day in a movie theatre for seven days straight, I don't want to load myself down with chocolate and junk food and sodas. It's fruits, nuts, berries, and carrots all week. And water, water, water. With an occasional coffee or tea.

How does a football nut such as yourself forget about Monday Night Football?!? I'm glad I was too busy with the AFI Fest to watch any football and thus spared the aggravation of seeing my picks go down in flames. Seems as if Seattle, Denver, and the Who Dats are the only teams to be trusted this season...maybe add New England to the list. You certainly cannot say the same about San Francisco, Green Bay, and Indianapolis. And how about both Jacksonville and Tampa Bay getting off the schneid the same week and ruining Paul's dream of seeing two teams go 0-16. Weird, man.

"The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month..." While Veterans Day is now an occasion to mark and remember the sacrifices of all veterans, its original purpose was to mark Armistice Day and the end of The Great War: World War One. In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the countrys service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations" The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11:00 a.m. The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words: Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holidaya day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as "Armistice Day." Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nations history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in its place the word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars. http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp All wars are hell, but World War I was particularly savage and brutal...and in the long run, futile and egregiously all for naught. As "The war to end all wars" did nothing of the sort and in fact, sowed the seeds for World War II. So, on this Veterans Day one year before the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of The Great War in 1914, I would like to focus on some very valuable reading on WW I. I'm sure most of us have already read Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front", John Keegan's "History of the Great War", and Barbara Tuchman's "Guns of August" and "The Proud Tower", as they are standard texts required in most history and/or literature courses in school. If you haven't read any of the above, they are essential reading if you have any interest in this history. But I would also like to point your attention to some other fine books on World War I. "The Hazy Red Hell: Fighting Experiences on the Western Front 1914-18" by Tom Donovan "The Somme: The Darkest Hour on the Western Front" by Peter Hart "1914-1918: History of the First World War" by David Stevenson "To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918" by Adam Hochschild "Gallipoli" by L. A. Carlyon "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914" by Christopher Clark "The First World War: Germany and Austria-Hungary" by H.H. Herwig "The Great War and Modern Memory" by Paul Fussell For a more literature-type take on the War, British author Pat Barker's "Regeneration Trilogy", published in the 1990s is one that can stand proudly alongside "All Quiet On the Western Front". Also, "Good-bye to All That" by Robert Graves and "Three Soldiers" by John Dos Passos and "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway. There are other good ones of course, but this is a good starting list.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ttdRp39fH8&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Big puddle of meh. I haven't really liked a Luc Besson film since "Leon the Professional". His style is sloppy, all over the place. The cast is okay with the material they're given and it's been a while since I've seen Michelle Pfieffer in anything. But the joke of Robert De Niro taking the piss on his Goodfellas/Godfather past is long past its due date. That dog don't hunt no more. Not worth seeing in a theatre...it's one you can wait to see on cable if you're a De Niro completist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKl_ILjFQgs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Long-Awaited (by me, at least) Return of Mazzy Star Last night I saw the exquisite Mazzy Star. There is a long and winding history to this band, which has roots in the Los Angeles Paisley Underground scene of the 80s (Rain Parade, Dream Syndicate, etc.), but I won't bore you with that unless you ask me specifically for the background. Suffice to say: I loved them back when they first arrived out of the ashes of the equally haunting Opal in the late-80s, I kept loving Hope Sandoval through her subsequent solo albums, and I am ecstatic to have Mazzy Star back, after a 17-year hiatus, with a new album, "Seasons of Your Day". Their music is like a slow burn...moody and bluesy-psychedelic and very still in spots, almost glacial. Like the Rolling Stones' "Sister Morphine" and "Wild Horses". As I have joked before, it's the auditory equivalent to the smacked-out bliss of heroin...without the dangerous side-effects. There are very few bands out there currently that can do this type of music well. For one thing, you need a vocalist with hypnotic pipes and presence...as Hope Sandoval does. Her way with a tambourine is the stuff of opium dreams...and she will hypnotize you on the xylophone and glockenspiel, too. My favourite song on the new album is probably "Does Someone Have Your Baby Now?" and it was a mesmerizing part of the concert last night: Followed shortly after by "Into Dust", which is from their earlier album "So Tonight I Might See": Which is also the album that features the song most people know Mazzy Star from, "Fade Into You"...this is a fantastic song to slow-dance to!: The entire new album picks up right where Mazzy Star left off in 1996...they have a 'sound' that works and they know not to mess with it or update it like so many other bands that get back together try to attempt. The great Bert Jansch (influence on many guitarists, including Jimmy Page) plays on the song "Spoon", and My Bloody Valentine's drummer Colm also appears on some tracks (having been the drummer for Hope's solo band 'The Warm Inventions'). http://youtu.be/MF1E2EAbvcs Mazzy Star just began a North American tour and hopefully, they are headed to a town near you. If you like what you hear, I cannot urge you strongly enough to make any attempt you can to see them live in concert. It will be one of the most serenely transplendent concerts you will experience. MAZZY STAR 2013 TOUR 11-03 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom 11-04 Seattle, WA - Neptune 11-06 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre 11-07 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern 11-10 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre 11-12 Minneapolis, MN - Mill City Nights 11-13 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre 11-15 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre 11-16 Toronto, Ontario - Danforth Music Hall 11-17 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda 11-19 Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club 11-20 New York, NY - Terminal 5 11-22 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer 11-23 Silver Spring, MD - The Fillmore

And so it begins... Each morning of the AFI Film Fest I hope to post the trailers(if they exist) of the films I will be seeing on that particular day. I have already heard from someone who had raves about India's film "The Lunchbox", and it looks like there's a window in my schedule where I can fit it in...either on Sunday or Wednesday. Today's films: Pickpocket An Evening with David O. Russell Big Bad Wolves

Lose. Seriously, "get to the playoffs"? Maybe if they were in the East, but the West is too deep.

Exquisite smacked-out bliss... http://youtu.be/MF1E2EAbvcs

Spotted this cool Led Zeppelin t-shirt at the Mazzy Star concert tonight...a design I've never seen before.