Pop Picks: The hottest trends from the pop-o-sphere
ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Todd Sickafoose
In "Tiny Resistors," Sickafoose has created a musical document that weds the indie-rock aesthetic to jazz practices with seamless pleasure. Pop advantages such as genial melody and rich texture abound. But at the same time the long-form compositions are challenging and give the players chances to improvise with personality. This new disc is a statement of purpose and a call to young listeners. Come ye young people and dig some jazz! It's the real thing: true independent music, with daring and rhythm and guts and melody. - Will Layman
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: "The Dark Knight" makes $300 million
It only took 10 days - a stunning accomplishment. It took "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" 16 day; overly-hyped third "Star Wars" prequel "Revenge of the Sith" 17 days; even "Spider-Man 3" had to wait 19 days to pull in such scratch. But the superhero phenomenon which is "The Dark Knight" crossed over the $300 million mark this weekend, cementing the film's place as 2008's biggest cinematic story. No one could have predicted such a response, especially for a 150-minute drama that's more serious than spectacle. - Bill Gibron
LISTEN
Wale: "The Mixtape About Nothing"
"The Mixtape About Nothing," the latest release from D.C. lyrical prodigy Wale, is simultaneously beautifully crafted irony and the genuine mental struggles of a man who proves every theory Freud has ever penned. A record born of the racial controversy surrounding Michael Richards' comedy club meltdown and Wale's love of Richards' cash cow "Seinfeld," "The Mixtape About Nothing" is a detailed, informed, and humanistically real-world discussion of U.S. race relations as well as Wale's inability to find a place in contemporary hip-hop. - Chris Gaerig
WATCH
"Spaced: The Complete Series" (DVD)
There's something genuinely frightening about "Spaced," the cult UK television series. It's frightening because even though it debuted almost ten years ago, dotted with pop culture references that range from "The Matrix" to "The Phantom Menace" and more, it still feels uncannily relevant. The show is loaded with director Wright's signature kinetic flair, and the characters - as stereotypical as they may sometimes be - arrive fully-formed from the get-go, making this 14-episode show as close to flawless as humanly possible. This is truly comic perfection. - Evan Sawdey
READ
"Distracted: The Erosion of Attention and the Coming Dark Age" by Maggie Jackson
As I'm sipping coffee, checking my e-mail, and absentmindedly picking a hangnail, I realize full well the irony of writing this review on Maggie Jackson's new book, "Distracted." In fact, I found myself repeatedly put to shame as Jackson outlined nearly every conceivable form of modern distraction, ranging in severity from rather harmless Web-surfing to life-consuming virtual love, making my multitasking and bored Internet meanderings seem more sinful than eating a fried Oreo. Is my inability to focus on one task at a time contributing to the Western world's gradual descent into a medieval stupor? - Rachel Smucker
PLAY
"Final Fantasy XIII" coming to Xbox 360
This, folks, is a headshot. A game long assumed to be one of Sony's last and most desirable exclusives is going to the Xbox. Maybe I'm so thrilled about this because, well, I don't exactly have a PlayStation 3 and I've been an uncurable "Final Fantasy" addict since "IV" blew my mind so many years ago, but this is just huge news for anyone who picked Microsoft in the ongoing console wars. Of all the E3 announcements this year, nothing left my jaw on the floor longer than this. - Mike Schiller
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