Media Nugget

The Distinguished Gentleman

Jonathan Lynn
The Distinguished Gentleman
1992

A con artist pulls the ultimate play -- getting elected to Congress. Initially, he heads to Washington with plans of fleecing America, but he quickly learns that he can't out-con the grifters who are already there. This satirical update of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington takes shots at corporate greed, influence peddling, even racial politics. Eddie Murphy suppresses his urge to overact and turns in a sweet performance as the likable hustler, Thomas Jefferson Johnson. (TN)

Our Dumb Century

The Onion
Our Dumb Century
1999

Subtitled "100 Years of Headlines from America's Finest News Source," Our Dumb Century is an absurdly detailed trip through the 1900s, as interpreted by the masters of satire at The Onion. While some might claim that the book's humor is primarily derived from its amusing use of profanity ("Holy Shit, Man Walks on Fucking Moon"), its true appeal comes from the editors' deep knowledge of U.S. history and their willingness to skewer it mercilessly. If you're not careful, you might just learn something from this book, but you'll probably be too busy laughing your guts out. (TR)

Stiff Records Box Set

Various Artists
Stiff Records Box Set
1992

Way back before the '90s heyday of DIY, there was a label in England called Stiff, run by a couple of guys whose only rule was: Put out what you like. Sure, lots of labels since have said that, but most of them obviously don't have any taste. Beginning in 1976 Stiff released seven-inch slabs of wax by future stars like Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Ian Dury, the Damned, Madness, and Devo, as well as more obscure artists like Wreckless Eric, the Belle Stars, Dr. Feelgood, Furniture, and even Tracey Ullman. No wonder it took four CDs to cover it all. It's like Freedom Rock for aging punks.

M2

MTV
M2

It's MTV as it was originally conceived. All music videos, all the time. No game shows or Real World marathons. No TRL. It actually seems to be programmed by people who like music. From the latest Belle and Sebastian to vintage clips from Prince, you'll see videos that wouldn't make the cut on the channel's top-40-driven older sibling. If you're tired of the now bland and banal MTV, check out M2's eclectic blend of rock, rap, and R&B. Once you've made the switch, you'll never go back. (EG)

The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4

Brad Mehldau
The Art of the Trio, Vol. 4:
Back at the Vanguard
1999

Pianist Mehldau and longtime collaborators Jorge Rossy (drums) and Larry Grenadier (bass) share a brilliant set at New York's pre-eminent jazz club, the Village Vanguard. Standards, originals, and even a Radiohead cover flow together perfectly, each song providing a solid foundation for Mehldau's daring, yet never self-indulgent improvisations. Along with great songs like "Nice Pass" and "I'll Be Seeing You," Art of the Trio, Vol. 4 offers sharply written liner notes from Mehldau himself, decrying the sorry state of jazz criticism.

Ikiru

Akira Kurosawa
Ikiru
1952

An aged civil servant attempts to find meaning after he learns he's dying of stomach cancer -- in the hands of another director, this story might degenerate into bathos, but Kurosawa uses complex structure and shifting perspective to avoid sentimentality, while still managing to produce a myriad of powerful emotions. Indeed, the film is heartbreaking, uplifting, and humorous -- sometimes within the same scene. Takashi Shimura gives a brilliant performance in the lead role.

SETI@Home

UC Berkeley Space Sciences Lab
SETI@Home
many platforms

The SETI@Home screensaver is a computer geek's dream -- download eye-catching software and donate excess computer cycles to analyze cosmic radio signals for signs of intelligent life. SETI@Home even tracks affiliated users and tallies who has crunched the most numbers. Ironically, the winning teams also get the prize for the greatest amount of unproductive computer downtime. Current top groups include NASA, Microsoft, The Ministry of Silly Walks, the US Navy, and overall leader SGI, weighing in with 1300 years of CPU time dedicated to SETI. Doesn't anybody do any actual work anymore?

Mao II

Don DeLillo
Mao II
1992

DeLillo's tenth novel chronicles the muting of the artist's voice in modern culture and the simultaneous appearance of darker, more sinister voices. Protagonist Bill Gray is paralyzed, caught between the burden of his life in hiding and his refusal to be shaped by the culture industry. On top of this, the news addiction and image worship that disable him also provide a medium for terrorism. As Gray observes, "Years ago I used to think it was possible for a novelist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory."

Featuring "Birds"

Quasi
Featuring "Birds"
1998

Quasi is Janet Weiss from Sleater-Kinney and her ex-husband Sam Coomes. Featuring "Birds" is an album full of amazing songs -- lovely, complex, rocking, sad, lyrical -- brilliant except for the fact that they don't sustain themselves long enough and they seem to defy all structural conventions. Nonetheless, even near brilliance is rare and should be sought, bought, and cherished.

Tombstone

Val Kilmer
Tombstone
1993

Take the story of Wyatt Earp, add a script that liberally combines fact and fiction, hire a cast of b-list stars (Kurt Russell, Dana Delany, Michael Biehn, that guy from Ned and Stacey), and garnish with a few aging superstars (Charlton Heston, Robert Mitchum). A recipe for disaster? Not quite. Throw in Val Kilmer as the terminally dissipated, devastatingly charming Doc Holliday and you've not only salvaged your concoction, but offered up a true delicacy. As Holliday puts it, via Kilmer's perfect Southern drawl, "I'm your huckleberry." And it's true.