Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Melissa Joulwan (Melicious11)
I was christened Melissa Kathryn Joulwan by my parents and have been called -- at different times in my life -- Missy, Mo-lissa, and Melvis. I hated them all. But in 2003 when I helped start the Texas Rollergirls Flat Track Roller Derby league, I renamed myself Melicious, dyed my hair pink and became the mean girl of my dreams ... at least on the roller derby track.
My five years on the Hotrod Honeys team were some of the most fun -- and most dangerous -- of my life. So I was excited to learn that Drew Barrymore was bringing my favorite sport to the big screen with Whip It!. And when I saw the trailer, I was really excited.
It looks like they got all the details right, including mouthy skaters, tongue-in-cheek rollergirl names, and the transformation from Everygirl to Rollergirl. The movie premieres Oct. 9, so you have plenty of time to be infected with derby fever. Here are my suggestions to turn you into an expert in plenty of time to see Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis lace up their skates:
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Pat Duffy (poptarts)
So you think you have your favorite album of the year already picked, do you?
Not so fast -- we still have four months of fantastic records to go through. (Well, three, because no one really releases records in December.) In the coming months, I assure you there will be some fantastic records ... some from bands you already know, some from bands you should get to know, and quite possibly your new favorite band.
Here's a list of the best of the next couple months. Use it wisely!
Sept. 8:
The Clean, Mister Pop (Merge) -- Back in 2003 a lot of indie fans were finally introduced to The Clean, thanks to Merge Records' release of a compilation of their previous works, Anthology. These guys influenced bands like Yo La Tengo and Pavement, so if you're already down with that stuff, it's time to dig into the history of the genre.
Yo La Tengo, Popular Songs (Matador) -- It has been 23 years since Yo La Tengo first released a record, but somehow this Jersey-based trio are still making intriguing and interesting music. After spending the early part of this year living behind the moniker Condo F--ks, Yo La Tengo return to the sounds they do best.
Vivian Girls, Everything Goes Wrong (In the Red) -- Last year's buzz band has become this year's hated-on trio, but I suppose success has always bred contempt. Vivian Girls immediately prove that last year's self-titled success story was no fluke. On Everything Goes Wrong, the girls once again opt for short, fast-paced tunes that force listeners to take notice.
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Lauren Beatty (redheadline)
Finally! Top Chef is back, this time in the city of sin: Las Vegas. I, for one, am thrilled. (Doesn't it seem like it was forever ago that we were gossiping about the Hosea-Leah hookup and giggling over Fabio's accented bon mots?)
My friends Chris, Jackie, Lois and Susie are Top Chef fanatics -- so much so that we've started having Top Chef watch parties each Wednesday. Since we're only one episode into the new season, it's pretty easy for you to start your own Top Chef club, too.
For us, it started simply: We'd gather after work for dinner at a local restaurant and then head to our host's house to watch. But then we wanted to spice things up a bit by challenging ourselves to Top Chef-style mini-competitions to get us in the mood (we started this during Top Chef Masters).
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Alex Segura
As a comic book blogger -- albeit one whose professional loyalties are on the table, as publicity manager for DC Comics, the home of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman -- I make it my business to not only know how the DCU books are being played across the comics press, but to also see what's going on in the industry. So here are the first sites I visit on my RSS reader. Two cups of coffee later, and I'm a slightly more informed person, and that much more caffeinated:
As far as straight-up comic book news is concerned, there are three places I visit numerous times during the day: Newsarama, dubbed "the CNN of comics," for their consistently good reportage and perspective. Quick with news and context, Newsarama has been at the forefront of comic book journalism for years. In that same all-purpose news site vein, there's Comic Book Resources, with their collection of ace blogs, including Robot 6 and Comics Should Be Good! (self-explanatory, no?). For a more mainstream look at what's hot, IGN's comic book hub is great at pointing you toward what's big and shiny and, most importantly, good. Plus, they review almost everything. How they do it? Clones. (I guess?)
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Susan Whiteside (sfuss)
As vice president of communications for the National Confectioners Association (yes, there really is a trade association for everything), I can hardly remember a time when I didn't think about chocolate and candy all day long. NCA represents most of the candy companies in the United States, and it's my job to promote the category. Basically, I get paid to talk about candy. It's like a fifth grader's dream job. I think about candy in the car, at the hair salon, at restaurants, even in movie theaters. Which makes sense, since only Hollywood is as obsessed with candy as I am ... almost.
Here are 10 times Hollywood has managed to rival my obsession:
1. E.T. Phone Home -- In 1982, Americans fell in love with a small, brown alien and his favorite candy, Reese's Pieces. The main human character, Elliott, uses them to lure the loveable extraterrestrial out of hiding.
Little-Known Fact (LKF): When Hershey was approached about participating, the first idea was to use the Hershey's Kiss.
2. It's No Big Deal -- A Baby Ruth tossed into a swimming pool creates major havoc when it's mistaken for something else in Caddyshack. Audiences were disgusted and delighted when Bill Murray's character discovers it and takes a big bite.
LKF: The Curtiss Candy Company once sponsored a Baby Ruth airplane promotional tour. Before landing at each tour stop, the passenger would drop Baby Ruth candy bars tied to small parachutes to the crowds.
3. Who's Going to Turn Down a Junior Mint? -- In season four of Seinfeld, Kramer invites Jerry to join him in a surgical viewing suite where they accidentally knock a Junior Mint into the patient's open chest. Explaining later how it happened, Kramer says he didn't expect anyone to turn down a Junior Mint. He makes a good point.
LKF: This was far from the only episode of Seinfeld featuring candy. Other classics include the Tweety Bird Pez dispenser, George's hanging Twix and the episode where Elaine, who should have been rushing to the hospital to visit a friend, stops to buy Jujubes.
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Sarah Knowles (spyfive)
This summer I hit my four-year (and four-apartment) mark living in New York City, yet I admittedly feel no less wide-eyed about the city's pop-culture offerings than I did when I arrived. With that in mind, I thought I'd take this opportunity to highlight a handful of worthwhile hot spots for pop-culture buffs, both visitors and residents alike:
If you're itching to attend a TV taping, let me recommend The Daily Show. I've managed to sit in the audience for live tapings of Saturday Night Live, Late Night with Conan O'Brien and several Comedy Central stand-up events, but in my experience, this particular ticket request process is the simplest and most frequently rewarding.
Note: Whitney Matheson is on vacation this week. While she's away, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Dan Callahan (dancal)
The American Mustache Institute is the ACLU for the Mustached American, a downtrodden group that has been struggling for acceptance since the '80s, when mustached TV anchormen still roamed the earth and appeared at local events such as parades and at ribbon cuttings. As director of research for AMI, I chart the cultural references and acceptance of mustaches in the U.S.
Right now, Gen Y has turned the corner on the mustache and is rapidly bringing it back in nearly every region. We forecast heavy outbreaks of facial hair across the U.S. (I've attached one of our 'stache maps.) Our research shows much greater acceptance of men with mustaches among women, and the reasons seem clear: Actors, athletes and politicians have recognized the power of the mustache.
Examples abound: Jason Giambi's batting average rose dramatically when he grew a 'stache last year. Our local St. Louis Cardinals' pitching staff has experienced a resurgence since growing 'staches at the beginning of the season. Brad Pitt and George Clooney have worn 'staches. Daniel Day Lewis won an Academy Award with his There Will Be Blood mustache -- and that was the first time that happened since Paul Newman's 'stache in 1986's The Color of Money.
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Jeff Lyons (usedwigsradio)
If you drive a lot and don't enjoy hearing your local radio stations blaring AC/DC and Guns N' Roses every hour on the hour, or if you're just plain tired of listening to your uninspired, played-out playlists as you sit on a bus or train, an iPod full of high-quality music and comedy podcasts can be your very best friend.
I listen to a lot of podcasts; here are the ones I keep coming back to:
Music
Disclaimer: I'm basically into indie rock, punk and alt-country. I wish I knew more about classical, jazz, opera and Inuit throat singing, but I just don't. That's what Fred in accounting is for. Go ask him.
Music Weekly from The Guardian: The well-informed and wry hosts Paul MacInnes and Rosie Swash effortlessly create an intimate vibe for your alt-rock listening pleasure. Traditional inter-host chitchat takes a backseat to a quick-moving show packed full of reviews, recommendations and interesting interviews with diverse guests likes of David Byrne, Patrick Wolf, Wildbirds (pagan jazz-folk duo) and Will Oldham, just to name a few. They mainly cover straight-up indie rock (lots of it, mostly the Brit variety), but they also delve into techno, electronica, hip-hop, old faves and other odds and ends from the British Isles. Website | iTunes
Insomnia Radio: "Less Talk, More Rock" is a frequent demand of some music fans who just want to listen to an artist and don't care what moment in his/her life inspired a certain song. For these people, I highly recommend this podcast with an international flair. With little to no yapping, the rotating list of hosts offer thought-out sets of indie pop and rock from all over the globe. I just discovered the fantastic Scottish band Dananananaykroyd on an older podcast, and recently heard one of my favorite instrumental post-rock bands 65daysofstatic. How cool is that? Very. Website | iTunes
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's gone, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By Bradford Anderson (BradfordAnderson)
My favorite reaction to my Daytime Emmy nomination was from an acquaintance with knowledge of the entertainment industry.
"You were nominated for an Emmy!? What have you been working on?" he said.
"General Hospital," I replied.
"Oh, a Daytime Emmy ... well, they look the same."
He didn't mean to be rude; he was just stating a fact. Here in L.A., daytime actors (or, more appropriately stated, actors that work on a daytime show) are regarded as second-class.
Note: Whitney is on vacation this week. While she's away, Pop Candy is being written by its readers.
By BIG BUSINESS
It's November 1994, and I'm standing in a sleazy dive bar in Bowling Green, Ohio. In less than 10 seconds, I'll be onstage in front of a room filled wall-to-wall with local bikers.
I saw a flyer two weeks earlier on campus that advertised a local comedy contest. I always fantasized about performing comedy, and ever since I was in elementary school I was told by my friends that I was funny. I was so excited thinking about being onstage for my first comedy performance. I put together five minutes and rehearsed it on my way to classes.
Before I went on, all I could think about was David Letterman, big money, fame, starring in movies. It was on! This was the first step into a bigger world.
My name was called. It's showtime.
Tomorrow I leave for a weeklong beachy vacation, and I'm not gonna lie: I can't wait to ditch this computer. But don't freak out: Starting Monday, more than 20 of your fellow Pop Candy readers will be guest-blogging to help fill the void.
This is the first time anyone else has contributed to the blog, and I figured the folks who could do the best job would be the ones who read it every day.
A few notes:
- Sadly, I won't be around to hype these posts next week. If you see something you like, I encourage you to support Pop Candy by promoting it via Facebook, Twitter, other blogs, skywriting or what have you. Support the bloggers by leaving comments, hitting "recommend" and visiting their own websites.
- Forgive me, but the Early Buzz is also taking a vacation, and our "Reader of the Day" feature is taking a break as well. I encourage those of you who wish to make general comments to do so in the forum. (I even created a discussion especially for this purpose.) In fact, while I'm gone, all of you may want to take this chance to dip into the forum for ongoing chats about TV shows, movies, music and pretty much everything else.
- Spot a technical breakdown on the Candy? You can still e-mail popcandy@usatoday.com and someone will see it. It might be helpful to put something like "TECHNICAL PROBLEM" or "OH CRAP, THE BLOG IS BROKEN" in the subject line.
OK, I think that's it! I'm going to miss you guys, but I think you'll be OK without me. Enjoy your week. We'll talk soon.
Whitney has been writing about pop culture for USA TODAY since 1999, when Pop Candy began as a weekly column. Her interests include music festivals, mustaches, Lost, comic books and Andy Warhol. She lives in New York City. More about Whitney | E-mail Whitney
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