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The
edge: ‘Sideways’ raises a glass to a friendship on the
rocks
Independent
Spirit Award nominee. National Board of Review breakthrough
actor. The year-end honors are already piling up for Paul
Giamatti’s piquant portrait of Harvey Pekar, the Cleveland
curmudgeon turned comic-book chronicler in "American
Splendor." Now he’s taking on a vintage loser of a different
sort.
In "Sideways,"
director Alexander Payne’s follow-up to "About Schmidt," which
just wrapped production, the actor is a divorced eighth-grade
teacher and failed novelist who decides to treat his
altar-bound pal (Thomas Haden Church) to a wine-tasting trip
to California’s Santa Ynez Valley.
"Matters go
sadly awry," Giamatti says. Especially since both are problem
drinkers. "My character is on mood levelers and is suffering
from a horrible divorce. The other guy sleeps around with all
the wine pourers."
‘Free’ tickets
for show tapings go on sale
A TV taping
can be the icing on a trip to Hollywood, but tourists often
can’t get tickets to coincide with their vacations or must
wait in long lines for the most popular shows. Online ticket
service StubHub.com (www.stubhub.com) has a solution: fans can
now purchase or bid for tickets for specific tapings, with the
networks and studios -- CBS, ABC and Paramount Domestic
Television -- donating their proceeds to the Museum of
Television & Radio, which is based in New York and Los
Angeles. (StubHub collects a 15 percent transaction
fee.)
"Here’s a
chance to guarantee yourself a spot at a taping while
contributing to a very appropriate cause," StubHub president
Eric Baker says.
Album soaks up
spirit of NRBQ
Bonnie Raitt,
Steve Earle and Spongebob Squarepants are among the NRBQ
admirers contributing to "The Q People," a tribute album due
in early March on Boston-based Spirithouse Records. The label
stipulated that all artists involved be devoted fans of the
rootsy cult band. Tracks include Raitt’s cover of "Me &
the Boys," Earle’s take on "A Girl Like That" and Los Lobos’
remake of "Over Your Head." Mike Mills of R.E.M. tackles "When
Things Was Cheap," and Widespread Panic revives "Ain’t No
Horse."
Spongebob,
voiced by Tom Kenny, surfaces in a 17-minute audio cartoon
featuring a medley of NRBQ tunes. Also participating are Ron
Sexsmith, Dinosaur Jr.’s J. Mascis and Yo la Tengo. Formed in
Miami in 1967, NRBQ (New Rhythm and Blues Quartet) has sold 27
million albums worldwide.
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