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Never 'Metacritic' we didn't like
Everyone is a critic. But as much as we vilify them when their reviews disagree with our pop-culture world view, we still turn to them to at least get a base line for our entertainment needs.
Metacritic.com does that and then some. With a stated mission of helping you "make an informed decision about how to spend your money on entertainment," the Web site takes a cross section of respected criticism in different entertainment fields -- movies, DVDs, TV, music and games -- averages them out, and assigns a numerical score up 100 points to the product in question.
How about the new "Star Trek" movie? It gets an 84 rating. Yay. However, the news is not so good for the new Beyonce film, "Obsessed." It only gets a 25. Ouch.
Color coding is also assigned with the score: Yellow indicates favorable reviews, green means mixed and dreaded red highlights the real stinkers. The site also offers an extensive explanation on how the scores are calculated, just to ease your pop culture-addled little mind.
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Earle pays tribute to songwriter mentor with 'Townes'
Alt-country god Steve Earle worships at the altar of the late country-folk cult hero Townes Van Zandt. And that's even after their first meeting ended with Van Zandt heckling Earle at a concert in 1972. The two remained close friends until Van Zandt's death in 1997.
On Tuesday, Earle released "Townes," his tribute to his dear friend and mentor. A few guests sat in on the fun, including Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, singer-songwriter Allison Moorer, who is Earle's wife, and some kid named Justin Townes Earle. (Yup, it's Steve Earle's son, who has his own career as a singer-songwriter. And yes, Steve named him after Van Zandt. We told you he worshipped the guy.).
You can catch Steve Earle playing some of the new CD on June 14 when he rolls into Jacksonville to play the Florida Theatre.
WATCH
Eminem pals with Stewie
Sure, that Eminem guy is set to release his fifth full-length album, "Relapse," this comingon Tuesday.
But there's bigger news from the Em camp: The rapper will join Stewie of "Family Guy" fame on Sunday to host Animation Domination -- the Fox network's lineup of animated shows.
Segments will feature an animated version of the hip-hop superstar -- and yes, that's Em actually voicing his cartoon alter-ego.
-- Staff Report
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