It must be difficult for anyone making a career decision to move to another country, let alone to make the decision when you’re thirteen. Cody Simpson — a cute blonde Australian boy — posted a couple videos of himself singing and playing guitar on youtube at the tender age of 13. Before he knew it, he was contacted by record producer Shawn Campbell and moved from Australia to Los Angeles to make an album with Atlantic Records.

His accomplishments seem boundless since: he has received over 110 million youtube views and well over 2 million facebook likes. His single, “On My Mind,” off of his second e.p. “Coast to Coast” reached #1 on Radio Disney and he has been on a myriad of television shows from the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” to “Live! With Regis and Kelly.” He is quickly becoming the next digital generation phenomenon.

Now at the age of 15, Cody is continuing to work hard in order to maintain his success.

When asked if there was a girl in his life – as his music mainly discusses relationships and love – Cody replied, “No, there isn’t at the moment. If the girl you’re talking about is named ‘Music’ then sure, I’m dating her. But really I am just focusing on my career at the moment. I’m a pretty focused kid and I am definitely very self motivated. And I think once I get everything established to where I want to be, than there is time for all that.  I got a while. I love to hang out with girls, but relationships are real hard for me at the moment. I have a lot of good friends, but nothing too serious.”

Cody is mature for his age. As a rising star, he is often compared to Justin Bieber. When asked what he thinks of being compared to Justin, Cody said, “I think a lot of people like to put things in boxes and say, ‘okay, he was discovered on YouTube and he sings and he is a teenager, so that means he is a new Justin Bieber.’ What? Like hold on a second…”

But despite the comparisons, Cody revealed, “Justin and I were just in the studio, like yesterday working together. Obviously I’m still at the more beginning stages of my career. But its cool to work with Justin and people like him. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the music and the creation of that. He is working on his next album and I am working on my debut. I think that this generation is definitely doing it big.”

On being a young artist, Cody said, “I think there are many disadvantages of being young and being a teenager. There are only certain things you can say musically and certain things you can do. I’m never really going to say anything risky or explicit in my songs. I definitely am more mature for my age. But I think as my fans grew up and as I grew up with my fans, we had to just create the music for them. A lot of people definitely expect a certain thing from a teen artist. But I think with my album, with the single, and the video, and this tour that I’m doing, I think I’m going to surprise a lot of people. I am really excited for the coming year. And I will see how it goes. I am definitely doing things that no one is expecting.”

A great example of Cody’s artistic and unexpected side is his cover of Drake’s “Marvin’s Room” — a song about drunk texting lost romances. But since the song is widely inappropriate for younger audiences, Cody decided to “re-imagine” it.

“I’m a big Drake fan in general. I love that song and I wanted to re-imagine it and create a version of the song I think my fans could listen to and they could relate to,” he said. “JoJo did the female side of things of that story, and then I wanted to create a story for my younger fans.”

So what is Cody doing when he is not recording, going on tour, or making music videos?

“I go to school in the morning usually. My tutor travels with me when I’m on the road. I think it’s important to stay in school,” he said.

But what about during his time off?

“I love to go surfing. I love to play golf. Golf is always relaxing when you have a day off. I love just being out in the ocean and I love just being out on the golf course.”

Now living in Los Angeles, golf and surf is easily available to him, though the surf is better “back home in Australia,” according to Cody. When asked about his life before fame, Cody misses “that time to chill with friends. I have friends back home that I am very close to that I still talk to every single day. We don’t really get to hang out too much. I miss them and my family and my lifestyle a little bit. I love writing music and [Los Angeles] is where you have to be for that.”

The future is promising. “I am creating my own album right now,” Cody said. “My single is coming out in the next few weeks. For right now, I am focusing on the tour.”

When asked where he would like to be in five years from now, he said, “I’ll be 20 years old, hopefully still making music as a respected artist and someone that has inspired a lot of people and has made some great music. That is all I really want to do.  I want to inspire my fans. I want to do work for charity in the next five years, definitely.  There is a lot of stuff happening to me and I want to make sure I am giving back to my fans and people less fortunate than me.”

Cody is currently touring the country. His tour dates can be seen here.

The nominees for the 2012, 84th Annual Academy Awards have been released and the film industry is already buzzing with speculation on who will take home the Oscar on February 26th. Here’s my two cents about the nominees, who got snubbed, and an early (tentative and subject to change!) prediction about who could take home the gold. I only reviewed the nine most-talked about categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Cinematography, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapted Screenplay. I will include every category in my official prediction post, which will come when the Oscars get closer.

Could "The Artist" be another "Slumdog Millionaire"-esque Oscar-sweeper?

Contenders: “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “The Help,” “Hugo,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Moneyball,” “The Tree of Life,” “War Horse”

Didn’t Make the Cut: “Drive”, “The Ides of March”, “Young Adult”, “Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy”, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “My Week with Marilyn”, “Bridesmaids”

Thoughts: No surprises here. Five of the films tote big-name directors: “The Descendants” (George Clooney), “Hugo” (Martin Scorsese), “Midnight in Paris” (Woody Allen), “Tree of Life” (slightly lesser known Terrence Malick), and “War Horse” (Steven Spielberg). Three films were based on best-selling books: “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” “Moneyball,” and “The Help”. And the remaining film, “The Artist”, has always been seen as an awards contender ever since it’s release. The Academy remained predictable as ever this year for the Best Picture noms.

Every movie fan is bound to have at least a few films that they’re annoyed didn’t get picked, and this year mine were “Drive” and “The Ides of March.” “Drive”featured excellent cinematography, a catchy soundtrack, a unique story and a killer performance by Ryan Gosling (also ignored by the Academy this year, we’ll get to that later). “The Ides of March,” was easily my favorite film of the year. It was an edge-of-your-seat thriller that kept you guessing and featured another great Ryan Gosling performance, as well as excellent writing and supporting appearances by George Clooney, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Early Prediction: I think Best Picture will come down to a fight between “The Artist” and “The Descendants.” “The Descendants” took home two Golden Globes (Best Picture and Best Actor – Drama) a few weeks ago, but “The Artist “boasts a whopping ten Oscar nominations to “The Descendants”‘ five. In the end, I see “The Artist” eventually going home with the gold. I’ve yet to see it, but the film is a classic case of the artsy, indie film that voters just love to throw awards at.

George Clooney in "The Descendants"

Contenders: Demián Bichir (“A Better Life”), George Clooney (“The Descendants”), Jean Dujardin (“The Artist”), Gary Oldman (“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”), Brad Pitt (“Moneyball”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Ryan Gosling (“Drive “or “The Ides of March”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“J. Edgar”), Michael Fassbender (“Shame”), Michael Shannon (“Take Shelter”)

Thoughts: The only real surprise amongst the five nominees is Demián Bichir for his role in “A Better Life”. I vaguely remember seeing the trailer for this film, but that was the last time I had heard or thought about it until Bichir got this nomination. The performance must be a doozy for him to knock out the likes of DiCaprio and Fassbender. After leaving Ryan Gosling out of the race for the second year in a row (he wasn’t nominated for “Blue Valentine “last year, though Michelle Williams was), I’m beginning to wonder what the Academy has against the guy. As “The Hollywood Reporter” points out in it’s Oscar snubs article, it was a great year for Gosling, who had three really good films – “Drive, The Ides of March, “and “Crazy Stupid Love.” “THR” goes on to speculate that his lack of a nomination might have to do with him not making the rounds and doing the awards circuit to promote himself and lobby for a nomination. Which makes me mad, because the Academy should be voting on an actor’s performance, not the number of appearances he makes or parties he attends.

Early Prediction: Clooney and Pitt both gave the best performances of their careers this year, but again I think this category comes down to “The Descendants “vs. “The Artist. ” I’ve yet to see “The Artist “so I can’t say who I think deserves it, but at this point I’ll call Jean Dujardin the winner. We may have another “Slumdog Millionaire -”style Oscar-sweeper on our hands with “The Artist”, and it doesn’t help that Clooney already has an Academy Award under his belt (a Best Supporting Actor for 2005′s “Syriana”).

Side Note: How is this Gary Oldman’s first Oscar nomination, ever? That just seem so wrong…

Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier in "My Week with Marilyn"

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Contenders: Kenneth Branagh (“My Week with Marilyn”), Jonah Hill (“Moneyball”), Nick Nolte (“Warrior”), Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”), Max von Sydow (“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Albert Brooks (“Drive”), Armie Hammer (“J. Edgar”), Andy Serkis (“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”), Patton Oswalt (“Young Adult”)

Thoughts: Who would’ve thought the pudgy kid from “Superbad “would be an Oscar contender? I certainly didn’t, and I’m still not sure he belongs up there with the likes of Kenneth Branagh and Christopher Plummer. Sure, Hill did a decent job in “Moneyball,” but I certainly didn’t leave the theater thinking it was an Oscar-nomination-worthy performance.

I actually would’ve preferred it if Andy Serkis had gotten the nom over Hill. This could have been the Oscars in which motion-capture performances were finally given their due. Say what you will about the goofy “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, but if you see the work that goes into Serkis’ role as Caesar the ape it’s really impressive. This was a chance to right the wrong of Serkis never receiving a nomination for his landmark performance as Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings “trilogy.

Early Prediction: I’d say this category boils down to a Plummer vs. Branagh match-up. This is Plummer’s 2nd nomination and Branagh’s 5th, and neither has yet to win an Oscar. Plummer was good in “Beginners,” but Branagh was exceptional as Sir Laurence Olivier in “My Week with Marilyn.” Gold goes to Branagh.

Glenn Close as Albert Nobbs

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Contenders: Glenn Close (“Albert Nobbs”), Viola Davis (“The Help”), Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”), Michelle Williams (“My Week with Marilyn”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Shailene Woodley (“The Descendents”), Charlize Theron (“Young Adult”), Tilda Swinton (“We Need to Talk About Kevin”), Kirsten Dunst (“Melancholia”), Elizabeth Olson (“Martha Marcy May Marlene”)

Thoughts: Tilda Swinton’s absence from the list of nominees seems to be on the list of everybody’s top “Oscar snubs” this year. This category could be a tight one, with all very transformational roles in the running – Streep portraying Margaret Thatcher, Williams playing the iconic Marilyn Monroe, Rooney Mara almost unrecognizable as hacker Lisbeth Salander, Davis as maid/nanny Aibileen Clark, and Glenn Close as woman pretending to be a man.

Early Prediction: This one should be Glenn Close‘s – this is her sixth Oscar nomination and she’s yet to win. Meryl Streep has been nominated a whopping 17 times but she’s also already won twice. This is Michelle William’s third nomination (no wins yet) and Viola Davis’ second (no wins yet either). Close seems overdue for a win, and her role seems to be the most challenging since she’s essentially playing a man. Plus, Williams and Davis are younger and have more of their careers ahead of them.

Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson in "The Help"

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Contenders: Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”), Jessica Chastain (“The Help”), Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids”), Janet McTeer (“Albert Nobbs”), Octavia Spencer (“The Help”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Shailene Woodley (“The Descendants”), Cary Mulligan (“Shame “or “Drive”), Marion Cotillard (“Midnight in Paris”), Melanie Laurent (“Beginners”)

Thoughts: What’s that, a surprising Oscar nomination?! I didn’t think such a thing existed. But wouldn’t you know, the Academy catches us napping and actually nominates Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids.” I still haven’t seen the movie, but regardless of what I end up thinking of it, I still love this nomination.

First off, it’s a nomination for a woman in “a comedy film”. That’s almost unheard of at the Oscars, and to see a comedy get two nominations (“Bridesmaids “also got a nom for Best Original Screenplay) is really refreshing. Even if the movie loses both categories, I still hope that their inclusion marks a new era in which comedies will be given more credit and eventually, maybe even a few awards. I’m not saying that “The Hangover “should have been up for Oscars, I’m just saying that I feel there are some really exceptional comedies of late that it wouldn’t hurt to recognize with a few nominations.

Secondly, Melissa McCarthy has been nominated for being a “funny” woman. I’m not sure when the last time was that a Supporting Actress nominee came from a comedy film (if it ever has happened, that is). This nomination carries on the message that “Bridesmaids “has carried from the start: that women can be just as funny as men and just as successful in the comedy genre.

Early Prediction: It was big enough for the Academy to nominate Melissa McCarthy in the first place, so I don’t see her then taking home the Oscar as well (as cool as that would be). Due to the recent “Artist “blitz this awards season, I think Bérénice Bejo might have this one in the bag. Plus, critics weren’t big fans of “The Help “or “Albert Nobbs” (which scored 62/100 and 55/100, respectively, on Metacritic).

Woody Allen directs Owen Wilson and Carla Bruni on the set of "Midnight in Paris"

BEST DIRECTOR

Contenders: Martin Scorsese (“Hugo”), Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”), Alexander Payne (“The Descendants”), Woody Allen (“Midnight in Paris”), Terrence Malick (“The Tree of Life”)

Didn’t Make the Cut: Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”), George Clooney (“The Ides of March”), David Fincher (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), Bennett Miller (“Moneyball”), Clint Eastwood (“J. Edgar”), Steve McQueen (“Shame”), Jason Reitman (“Young Adult”)

Thoughts: God I hope Terrence Malick doesn’t win. Much to the anger of pretentious/artsy-film-lovers everywhere, I heartily disliked “The Tree of Life”. To be honest, I’m pretty disappointed with the nominees this year. Looking at the rather long list of directors who missed out, I’d prefer most of them over those who have been nominated. Again, it’s a damn tragedy that Winding Refn and Clooney were left out. But it’s no use crying over spilled milk, so if I have to pull for one of the nominees, it would be Alexander Payne. “The Descendants “is the best film that received nominations this year (besides “Ides of March”), so I’d like to see Payne take home the statue.

Early Prediction: Besides “The Artist “having a recent hot-streak and touting the 2nd-most nominations this year with 10 (just behind “Hugo”‘s 11), I think the Academy might vote for the newcomer this year and go with Hazanavicius. Payne already has an Oscar, which he won for the last film he was nominated for – 2004′s “Sideways”. Scorsese is in the same boat, with an Oscar for “The Departed”, and Malick has been nominated twice before. So at this point, I’m calling this another victory for “The Artist”.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Contenders: “The Artist,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Hugo,” “The Tree of Life,” “War Horse”

Thoughts: To be honest, I’ve only seen one of these nominees – “Tree of Life. “As much as I disliked the film, the one thing I appreciated was that it truly was beautifully shot. It’s not an exaggeration at all to say that you could pause the film at any point, and the frame you froze on could hold its own as an incredible still photo hung on the wall of a photography exhibit somewhere. I’d have to see the other movies to be sure, but my guess is that “The Tree of Life “has this year’s best cinematography.

Early Prediction: A fight between “The Artist” and “The Tree of Life,” with “The Artist” winning out. A more informed prediction is still-to-come.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Contenders: “The Descendants,” “Hugo,” “The Ides of March,” “Moneyball,” “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Thoughts: I’d love “The Ides of March” to win the one category it’s up for, particularly because I think it is the most worthy amongst the fellow nominees. But it’s doubtful that’s going to happen, so if “Ides “can’t win, I’m rooting for “The Descendants”. It was an excellent script, and it would be really awesome to see one of the co-writers, Jim Rash, to win an Oscar. Some people may be more familiar with Rash as the character Dean Pelton on NBC’s “Community”, which is my favorite current TV show.

Early Prediction: With the film sitting well on it’s other four Oscar nominations, I think “The Descendants” is the one to beat in this category. “Tinker” could give it a run for it’s money though.

Could "Bridesmaids" be an Oscar winner?

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Contenders: “The Artist,” “Bridesmaids,” “Margin Call,” “Midnight in Paris,” “A Separation”

Thoughts: Go “Bridesmaids!” It feels odd to be cheering for a film that I’ve yet to see and could possibly even dislike once I see it. But in rooting for “Bridesmaids,” I’m rooting for the comedy genre in general, which I think is an important cause. Plus, wouldn’t it be refreshing to see an upset (gasp!) at the Oscars this year? Down with predictability!

Early Prediction: Like Melissa McCarthy’s nomination for her performance in “Bridesmaids”, I have a feeling a nomination is as far as this film is going to go. “The Artist” is certainly the talk of the town right now and far more prominent than “Midnight in Paris” and the indies “Margin Call” and “A Separation”. I’m chalking this one up to another one for “The Artist.”

In almost every article or interview of Jack’s Mannequin, two details about Andrew McMahon — Jack’s front man — are always mentioned: (1) he was in Something Corporate and (2) he has lymphoblastic leukemia. But with Jack’s Mannequin now on their third full length album and his leukemia in remission for the past six years, it is safe to say Andrew McMahon is now in a different headspace.

“People and Things” — an all-encompassing title — is Jack’s Mannequin’s third album, which was released back in October of 2011.  It debuted at number one on Billboard’s alternative rock album chart and has received warm reviews from critics. The songs on the album range from the radio-friendly “My Racing Thoughts” to the anthemic “Release Me” to the piano ballad “Platform Fire.” Andrew has stated that the album in many ways is about love, relationships, and his marriage: his goal to write songs that offered less flowery language exposing the more honest underbelly of relationships. The song, “Television,” exemplifies this idea about Andrew’s literal inability to fall asleep without a television on; but the idea is extended to explain the intimate state of uneasiness in his relationship. Jack’s Mannequin is currently on tour in support of “People and Things.”

BLAST: How is the tour going so far?

ANDREW MCMAHON:The tour has been excellent. We’re on our fifth or six show. All the shows have been, truthfully, better than I expected. It has been a fun run. I’m in Chicago tonight actually, just pacing around the House of Blues.

BLAST: How is it there?

AM: It’s great. I love Chicago. I actually spent a little bit of time growing up here when I was a kid. I certainly feel at home when I make my way out here.

BLAST: You moved around a lot as a kid?

AM: Yeah. I actually lived outside of Boston too. (Andrew chuckles)

BLAST: Are you excited to return? Do you ever feel nostalgic for the east coast?

AM: I do. A lot of my nostalgia probably comes from my early travels with Something Corporate just because I was so young when I lived out there. I was in Massachusetts for my first few years of life and then Jersey for the following three. So I don’t have tons of memories from the east coast. But I think there is a sort of feeling of home when you go to places that you’re from and have lived. I definitely feel a kinship to the east coast. No doubt.

BLAST: Are you still doing yoga on tour?

AM: Oh yes, yeah, it is a big part of my life on and off the road now. When I’m on the road, I get a good three or four days of yoga per week. But it got a little tricky with all the show days and the record coming out and doing press and things like that. So I do it every other day, including my days off. It keeps me feeling pretty good.

BLAST: What else do you do to fill your time on the road?

AM: There is not a ton of free time on the road when you’re promoting a record. A lot of it will be sneaking around to radio stations or doing phone interviews. When I do have time, I try and read. And when I am on the bus, I try and put on a good movie and get myself to sleep. But I’m pretty busy out here.

BLAST: You have said before that you are a fan of Billy Joel, so does your song “Television” have any relationship to Joel’s “Sleeping with the Television On”?

AM: It’s so funny that you should say that because truthfully there was no relationship to it. Actually, as I was finishing that song, I was going through a bunch of old vinyl and I came across the Joel album. I forgot what record it was on. So I saw on the back of it and I was like, ‘Oh my God are you kidding me?’ So it is hard to say whether or not it had any subconscious influence on me. As a kid, I don’t remember ever listening to the song. I remember listening to his Greatest Hits volume one, while I was growing up as a Joel fan.  But yeah, I was definitely surprised to see the song title when I came across it.

BLAST: What television show do you usually fall asleep to?

AM: Truthfully for me, it is usually movies. I try to put in movies that I’ve seen like a million times, so that I can kind of zone out. It is usually The Big Lebowski, Super Troopers, usually a funny movie. But that tends to be my prescription before bed.

BLAST: Jack’s Mannequin’s bio by Warner Brothers Records says that People and Things “delves into the joys and conflicts of the first years of marriage” and you have stated that the album is about love and relationships. What does your significant other think of the album?

AM: (He chuckles) I think she likes it.  Yeah I hope so. I don’t think she would tell me otherwise. But I think in a lot of ways it’s kind of our album as well. I think it’s tricky for anybody in my life who ends up being the subject of the songs that I write. In my wife’s case, we’ve been together for the better part of ten years and [she] knows that it kind of comes with the territory. But as far as I understand, this is her favorite of the Jack’s records. I think I did alright by her.

BLAST: What music do you listen to that you wouldn’t normally tell anyone about? What’s your guilty pleasure music?

AM: I don’t know. I don’t normally subscribe to like the guilty pleasures thing. I like lots of different types of music and I tend to be pretty okay with that. I can’t really think of the type of example that I wouldn’t be so proud to share. You got me stumped on that one.

BLAST: That’s okay. You have said before that you love to explore other mediums of art. What kind of other art are you working on?

AM: Personally, in a hobby sort of way, I have been taking a lot of pictures. I got a new camera over the summer that I have been experimenting with and have a lot of fun with that. I used to do that a lot with my Polaroid, but it is a little bit more difficult to get the kind of film that I need for my old camera. I also do quite a bit of writing on the side, none of which has really come out, other than in the forms of blogs.

BLAST: How many tattoos do you have? Do you have a favorite?

AM: Let me count here: one, two, three, four, five. Five! So five. You know, I am pretty close to all of them. The cool thing about my tattoos is that they all represent a different time in my life. There’s the Starry Night on my left arm, which I am very close to. So I will go with that for now.

BLAST: Who would your perfect collaboration project be with?

AM: I’ve definitely been digging Danger Mouse. I like a lot of what he has been up to, something in that vein. I like the thing he did with Broken Bells; I thought that was really cool. There is certainly a lot of great stuff that he has been attached to.

BLAST: What’s the Dear Jack Foundation?

AM: It’s something that I started after my own experience with cancer. We do our best to raise money for organizations that are fighting leukemia and young adult cancer. It’s what we have been up to for the better part of six years. We help raise money for research. We try things with initiatives for young adults like sending kids to camp who are sick.

BLAST: Anything else you want to tell the Blast Magazine readers?

AM: Thanks for listening. And I hope to see you at one of the shows in the next few weeks.

Jack’s Mannequin will be in Boston on February 3 at House of Blues. The list of tour dates can be seen here.

More than anything, Chaske Spencer just wants to keep it real.

This may seem strange coming from the man who just wrapped up a multi-film stint in the massively successful fantasy-laden Twilight series, but a brief conversation with him makes this all too clear.

Take, for example, his perspective on his Twilight character, werewolf pack leader Sam Uley. While he appreciates many things about his animalistic alter-ego, not the least of which are his CGI antics played out on the big screen – “I never thought I would see myself jump off a cliff. I mean it was amazing!” he says – what he most hopes fans will take away from the most recent installments is that which makes the character most relatable – most human.

“What I got from talking to the kids, the fans of Twilight, is that a lot of them just hated Sam. A lot of them did not like Sam,” he recalls with a laugh. “So what I want to do is make him more human, more a character that you can relate to. In the Breaking Dawn film you get this sense that, in the script, he’s out to just kill Renesmee and he hates Bella, but that’s not the case. It’s just that it’s a job that he has to do.”

Similarly, Spencer notes, it’s the human element of filmmaking that has been the most rewarding through his work on the Twilight series and beyond. His bonds with cast and crew from the Twilight films have stayed strong, he assures: his fellow wolves are “like my brothers now,” he says, “and then you have Julia [Jones] and Tinsel [Korey, both costars] who are like my sisters.” It’s like “joining the circus,” he explains. “That’s basically what a film crew is. You join the circus, you all get tight, you’re like a family for a month or two, and then – boom. Maybe you’ll stay in touch, maybe you’ll see them again, maybe you won’t, you know?”

He emphasizes that this is one aspect of filmmaking that continues to draw him in – “Not just working on a character or just being an actor but the stuff behind the scenes.” It’s an affinity for the world behind the camera, bolstered by his recent experience in independent films Winter in the Blood and Desert Cathedral, that has clearly shaped his philosophy on his work and his art. An independent film, he says, is “where the artist comes into work”.

To hear him explain it, it’s answering a call to artistic integrity. He easily ticks off the names of examples and influences, a list that crosses genres and all levels of celebrity. “I grew up watching Johnny Depp,” he recalls, “and like a lot of young actors, I wanted to be Johnny Depp – and we can’t. But he inspires us to stick to artistic credit.” Depp, he notes, had a penchant for turning down big-budget roles in favor of independents, “and he got massive street cred for it.”

He’s quick to cite famous crossover acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam as well. “I always like bands who stretch, who go further,” he says. “You could be working a 9 to 5 job, but you’re trying to find the easiest way to make a living doing what you love, and of course you’re not going to say no to those paychecks.” But, he says, these bands were able to avoid earning the dreaded “sellout” label. Of Pearl Jam, he notes, “They used the tools that they had, and they just gave themselves some self-respect, and they stuck to their guns, and, obviously, they’re a huge group. They turned down Ticketmaster, and fought the good fight, and they’re still rockin’ and rollin’, they’re still touring.”

So what does this mean for Chaske Spencer, an actor moving into 2012 with a slew of major-budget films under his belt and many of these treasured independent efforts in the works? “I enjoy work on a franchise too,” he stresses. “[You] get a good paycheck, work on a big budget. But then you go back and do an independent movie and you can make up for I guess, ah, whoring yourself out,” he laughs.

Make no mistake: he’s grateful for the opportunities that Twilight’s success has given him – especially the freedom to gravitate toward those projects that allow him to emulate those he so admires. “You’ll never hear me talk bad about ‘Twilight!’”, he assures with a laugh. “Yeah, it’s given me a life.”

Amory Sivertson — a piano playing folksy pop singer-songwriter reminiscent of Sara Bareilles and Feist – recently released her third album titled “Human.” The song of the same name begins with the line, “sometimes I do things that could either win me a medal or land me in jail.” Amory stated that investing in making music is her favorite high stakes activity that could fit this dichotomy. “I think it is what could make me the happiest in life and support me. But it is also the thing that could lead me to invest a lot of money in a project that may not come to fruition, could bankrupt me, could lead me to the poor house. That fills that kind of binary, I suppose.”

Her goal is to become “a self-sustaining musician. That music is how I feed myself and clothe myself and buy Christmas presents for the people I love,” Sivertson said.

This goal is deeply entrenched within the songwriter. Her father is a drummer and music teacher. Playing music has always been a part of her upbringing. As a child, Amory’s father “would make little dorky songs on the spot all the time like when he was doing dishes.” Once Amory began playing piano, music theory became a form of communication between her and her father. “We could converse in that way, in a new shared language,” said Amory.

She continues to speak this language. “The end goal was always to be a professional musician,” said Amory. But after realizing that she didn’t have the Hollywood connections to make it into the Mickey Mouse Club, her path changed. She began playing open-mics, going on tour, and pushing beyond her comfort zone. She believed that “if you want to be a rock-star, you can’t go to college.”

So after entering Emerson College, her idea of attaining success changed again. Being around other creative types and becoming entrenched in a new audience, only “fueled the fire” for Amory. Her belief switched to getting discovered and dropping out. But now as a recent graduate, “I have had to redefine the road to getting there,” once again.

“How do I pay the loans and not completely bankrupt myself and still keep moving forward with music?” asked Amory.

The idea of financial priority makes its way into her music as well. On “Human,” the song, “Put It in the Bank,” is an upbeat romp reflecting on the value of money with a catchy hook featuring the staccato syllabic line, “p-p-p-put it in the bank,” as the title suggests. In regards to the song, Amory stated, “I hope that people know that the bank isn’t necessarily your own personal bank account. It’s putting your money where you think it can do the most good. And if that’s your bank account, than sure put it in your bank account… [But] we should become more conscious of where we are putting our dollar because the dollar you drop could earn you a medal or land you in jail.”

“We created money and we created the problems that go with the money. So we have to know what were doing with it,” according to Amory. Her ideas that run throughout the album are complex and meditative, yet succinct.

“I think the essence of Human that runs through the material is flaws and uncertainty. Learning the balance between… the tremendous potential we have as a species with our brain power and whatnot, and our very primal instincts… It’s the balance between the wonderful things we are capable of and the terrible things we are capable of. And the great potential we supposedly have and the very primal instincts that we have to just eat, sleep, have sex. That’s it.” She chuckled after deducing the human experience to three things.

The cover of Human features a collage of patterned textiles in the shape of an anatomical heart. When asked about the theme of humanity, Amory responded, “any album ever could be called human as that what art supposedly is… Trying to share with people a piece of what it means to be alive. Whether song, painting, poem, sculpture, autobiographical or whether its completely made up, it is all supposed to be sharing a piece of this human connection and human experience. So really any work of art can be titled human, because that is the way it is supposed to make us feel.”

“The Tour Song” represents just that. Amory stated, “the song really tells the story of Mike and I on the road. The story of two people finding happiness in what they are doing together… two people together for 40 days, 24 hours a day…enjoying each other’s company.”

The song was written before the summer tour that Mike and Amory went on together. But after closing every concert with the song, it became titled the “Tour Song.” It is loosely inspired by “Away We Go” – a film about the misadventure of a couple (John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) travelling to different cities in search of a new home. The song expresses “the idea of settling down and being satisfied as just being two people together. And then becomes what if we can’t do what we want to do together,” said Amory.

Mike is Amory’s boyfriend. A large part of the album was recorded at the Office, a recording studio in North Andover that Mike runs. “Ever since Mike and I have been together, we have been making music together,” said Amory. Their relationship is beautifully on display from the first song, “Wrap My Arms,” to the last song on Human, “The Tour Song.”

Amory’s album can be heard and purchased here.

What is it about sweat that turns us on? (Media credit/Yay Micro)

I’ve long been fascinated by the subject of pheromones, specifically in the context of sexual attraction. For those of you not familiar with the term: A pheromone, according to Wikipedia, is “a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species.” Much has been written about the role pheromones play in mating and attraction, including the infamous sweaty T-shirt study. In layman’s terms, though: Ever notice how you’re either attracted to or repulsed by a romantic interest’s natural scent? Well, there’s more to that than you may think.

I was excited to contact Eric Holzle for this article about his groundbreaking company Scientific Match (tagline: “The Science of Love”), which I discovered a few months ago but was founded in 2007. Holzle predicted his company would revolutionize the dating services industry by matching people based on non-matching DNA samples taken from their cheeks. He claimed that well-matched couples would enjoy each others’ natural scents, have more fun in bed, and bear healthier children than those who are genetically similar. Maybe so, but the company’s mating strategy never seemed to gain mainstream traction, its premise titillating but perhaps too far-fetched and impersonal for the romantically inclined (not to mention the service was probably pricey). I agree about the unromantic idea of it all – who wants to be matched with cells from a cheek swab? – but still remain fascinated by the role pheromones play in helping us, consciously and unconsciously, to select a suitable genetic match and curious about other, less clinical ways to harness the power of pheromones. (As an aside: If you really want your mind blown, consider the research that has found the birth control pill may be responsible for reversing a women’s natural sense of smell: That is, women on the Pill like more the smells (i.e. pheromones) that remind them of home and kin and thus are attracted to men with whom they’re genetically incompatible.)

Sadly, though, as I began to write this piece, I discovered Holzle had recently passed away. Shortly after my discovery, serendipitously perhaps, along came a representative from Love Scent who wrote to me via Twitter about the company. Here’s the even funnier part: More than two years ago, I had written about Love Scent on my old blog, in an entry entitled “The Nose Knows.” Essentially, the company’s concept is to sell sex pheromones in a bottle to help men and women attract that special someone. I don’t understand the science of it all but human pheromones can, apparently, be recreated in a laboratory. Love Scent then bottles those synthetically-created pheromones and sells them to the masses at various prices, depending on which product is desired.

There are several other companies that sell pheromones for the purpose of attracting mates, but Love Scent seems to be leading the pack. I don’t doubt their authenticity, so I asked them to send me some samples. A couple weeks later, I received several products, including The Edge towelettes (for women and men), Perception, Scent of Eros Unscented (unisex), Scent of Eros (for her), Chikara, Alter Ego (for him), and The Edge (for him). As the instructional sheet explained, their products range from pheromone colognes and scented concentrates to additive formulas and essential oils. They also sell unrated pheromone colognes – pheromone-containing colognes on which they have no clear data. Their “Fab Four” kit is only for seasoned “phero-gurus” – in other words, “if you have to ask, it’s not for you.”

It would have been nice to experiment with the samples during my single days (the product seems to be best suited for singles, anyway), but I figured I could wear one of them around my boyfriend to see if it was particularly … ahem, arousing. According to the Psychology Today article linked above, “since it’s known that women can detect genetic compatibility by smell – it’s not that men can’t but that so far no one knows – the onus is on females to sniff out a suitable squire,” but because Love Scent markets their products to both men and women, I enlisted the help of one my boyfriend’s male friends who was coming to town with his girlfriend. We asked Joe to smear on some of The Edge (for him) without his gal’s knowledge before going out to the bars.

After he applied the moist towelette, my apartment, quite frankly, smelled like a gigolo, or at least how I imagine a gigolo would smell. Unfortunately, Joe never had a chance to read the instructions: “Watch out for over-application,” which is especially true for The Edge because it is highly concentrated. Don’t get me wrong: It smelled good, but it was so overpowering that it practically consumed the place. Eventually, Joe confessed to his girlfriend, but I’m not sure it would have made any difference if she hadn’t known. I also used one of the samples – Scent of Eros – dabbing it on my various pulse points as instructed. Love Scent says that women have reported additional success when applying to ankles and thighs, but I stuck to wrists and behind the ears. It smelled lovely, like any number of musky perfumes I might buy at a department store, but again there’s no way to know if our significant others were friskier than usual because of the pheromones. Plus, both Joe and I are in fairly new relationships in which we can’t keep our hands off our significant others, anyway. I didn’t expect my boyfriend to attack me like a ravenous lion looking for prey, but I did wonder if I’d be able to detect more subtle behavior changes that would indicate the product was working its magic. I can’t say that I witnessed anything different in him.

Perhaps these products would be good for people in, say, stale relationships, so as to rev up a decaying sex life; in a fairly new relationship if you’re sex life has already decayed, well, then you may have more problems than a topical product (that Richard Gere in American Gigolo might wear) could ever solve. Although, a testimonial from “Julia” on Love Scent’s site makes it seem that their products have the power to unite couples in trouble: “My boyfriend had decided that he wanted to break up. We agreed to go to lunch on his birthday. I wore some of your magic oil and he went crazy…..We are back together. I also put some on a handkerchief and then under the seat of his car…..He keeps commenting on how his car smells like me.” I’m not sure how much stock to put on testimonials but Love Scent’s site does have a ton of them.

It should also be mentioned that Love Scent pheromones may be worth a try if only for the placebo effect. It’s long been documented that the placebo effect has enormous impact on people’s ability to heal. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote a piece about this effect entitled Why Placebos Work Wonders. If someone applies one of Love Scent’s products with the idea in mind that they have a secret, extra edge, they may exude more confidence because they believe themselves to now be more attractive to potential mates. Dating and attraction is often about confidence – it’s all in the head (no, not that head), as they say. So any suggestions or ideas that can inspire confidence when it comes to your dating life is a usually a good bet, unless of course, the idea is to wear a hat like this.

Another thought I had about using these kinds of pheromones is that once you run out of the product your natural scent will be exposed, and whomever you’ve managed to woo with your pre-made pheromonal concoction will now quite possibly be repulsed by you and have no idea why. Don’t worry, though, Love Scent accepts orders in bulk.

My dad loves football, but he finds football video games too complicated. I can’t really blame him either; I’ve tried to get him into Madden, but when you really break the 800 LB gorilla of a gaming franchise down, it’s tough to explain; even if it is second nature when playing. That’s exactly why NFL Blitz works so well — it’s America’s favorite game (Yeah, that’s right, I said it baseball) boiled down to its most basic elements.

Now, after years of being absent, the arcade style footballer returns; in all of its glory — well, sort of. It’s still just as frantic and fun as you remember, but it also comes during a turbulent time in the NFL, once that changes the very landscape and identity of what NFL Blitz is. Still, if you have even the slightest love for NFL Football, Blitz is a blast, especially played with friends.

If you’ve never played NFL Blitz, it’s basically a suped up version of Madden. The players are bigger and ripped with muscles and the plays more explosive. The game nixes strategy and philosophy for over-the-top action and adrenaline. In Blitz, there are no penalties, teams can catch on fire and it takes 30 yards for a first down rather than the standard ten yards.

The action in Blitz is fast, fun and in-your-face. It’s not uncommon to have score upwards of 30 points in the first quarter, and you’re bound to jump off your feet at least a few times. This is where Blitz excels, there’s never really a dull moment, and it gets even better when you’re playing against friends. This is the type of game that friendships are tested on, as it’s extremely fun to play against your friends in Blitz. Think throwing the game winning hail mary in Madden is fun? Imagine the thrill of doing it in Blitz, complete with players on fire and jumping clean over their opponents.

The most impressive aspect of Blitz is how much it retains the original arcade feel. Games are quick and easy for anyone to jump in and pick up and play. Perhaps more impressive, they’re also just as easy for anyone to win. It’s this accessibility that seems to be missing from most other current gen sports games. Blitz even features the old school Midway style codes to be entered at the versus screen for effects like different stadiums, characters and effects.

This isn’t however, the NFL Blitz of old, not completely anyways. The NFL is a much different league than we saw when the last entry in the series was released and that’s something that Blitz both falls victim to and benefits from at the same time. This season, the NFL has been tougher on late hits, and as a result, you won’t be able to stop your opponent’s touchdown celebration with a late, bone jarring hit. Sure, the hits in Blitz are ferocious enough, (come on, I delivered a piledriver to a Quarterback during a sack) but the late hits were a big part of the original games.

Aside from the Play Now option, you’re bound to get the majority of playtime from the game’s Blitz Gauntlet mode. Similar to modes found in games like NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat, you’ll face off with teams in a ladder format, with bosses mixed in. These bosses range from fictional characters (zombies) to team inspired creations (my Packers for instance had to face off with guys in overalls, Packer Jerseys and cheeseheads). These boss battles also feature powerups spread throughout the field, which makes them feel different than your standard games. There’s also a trading card game similar to that found in Madden, but I didn’t like it there and I don’t here either.

Tim Kitzrow from the original Blitz and NBA Jam games makes his return, and is just as entertaining as ever. Him and his announcing partner openly mock pop culture, including games, which includes Blitz. My favorite was when the two said that next year they’re going to audition for Madden because it pays more. Visually, NFL Blitz is on par with what you’d expect, though I was a bit disappointed at the lack of detail in some of the player’s faces. Sure, sometimes Aaron Rodgers looks like himself in the game, but others he just looks like another nameless, faceless NFL Quarterback.

The Blast Factor:NFL Blitz proves that arcade style sports gaming still has a place in modern gaming. It’s a blast to play, especially with other human players, and its accessibility makes it easy for just about anyone to jump in and play. . If you’ve got even the most slightest affinity for the sport or multiplayer gaming — you owe it to yourself to check out this modern day revival.

Susan Baxter, 32, founded Hire a Boston Wingwoman in 2010.

Susan Baxter, 32, has the solution for single Boston guys looking for love: Wingwomen. Sure, you’ve got your Bud Light-guzzling, cleavage-ogling, popped collar-wearing wingman already, but isn’t the same old “you distract the less attractive friend while I talk to the hot one” routine getting a little stale? Baxter’s wingwomen get straight to the point with confidence, class, and a well-worth-it fee: the girl you’re going after.

For clients of Baxter’s company, Hire a Boston Wingwoman, it works like this: You and a wingwoman go to a bar or a lounge, or wherever you want to go to meet chicks. You scan the room, zoom in on your potential love interest, and your wingwoman goes in for the kill. It might begin with a compliment (“I love those shoes!”) or a question (“What’s your favorite drink here?”). Then, she might say something like, “This is my friend Joe; we’re looking for a bar to go after this. Do you know of anywhere good?”

“She kind of hangs around in the background once the introduction is made,” says Baxter. “If it doesn’t work out, then the client tries another woman. And if it doesn’t seem like the woman is interested, the wingwoman can pretend to be the client’s girlfriend.”

Wingwomen are better sidekicks than wingmen, Baxter says, because “Women tend to have their guards up when they go out; maybe it’s a girl’s night and they are just out for some cocktails with their friends and aren’t looking to talk to guys. Women feel less intruded upon if a woman comes up to them. They have their guards up when a man goes up and says, ‘Hey, I’m Joe, how are you ladies this evening?’ It’s old, and it’s lame, and she’s like, ‘Oh, here we go again.’”

Even better, adds Baxter, “It’s a boost of confidence to walk in to a place with a beautiful woman by your side. Girls like competition, so if they see you with an attractive woman, they’ll think you’ve got something to offer.”

So what makes a successful wingwoman? Generally, says Baxter, they are outgoing, and unafraid to approach and strike up conversation with that intimidating, hot girl you’ve got your eye on.

“You’ve gotta play the part,” she says. “You can’t go to that trendy, upscale bar if you look like you just got out of a Red Sox game; it’s gotta be realistic. But each wingwoman has a different personality. Some are bubbly and are good for clubs, and some are more intelligent and would be good for a social networking-type party. They’re attractive, outgoing, social, and willing to go up to a woman and say, ‘Hey, where’d you get your hair done? I’m looking for a new salon in the area.’”

Baxter, who has a master’s degree in applied sociology from the University of Massachusetts, started her business in September of 2010 with the knowledge that “a lot of people are shy and are intimidated to go up to people at a bar,” she says. “People tend to just stand there at the end of the bar and wait to be approached.” Plus, she was already being a wingwoman for her guy (and girl) friends, so why not make it a business?

“My ‘aha’ moment was when I was watching an episode of the ‘Tyra Banks Show,’ and a woman was on there who was a wingwoman for her friends,” says Baxter. “And I was like, ‘Wait, that’s what I do!’ The idea had spread to New York City and to Las Vegas, and I thought, why not Boston?”

Now, Hire a Boston Wingwoman employs nearly 40 wingwomen (and counting–she’s hiring!) in their 20s, 30s and 40s. The business works with about 10 clients a weekend, with many repeat clients. Fall is the busiest time of year for the company, which Baxter attributes to several factors: “In the fall, people are coming back from their vacation or their summer fling, and are looking for something more serious. The holidays are coming and they don’t want to be alone; it’s time to settle down. Plus, fall weather is cozy.”

Hiring a wingwoman costs $65 an hour, with a two hour minimum, and is $30 for every half-hour thereafter. Several testimonials on the company’s website attest that it’s worth the price: “My wingwoman focused on making connections and harnessing intuition,” says client Scott Alden. ”The method was to hang out with her, be myself and seize the moment when it was right. Women who saw that I was with her felt more comfortable around me, and I didn’t have to work as hard. I felt comfortable, too.” Michael, a client from Cambridge, writes, “I felt really comfortable after meeting the wingwoman, who introduced me to a couple of very attractive ladies.  I have already re-hired her because she was great company and made me very confident.”

There’s no guarantee that a wingwoman will help you find your future wife, of course, but who can argue with at least giving it a try? Besides, you get to be seen with a hot, confident woman by your side instead of your cologne-drenched, awkward-pick-up-line-using best friend.

JAMESTOWN, Calif. — “I’m not perfect by any means, and nobody is, but I’m ten times a better man than I was before this camp term,” inmate firefighter Philip Kirkpatrick, an eager camp inmate in his late twenties recounts of his experiences at Baseline Conservation Camp, one of the 19 prison fire camps conveniently placed throughout the state of California to fight wildfires, “I feel like my life has purpose to it now, and that’s something that I’ve honestly never had before. I’m ready to take on the world.”

Every prison institution in California has a general product that they specialize in producing—some put out soap, others ironworks, Folsom State Prison puts out license plates while Correction Training Facility produces shoes and clothing. Sierra Conservation Center (SCC)—a minimum to medium custody state prison—yields human capital.

Qualifying inmates are taught the ins and outs of one of the most well-respected and treasured occupations in American culture: the firefighter.

Particularly in our post-9/11 society, firefighters are looked up to as American heroes, selfless defenders of the people; to be one means to be willing to put your ass on the line for a community of people that you may not know and may never meet. You take on the responsibilities associated with preventing floods, fighting fires, and sandbagging mudslides that would otherwise ruin peoples’ houses and the surrounding environment. The program ends up turning social outcasts into individuals capable of heroic deeds.

As inmates initially cross that daunting threshold into the cold world of incarceration they can harbor feelings of social alienation, depression, anger, and rejection. Yet when given the opportunity to progress in an institutional program that goes beyond merely being assigned monotonous tasks that constantly remind the inmates of their poor behaviors, the opportunity to significantly diminish the recidivism rate and gain a sense of personal merit arises.

Naturally, the ultimate goal of the SCC’s firefighter program is to equip inmates with not only vocational skills and firefighting certificates, but, more importantly, with a sturdy work ethic and an internal sense of self-respect.

“We are in a partnership with CAL FIRE, the California Fire Department, and what we do here at Sierra is we get the low custody inmates, we screen them to make sure they have the right custody level, and once they pass that we go ahead and start a series of training programs,” SCC Warden Frank Chavez explained.

At the Sierra Conservation Center, CAL FIRE teaches prisoners how to safely and effectively fight fires by taking two consecutive training courses; the Physical Fitness Training (PFT) and the Firefighter Training (FFT) programs. Once they finish both the PFT and the FFT, inmates are put on a waiting list to get admitted into one of the 19 fire camps that are “strategically located in all of the dry woodlands so that they can be easily deployed to those areas most susceptible to wildfires,” Warden Chavez noted.

“Once they complete [PFT] and pass into the [FFT] facet of the program, we turn them over to CAL FIRE captains who actually take them out and train them to fight wildfires. That’s where they actually learn how to cut fire lines, fire behavior, fire safety, how to use hand tools, how to put their safety gear on—helmets, packs, bunker gear—they learn about keeping themselves hydrated, acclimating themselves to the fire ground and heat, dealing with safety hazards like snags, working with power lines, getting on and off the fire bus, etc…It’s a lot of information to learn, but our main focus is on safety.”

The warden and countless correctional officers have testified to the spectrum of change they’ve seen in a sizable chunk of inmates, especially ones who truly immerse themselves in the program. On day one they’re scared to death, they don’t know what to expect, but just a few days into it they gain a sense of self-respect and confidence that the staff and fire captains hope will carry through to the outside world as inmates make that difficult shift back into the society. At that point, they are ready for camp.

These fire camps are the final step for inmates admitted into the SCC, with the closest camp—the Baselines camp—being just three miles down a dusty road that winds around the parched land surrounding the SCC facility. “It’s beautiful out here,” one easygoing guard said, whimsically surveying the jagged, chalky rocks and arid vegetation scattered throughout the sun-drenched dustbowl.

The camp is a mini-village of sorts that looks more like a Christian summer camp or a wilderness retreat than labor headquarters for incarcerated criminals. With its lack of walls and well-landscaped central lawn, around which six cottage-like dormitories, a cafeteria, an inmate-run trading post and a central building for faculty, counseling and general activities, it even feels like a retreat.

Although the firefighter system—both the SCC’s training programs and the fire camps—is a major benefit to the actual rehabilitation of inmates, it is by no means foolproof. One prisoner in the bustling SCC jail yard, Paul, a former camp inmate who fell back into his drug habits after being paroled a couple years ago, has been working on getting back to one of the fire camps, this time with a more determined frame of mind bent on building that crucial solid foundation.

“The reason I feel that I didn’t succeed the first time is I didn’t have any credentials, I didn’t have anything under my belt to help me out there in society,” Paul explained, “This time I got my GED, I got my masonry certificate, then after that I actually had a friend in the PFT introduce me to the coach. Ever since I’ve been doing everything the prison will give me to get me ready to go back out there and excel.”

Likewise, Philip Kirkpatrick is serving his second term, this time making sure to take advantage of what the fire camp has to offer, since an inmate can only truly be rehabilitated if they strive to do so by participating in programs such as the PFT, FFT and fire camps. “I’m going to exhaust all my avenues. Last time I had a plan but it was just Plan A, and when Plan A failed [prison] is where I came back to, so I know now that I have to have a Plan A, a Plan B, I’ve got to go through the whole damn alphabet and backwards again. I’ve got to be prepare for everything, because I got two strikes and I know that the way that I used to think I’m not completely perfect and its easy for people in my situation to just revert back to their old behavior, so, I’ve just got to be patient and humble—it is what it is, you know?”

One noticeable difference in these inmate firefighters is that they have a tremendous deal of respect for what they’re doing; the job gives them a sense that they’re accomplishing something, not only for themselves, but for their families and the society in general.

Whether they are doing military-style calisthenics in the prison yard for their PFT or gearing-up in their bunker gear (typical firefighter suits) for a field day in the FFT—the second program inmates must complete before being sent to one of those 19 fire camps strewn across the state—the inmates looked and acted more hopeful and enthusiastic about themselves, what they are doing and what they plan to do when they get out.

“It’s very positive, it’s like having a family to count on,” Paul says of the firefighting experience. “The model for PFT is start together and finish together, so we try not to leave anyone behind. I’ve done PFT, and I’ve been a firefighter before. It’s a good program, the PFT, the FFT and especially the fire camps.”

“A giant tree was on the verge of falling and there were a lot of homes where it was leaning towards, and seeing as the redwood firefighters there were kind of busy, our crew had some saws and cut it down,” Paul said while chronicling his most memorable experience as a firefighter thus far with a satisfied grin inching across his face, “Some people were asking whether we were going to be able to handle the tree, us being inmates and all, and our captain answered him saying that these are the best saw men I got, which was a real compliment. My buddy was the first saw and I was the second saw, we took the largest saw we had and they told us it had to drop it a certain way or else it would collapse the neighboring roofs, but we put it where he wanted it and all the people started clapping and thanking us and offering to bring us food—I’ve never felt that before, it felt good. Yah, I’ll never forget that one.”

While the fire fighting skills do prove worthwhile in terms of providing inmates with a concrete set of skills meant to establish a practical gateway to a multitude of occupations and career paths, it seems to be the gradual improvement and reinforcement of the inmates’ behavior that can lead to a greater disposition towards a sound state of mental and emotional health that truly attests to the program’s benefit. Inmates like Paul and Patrick are living examples of the programs potential to completely revamp an inmate’s attitude in a positive and constructive direction. Without this program, there would be no foundation of enthusiasm, dedication, solidarity and purpose for inmates.

Though there have been cases where former inmates have gotten jobs with CAL FIRE, becoming a full-time, salaried firefighter is hard work and not everyone who is involved in the SCC training successfully lands a job once they are released—it is an incredibly competitive field. But even if they don’t become firefighters, giving them the chance to get out there and have the structure of a normal workday, just as they would out in the real world, plays a huge part in the process. A lot of these guys have struggled to or have never held consistent job; they have never had that structure and sense of contribution to society. The program is not a novelty to them as they try to effectively become individuals who contribute to society in a positive manner.

Philip has been the lead clerk manning the trade post for a significant portion of his term in fire camp. Recalling his past, Philip said, “I’ve been down a little over 5 years now, I’ve got 2 left. I started living my term in a cell in general population for roughly 3 years, working hard to get to fire camp since I knew that was the best shot that I had at actually recovering, because if I confine myself to a box for the 7 years that I’m incarcerated, I’m not going to know how to be around people, I’m not going to know how to interact, not going to know how to function within society. Whereas now, I’ve been here 13 months and 11 months of it I’ve been a clerk. I have a job that is extremely rewarding, and it’s a job—I’m on call 24 hours a day, seven day a week, no days off, I have a lot of responsibilities.”

For Philip, and many of the other inmates, those responsibilities mean all the difference as they prepare for reintegration.

“I’m not used to having responsibilities, I’m used to just going and taking something from somebody and doing what I do, you now what I mean; so it’s very rewarding,” Philip commented. “Having this clerk job and being in this whole program, it’s helped me sharpen my skills with other people and gain patience, because I have to go out there into society and actually contribute in a positive way. To a certain extent, I feel like I’m almost free,” he blithely declared.

Every prison in the state has a product that is put out as a means of creating profitable revenue, with the Sierra Conservation Center’s main product being firefighters. The whole idea of a general product is to make use of the cheap labor that inmates provide so that the prisons’ can maintain the institution while they serve time; yet while producing an abundance of slacks and undershirts may prove profitable for the state and the prison, that task is menial and provides little to no sense of fulfillment and purpose—feelings that are central to successful rehabilitation.

The SCC training facility and the various fire camps that turn criminals into empathetic heroes work to achieve both means, renewing the inmates sense of worth and value in society while providing cheap labor to prevent costly and potentially life threatening wildfires, all at a fraction of the standard market value of such labor.

This program is a two-for-one, benefiting both the taxpayers and prison inmates; it provides structure for the inmates and financial benefits for taxpayers. You can have 20 outside guys working for CAL FIRE that are getting paid big money for fighting fires and other natural disasters, or you can get an inmate fire crew at almost the exact same cost as just one of those non-inmate firefighters. Taking this into account, inmates can give back to the community financially while simultaneously building their self-confidence and determination. Whether or not inmates make use of the chances they are offered for uplifting personal change and education doesn’t determine whether this program is advantageous for taxpayers; if done properly, SCC inmates all have the opportunity to better themselves and the society they’ve caused harm upon, but whether or not they truly follow through with what they’ve learned as they immerse themselves back into the real world is up to them. The massive support provided by these inmates alone supplies some taxpayers with community support while giving California the environmental aid it so desperately needs.

Prisoners in fire camps also get to escape the exasperating jail yard drama and prison politics. The number one complaint among inmates outside the fire programs is unanimously the prison politics. The term ‘prison politics’ is basically an umbrella term that stands for everything vile and wrong about the traditional prison set-up: racism and anticipated segregation, gang affairs, confrontations and feuds, drab surroundings, highly-strict guards, drug temptations, lack of positive communication and unsettling living spaces, among other things.

Baseline camp is void of these politics, especially the race factor; some of the racial elements inside prison involve the expectation for prisoners to segregate themselves by race or gang affiliation. When you get out to the fire line you don’t see that—the group consists purely of firefighters, partners who all depend on each other to survive some of the dangerous situations they face. That sense of camaraderie is often the driving force behind a prisoner’s rehabilitation; without that group bond, prisoners can become isolated and cut-off from reality, quite possibly the antithesis of correctional rehabilitation.

“Once you get to camp you’ve find yourself looking beyond the hassles of prison politics because you are out there on the fires, and you’ve got to look out for each other,” Paul stated, “I really enjoyed the crew that I was on because we were all brothers. We worked together, we ate together, we slept together, you know what I mean? It was very positive. You get the sense of being a part of something, rather than just being locked up in a cell all by yourself.”

Philip harbors a similar outlook, though he carries his efforts into the classroom; in fact, he’s part of a group of camp inmates who really enjoy doing what is called the juvenile diversion program, in which a few inmates who have served multiple terms go out to continuation schools and elementary schools during red ribbon week (drug awareness week) to talk about the poor choices that they made in their life. Some of them, like Philip, have expressed interest in possibly taking up a career in youth counseling as a way of veering troubled kids back in the right direction. The campers who are part of the diversion program are all success stories just waiting to jump back into society with a level-head on their shoulders; they have come to terms with the revolving door of crime and punishment they got caught up in, realized what they’ve done and want to try to make a difference by stopping kids from running down the same decrepit path they and are paying their debts for.

“It’s so rewarding being a part of the community betterment and diversion programs, going to classrooms and talking to kids, it feels good to finally be able to give back to the community because the community that we go to is where I caught my cases, where I’ve hurt so many people, and so it feels really good to finally be able to give back. Even though I have a group of roughly 8 to 10 kids, just getting to one of them and having a positive impact on one of those kids, that’s all I care about,” says Philip.

Another camper heavily involved in the diversion program, Resnick is a calm and contented man of 48 years who has been in the penal system since he hit adulthood at age 18. He resides at the Baseline camp and acts as one of the key facilitators who goes out and talks to 8th graders and high school students about the choices one makes in life, specifically about how he made his mistakes, using those negative experiences to influence these kids not to make the same mistakes that he made.

Probably the most powerful aspect of the camps here is the genuine sense that everyone who works in the camps has a sense of purpose, whether it is the guy in the laundry room washing the fire gear when they have a big training event and all of the inmate fire crews come in and camp out there—it’s like a little city in itself. The guy in the laundry, the guy making the meals, the mechanics, it’s amazing to see what a vast production these camps put on and, moreover, how everyone is so willing to jump in and help.

That communication and teamwork, alongside the boost in self-assurance that manifests from their philanthropic contributions, has the power to turn even the most downtrodden and apathetic of inmates into American heroes. Programs such as these should be developed into a staple for American prisons, providing inmates with a means of gaining the inner strength and balance necessary for making that treacherous progression back into society.

In the music video, “Till the DJs Gone,” Boston native Juma – a mysterious figure oft shaded by dark sunglasses who at first acts as a pensive observer – navigates a contemporary milieu under the spell of a corporate subconscious controller. Men and women stare at ipads and cell phones, brainwashed by the messages of greed and consumerism propagated by the digital screens set before them. Juma breaks the communication by hacking into the mass system that disseminates the pervasive messages in order to send out his own message. The song and video transform into a commentary on the state of commercial music as Juma states, “We’re being force fed radio/transmitting garbage/the corporate media monsters.” He ultimately asks us, the listener, to take control and reshape the face of music. Juma creates a meta-narrative of the independent artist rallying against a commercialized cultural system through his music.

The purpose of the song is “to heighten awareness and to help people to start thinking twice and three times about why certain things are valued,” according to Juma.

He jokingly calls himself a “conspiracy theorist.” Juma is a rather upbeat and humorous person, but he holds fast to his beliefs. “The lyrics of the song are talking about mass media and using radio as a point object. What I wanted to visually get across with the video was, the core of the song, the story of awakening. So it’s really about making people aware of agenda setting, which is a communication theory that posits that news media and media systems may not be able to tell us what to think, but certainly what to think about,” says Juma, who makes sure to fleck his statements with academic language.

“We are all being bombarded with these messages that effect who we are. And the intent of these things is to trigger a particular consumer behavior. I tend to feel like there are capitalistic forces at work in the world,” he continues. “The prospect to monetize human existence – in a sense is kind of crazy – is antithetical to why we’re here. It totally devalues who we are as human beings.”

The single, “Till the DJs Gone,” is off his upcoming sophomore album, Fall of the Giants, which is set to be released on January 31st. The title track of the forthcoming album, “Giants Fall,” had a video release during the summer of 2010. But unlike his most recent video, the “Giants Fall” full-length music video has a run time just under eight minutes. The video follows a struggling alcoholic, played by Juma, who grapples with deep seeded issues of witnessing his mother being abused by his father as a child.

“Domestic violence is the backdrop to this guys present day…. He is really in dire straits psychologically,” says Juma. The character creates an imaginary psychologist to help him sort out his twisted memories as he spirals deeper into a suicidal depression. A force emanates from a bible in the house – of which the character is reaching for – which transports him into a spirit world, “where he fights his giants in the form of these demonic smoke projectiles.”

This David and Goliath theme runs not only through the two singles, but the entirety of the album. “The whole album is about winning, overcoming, its about freedom, fear, and limitation. Whether its personal fear that holds people back from being the best that they can be. Whether it be societal limitations that keep people from coming together or keep people from excelling in society,” states Juma. His strength in his music stems from his ability to take a macro-perspective. “It speaks to overcoming any and all forms of obstacles, may it be emotional, spiritual, intellectual, societal. It speaks to the celebration of those giants falling.”

“I am a man of many giants,” states Juma. His album, though having political and cultural meanings, is rooted in a personal narrative. “What inspired me to come up with an album was my own personal giants in my own life. And that change to victory made me want to share it.”

His ideas work as thematic motifs and ubiquitous narrative arcs. The political bent on the album can also be applied to the music industry, something that Juma has a strong opinion about. “In celebrating the fall of giants, it absolutely connects to the deconstruction of the old model, institutions, and the old music industry… an institution that we now realize was in need of deconstruction, and now reconstruction.” Juma is a completely independent artist who often produces his work on his own. Furthermore, Fall of the Giants – like his first album – will be released on his own record label, Inniss Entertainment.

Juma’s opinions on the music industry are steeped in experience, as he is no newcomer to the rap game. His debut album, Blast Music, features the song “Pray 4 U” with guest vocals from Grammy winner John Legend. Juma befriended Legend back in 2001 when they were both working at a Boston management consultant firm. This was a time when Legend was still relatively unknown, slowly gaining popularity. After trading mixtapes, Legend and Juma decided to collaborate, creating a song about having faith in the face of adversity.

“Music has always been a part of my life,” explains Juma. He has opened for Fat Joe, Amanda Diva, The X-ecutioners, Kirk Franklin, and many others. When asked about why he makes music, Juma jokes, “the heavens didn’t open up, and a voice didn’t come down and say ‘Juma, do an album,’” the omniscient voice stated with a deep rumble. For him, music is just a given; it is a piece of his life.

With his upcoming release, the sister single of “Till the DJs Gone, “We Don’t Really Care,” is available as a free download on his soundcloud page. And further information about Juma can be found at facebook.com/JumaMusic.

So what’s next for Juma? After watching a TV show on the apocalyptic Mayan predictions for 2012, Juma jokingly mentioned that he is “reshaping [his] plans for the year.” But it is more likely that his future parallels his opinion on the music industry; we are moving back to “where it should be, back into the hands of the curators. With the digital age and the ability to record and release music at no cost has empowered artists.” And Juma is doing just that – exactly what his own music suggests – which is to defy the corporate music giants.

By Kevin DeStefano at Emmanuel College

Your favorite smart-phone can do everything that your laptop, cellphone and digital camera can do. Big whoop. We get it. Yes, your iPhone or shiny new tablet is nothing short of science fiction.

Finally, scientists have created devices that meet all of the expectations of your eleven year old self (aside from light-sabers). You thought that now all there was to look forward to was living on other planets and fighting robots that transformed into cars. You were wrong.

Here’s a list of crazy inventions that most people haven’t even heard of yet.

5. SixthSense

No, not the M. Night Shyamalan movie. SixthSense is the name given to the next step in wearable interactive technology. Invented by Pranav Mistry, a student at MIT who wanted to make the technology open source and affordable to mass produce. Essentially, it’s a camera attached to a projector, attached to a computer that you can wear anywhere.

Say you need to know if your next flight is delayed due to weather. Instead of taking out your smart-phone and bringing up an app, the camera on SixthSense reads your flight ticket and projects delay and delay times on the same ticket that you are currently reading. By using hand gestures, similar to Microsoft’s Kinect, the user has the ability to access all of the knowledge of the web without ever touching a keyboard.

4. Synthetic Meat

Where’s the beef? “In-vitro” meat is exactly as disturbing as it sounds. Not processed in a plant or factory, but “born” in a lab. Synthetic meat is chemically identical to tissue from a dead animal because it came from the same animal. The only difference is how the meal is prepared.

Synthetic meat is grown from culturing cells from animal tissue, so it’s completely organic – but it sure ain’t natural. Currently, it costs millions to produce small amounts of synthetic meat. In the near future, however, synthetic meat will be cheaper to produce than livestock.

Why is this such a cool invention? Because, in theory, it only takes one living cow to produce one million times its weight in meat.

Ethics aside, this same process could be used to create human tissue, possibly human organs for spare parts. Maybe immortality isn’t as far away as we think.

3.  3D Printing

Now the concept sounds simple, instead of printing a two dimensional sheet, printers can now create three dimensional models by using one machine. Why is this so incredible? Because instead of ink, these printers create objects; usually multiple materials at once. Steel, plastic, carbon fiber, copper, wood. You name it, they can print it.

The concept even goes as far as producing organic materials such as cells and tissues using the same technique of three dimensional layerings using computer generated mapping and accuracy.

Imagine one machine, loaded up with giant cartridges of raw materials, building  multiple houses complete with plumping and electrical wiring. The invention is so intuitive that as it improves, 3D printing could advance to creating complex machinery such as cars and planes and other objects with moving parts.

2. Wireless Electricity

Yes, that is correct. We said wireless electricity.

While technically not a new concept as it was first envisioned by historical genius Nikola Tesla, wireless electricity has finally been patented. Wireless power, or wireless energy transfer, is carried out by principles of induction and magnetism.

Magnets are placed on surfaces such as walls, floors, ceilings and directly connected to the power grid. Corresponding magnets are placed on electronic devices such as phones, televisions, or laptops and relay back and forth to create an electrical current supplying all of the devices.

Imagine owning an electric car and being able to park it in a location with a charging mat. Or, walking into a room and suddenly your mobile device starts charging. Wireless is the new revolution, and it is only a matter of time until wireless electricity is everywhere.

Photo Cred: Sciencenews.org

1.Graphene

Imagine waking up and walking to your front porch stoop to retrieve your morning newspaper when instead you lift a touch screen. The same weight, size and flexibility as a newspaper only with a fully interactive display that you can take to work or read on the morning commute to work.

Behold, the holy grail of modern technology and modern science. A carbon based material that is currently both the thinnest and strongest material known to man, graphene is also a great conductor of electricity as well as flexible. Samsung as well as many other developers have released prototypes of paper thin, flexible touch screens that implement graphene.

As far as abundance, graphene is as common as the graphite from pencils and is set to replace silicon as a semiconductor in computer chips. Graphene is sure to replace all display monitors, televisions, tablets and smart phones. Because it is such a new material, researchers haven’t even scratched the surface as to all of its applications. For that reason alone, it is number one on our list.

We Blasters tend to raise our electrical bills in November and December as we test out the holiday season’s gifts, games and gadgets. This year is no exception, economy or no economy. But what did surprise us this year were the extraordinarily low prices of some of the gifts — many of which are under $100 this year.

Without further ado:

OCZ Technology 240 GB Vertex 3 Solid State Drive – $400

If you have someone on your gift list that needs a computer upgrade, the odds are this is it. Solid state hard drives are the best thing going right now, the the OCZ Vertex 3 is a great one.

With a transfer rates averaging over 190 MB/sec on HD Tune, it is much faster than a traditional hard drive. Windows 7 is optimized for solid state drives, and they zoom. PC’s aren’t dead yet, so keep upgrading!

First Act Soulo iPad Microphone and Karaoke App – $69-$99

Of all the things your iPad can do, I bet you never thought to add “karaoke machine” to the list. Well keep on thinking, because you haven’t yet found something that your iPad can’t do.

The Soulo iPad Microphone and Karaoke App does both things. It has a full-size mic to jam away, and a functional app that displays lyrics from the songs in your iTunes library. It also has audio effects to improve pitch and make yourself sound halfway decent when you belt out your favs.

It even has a function to record music videos with the iPad 2′s camera.

The Soulo is $69 for a wired mic or $99 for wireless.

Callet Case, Cover and Wallet for iPhone 4 – $19.99

The Callet is just an example of smart thinking. It’s a simple piece of silicone that fits over your iPhone 4 and has slots on the back for your license, credit cards, etc. In the months before app-based payment takes over at every retail store, this looks like a happy medium.

The case is durable and comfortable both to store in your pocket and hold in your hand. It doesn’t obstruct any of the buttons, either.

If you’re looking for an affordable iPhone accessory that they’ll actually use, look here. Comes in pink and black.

Kensington AbsolutePower – $89.99

The Kensington AbsolutePower Laptop, Phone, Tablet Charger is the authority on device charging. Finally, there’s a device with enough juice and enough plugs to charge your laptop and two USB devices (phone, GPS, bluetooth, etc.) AT THE SAME TIME. Plug the AbsolutePower into one outlet, and it does the rest.

The device works with just about all laptops on the market. It has a power plug with a variety of adapters and two built-in USB ports with 2.1 amps of charging power, good enough for tablets and cell phones alike. This is a great dad gift, too.

Ecobee Smart Internet Thermostat – $400 plus installation

This is one of the most expensive items on the list, and it’s not a give-and-go present. The Ecobee Smart Thermostat requires about two hours of professional wiring and installation by an HVAC contractor, so be prepared for a $600 investment between the device and installation. You also need a WIFI network.

That said, this thing is awesome. The Ecobee is the best Internet-enabled home thermostat on the market, and the pros agree. You get a programmable, touchscreen-based thermostat that’s easy to use on the wall. But the reason you buy the Ecobee is that it’s also entirely app-enabled.

Download the free app for your smartphone (or iPad) and you’re good to go. You can access your thermostat from anywhere in the world, including any computer. You can program complex schedules or just turn on your A/C when you’re on the way home from work, so you arrive to a cool house in the afternoon.

The Cdock – $55, $65, $70

The Cdock is a simple as it gets. An iPhone dock, it uses the phone’s display to create a retro-looking clock while charging your iPhone/iPod touch in style. You use whatever clock/alarm app you want, and the Cdock makes it look good on the outside.

It’s a dock-only. No speakers or anything, but the Cdock plugs in via USB or regular electrical outlet to charge your phone.

The reason we’re drawn to the Cdock is simple: style. You can buy it in glossy black, brushed aluminum or natural walnut. This lets you actually match your iPhone dock to your furniture decor, without some black plastic dock standing out in the crowd.

Dragon NaturallySpeaking 11 – $39.99 to $95.99

This is the year of the voice.

With Siri getting things done for iPhone 4S users, this should be the year you finally give your wrists a rest with Dragon NaturallySpeaking. You can have the home edition for under $40 or the premium package for under $100.

Most importantly, the software works. You talk. It types. It’s accurate right out of the box or can be trained with your own style or accent. This makes a great student gift or a present for someone with a small office. Of course, if you’re buying for a doctor or lawyer, they may already have the software, so ask.

AeroPress Coffee Maker — $30

If you have a friend who’s a huge coffee nut, they probably already know about this device, but many still haven’t given it a try yet because they’re hopelessly dependent on a Keurig or even possibly a traditional coffee maker.

But the AeroPress really works. I have it and love it. Special thanks to Useful Things for providing me with one to test out. The video below, by former Maximum PC editor Will Smith, was my first experience seeing the AeroPress in action. Take a look.

Dazzle DVD Recorder HD — $50

For some reason, Avid did not put their brand name on the Dazzle DVD Recorder. That was a dumb move, because Avid is a symbol of video quality. It’s the software used by TV stations to edit news footage.

So for $50, the Dazzle DVD Recorder is a good bet. You can take any video from your old camcorders, new camcorders, digital cameras, smartphones, DVDs, and even your gaming consoles, and put it on your computer, YouTube, etc.

It’s a really poorly named product. It should be called Avid Dazzle HD. It can record DVDs, but that’s not
what your recipient will use it for.

playGo Wireless Media Streamer — $450

This is another one on the expensive list, but if you have someone in your family who loves music and gadgets, the playGo is a great gift.

It works with all computers (PC and Mac) and allows you to send any music or audio wirelessly to anywhere else in your house, including your kickass home theater receiver/surround sound.

The playGo is a way for people to play their home music library on their “good” speakers without needing to put it on an iPod/iPhone and without having to buy a second computer or a home-theater PC. It works great, and sends high-quality, distortion-free sound up to 75 feet away.

Remote Control Helicopter — $40

No matter what, you’re going to end up at T.J. Maxx and/or Marshalls at some point during your gift-buying frenzy.

In doing some research, I found a couple products that I’d be happy with. The first one is their Remote Control Helicopter. It’s a toy. Not much to it. You use the remote; it flies. It’s a great way to break stuff indoors, and I’m sure we could all figure out interesting ways to break IT outside.

More to come in the next few days, right up until Christmas!

The traditional music business is hemorrhaging cash, so record labels are increasingly finding themselves turning to an old money-making stalwart: the box set. The latter half of 2011 saw a seemingly never-ending parade of “Special,” “Deluxe,” “Super Deluxe,” and other superlative-laden collections from a variety of artists, often including re-recordings, never-before-heard songs, behind-the-scenes supplements, and of course, vinyl. You know, the kind of features that leave diehard fans salivating as they gaze longingly through the window of a record store (remember those?!?). Here, we break down some of the best offerings for the music fan on your Christmas list*.

AC/DC — Backtracks Collectors Box Set ($189)

This updated version of the band’s 2009 box set wins the award for coolest design, hands down. Why? Its contents (including three CDs, two DVDs, one LP and a hardcover photo book) are housed in A WORKING GUITAR AMPLIFIER. No joke. The recordings capture live and/or rare versions of AC/DC’s signature hits, and the DVDs include music videos and live performances up through 2009. But let’s face it — nothing can top flipping through concert photos from the band’s earliest tour dates while you plug in and jam out to “Highway to Hell,” no assembly required.

Beach Boys — The Smile Sessions Box Set ($140)

This treasure chest of the Beach Boys’ Album That Never Was contains five CDs, two LPs, two 7″ singles, dozens of unreleased photos, a 60-page book with input from the original band members as well as members of their entourage, and more. The CDs document the recording sessions in 1966 and 1967 for Smile, the follow-up album to Pet Sounds which was never released. (Vocalist Brian Wilson put out solo versions of the songs on his 2004 record of the same name.) Though it’s available in a significantly cheaper two-disc format, the “Good Vibrations” disc alone makes the expansive box set worth the extra dough: nearly 90 minutes documenting the piece-by-piece assemblage of the band’s classic single, with Wilson’s perfectionist genius on full display.

Also Available: 2-CD Deluxe Edition ($24); 2-LP Vinyl Edition ($26)

Elvis Presley — Young Man with the Big Beat ($104)

The five discs in this collector’s must-have are loaded with live versions and alternate takes of classics like “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hound Dog,” plus interviews with Presley and two discs of digitally remastered original recordings. An 80-page book highlights rare photos and documents, and the set even includes replicas of ’50s and ’60s memorabilia such as ticket stubs and promotional posters. It’s a box set fit for a King.

Nirvana — Nevermind Super Deluxe Edition (Price varies)

Good luck with this one. In their infinite wisdom, the marketing team at Geffen Records decided to release only 10,000 copies of the “Super Deluxe Edition” (containing four CDs, a DVD and a 90-page book) in the U.S. in October, and 30,000 for the rest of the world. So, fans who didn’t jump on it right away are out of luck (although, private sellers are currently advertising the set through Amazon for as little as $115). Those who opt for the cheaper 2-CD “Deluxe Edition” of Nevermind ($18) will get the original album, enhanced by B-sides, live versions and rehearsal takes. Vinyl enthusiasts who are willing to shell out $71 for the 4-LP “Deluxe Edition (Vinyl)” will be treated to the original album, plus alternate recordings. A word to the wise though: so far, buyer consensus on the vinyl version is that the remastered versions are less than stellar.

Pearl Jam

Not a box set per se, but grunge fans can put together their own Pearl Jam bundle in celebration of the band’s 20th anniversary. In 2011 alone, the Seattle rockers put out a coffee table book ($40), a DVD ($18) and a soundtrack ($19) to accompany the illuminating Cameron Crowe-directed documentary Pearl Jam: Twenty. In addition, completists will want to pick up the new live album Live on Ten Legs ($15), as well as a three-CD package containing deluxe editions of the band’s second and third albums, vs. and Vitalogy, as well as a live recording at Boston’s Orpheum Theater ($29).

Pink Floyd — Discovery Box Set: The Complete Studio Recordings ($180); Dark Side of the Moon: Immersion Box Set ($120); Wish You Were Here: Immersion Box Set ($120)

Zone out in your bedroom and fire up a … ahem, blacklight, as these sweet psychedelic sounds take you back to the 1960s and ’70s. The comprehensive Discovery collection includes a whopping 16 discs of remastered versions of the group’s 14 albums, complete with new packaging and lyric booklets for each. The set also includes a 60-page book of artwork. Floyd is also rolling out “Immersion Box Sets” of its most beloved albums (probably a better bet for more casual fans), which feature the original recordings, plus remixed and remastered versions, demos and live recordings. Both the Dark Side and Wish You Were Here special editions also include memorabilia such as coasters, a scarf and ticket/backstage pass replicas from the original tours. But be sure to save some money as you shop — the Immersion Box Set of The Wall is due out in February.

The Smiths – The Smiths Complete ($64); The Smiths Complete (vinyl) ($245)

The limited-edition (only 3,000 copies!) Super Deluxe box set is more or less off the market (selling for upwards of $650 by private sellers), and there’s no wonder it got snapped up so quickly. A wet dream for any diehard Morrissey/Marr fan, the set included CD and vinyl versions of all eight Smiths albums, plus 25 7″ singles, a poster, prints of the original album sleeves, and a DVD of the band’s music videos. Procrastinators will have to settle for one of two still-available but less cool versions. The $64 CD set (a steal) includes digitally remastered versions of all eight albums, while the pricier vinyl set contains the digital remasters in CD and vinyl form, as well as a booklet and poster.

U2 — Achtung Baby: Super Deluxe Edition ($140); Achtung Baby: Uber Deluxe Edition ($439)

This 10-disc (six CDs, four DVDs) set is essentially two box sets for the price of one — fans get remastered versions of the Irish quartet’s 1991 album Achtung Baby, as well as the follow-up, 1993′s Zooropa, plus B-sides and remixes. But the best inclusion is the “Kindergarten” disc, which features “baby” versions (aw) of the tracks on Achtung Baby. (“One” is a standout). The DVDs include music videos, live performances and bonus footage. The set also comes with a hardback book and 16 art prints. Uber fans may opt for the … well, “Uber Deluxe” limited edition (whose job is it to name these things?), which includes all of the above, plus five 7″ singles, badges, stickers and — wait for it — a pair of Bono’s “The Fly” sunglasses. Housed in a magnetic tile box, it’ll set you back a mere $440.

Also available: 2-CD “Deluxe Edition” ($30); Achtung Baby Vinyl Box ($132)

It’s Christmas morning (or the first night of Hanukah), and I look in my stocking (or beneath my Menorah), and what’s the gift I see from Blast Magazine: a note telling me to assemble a list of the top 25 holiday movies ever made. Was I naughty or nice to get this assignment. Rewind three weeks, and this is the task put before me by Blast.

I found this a more daunting assignment than my previous list of top ten vampire movies. Holiday movies span all film genres and are far more numerous than vampire films. Plus, we’re talking top 25 here—not a measly 10.

So here we go…and for all of you who think A Very Brady Christmas should be on the list, it just missed at number 26.

25. The Hebrew Hammer (2003)

I don’t even know if this was in theaters, but it gained some life on Comedy Central. There aren’t too many movies with an ass-kicking Jewish guy in it, and Eight Crazy Nights was so bad it could never make this list. Here we have a Holiday movie that includes everything (Christmas, Hanukah, and Kwanzaa), and though you may think me ‘mishugina’ for including this, The Hebrew Hammer’s tagline alone makes it worthy: “If you’re in trouble…and you’re a Jew…and it’s not past Sundown on Friday…you should call The Hebrew Hammer!”

24. Barabbas (1961)

The first of the Biblical epics on this list that centers, directly or indirectly, around the life and times of Christ. This movie, starring Anthony Quinn, takes place in the days and years following the Crucifixion, as Barabbas, who was set free in place of Christ, struggles with a kind of survivor’s guilt and a very great question: is he a Christian? A spiritual exploration that anyone can appreciate during the Holiday season.

23.  The Polar Express (2004)

Cutting edge animation and the voice of Tom Hanks characterize this children’s film in which a young boy boards a magical train bound for the North Pole. The estimated budget for this movie was a whopping $165 million. I’m not sure if it earned its money back, but this list isn’t about box office; it’s about good Holiday movies. And The Polar Express deserves a place among our top 25.

22. Love Actually (2003)

Interweaving storylines were all the rage a few years back. Crash, Babel, and a few others. Enter to the genre Love Actually, which tells the tale of a number of characters (including the Prime Minister of England) in London during the Christmas season. It’s the kind of movie you can picture Hugh Grant in, and, not surprisingly, Hugh Grant is in this movie: it’s lighthearted, feel good, and the perfect cup of holiday cheer—with the added flavor of being a little different in terms of its approach to storytelling.

21. A Christmas Tale (2008)

Let’s get in our sleigh now and fly across the Channel to go to France for A Christmas Tale. This film received a Palme D’Or nomination at Cannes and stars the great Catherine Deneuve. It’s the story of a dysfunctional family that must coalesce around a cancerous matriarch during Christmas, but it’s not as dour as you might think. The French can do comedy, and this film is a more uplifting, slapsticky version of The Ice Storm.

“I just found a piece of hair in my pizza, but I am going to pretend that it was mine because I really, REALLY love this pizza.”

You can easily notice Siobhan Magnus’s laid back personality in almost every aspect in her life, even when it comes to: pizza. Siobhan’s interview took place at a restaurant of her choice, California Pizza Kitchen. It’s not difficult to understand her love for pizza

Her best friend Brittany Whittman didn’t seem surprised at all and it was almost impossible to suppress laughter. Along with her love for pizza, Siobhan’s love for music is undying.

Words such as unique, different, or even individualistic do not come close to being able to describe the personality and style of Siobhan Magnus. From her taste in music to her choice of style, this Cape Cod finalist is quite timeless.

Trying out for American Idol was something that briefly crossed Siobhan’s mind. While at lunch when I first asked her about where the initial idea to tryout came from, best friend Whittman started laughing. “I told her not to do it,” said Whittman.

To any bystander, Whittman’s comment could be completely shocking, but looking back at our lunch date I become more shocked with the idea that Siobhan was part of American Idol in the first place. That statement isn’t meant as an insult at all. After anyone has had any interaction with Siobhan, they would have a similar reaction as well.

Quite frankly, she isn’t your typical pop star. Actually, it would be completely absurd to even put her name and pop star into the same sentence.

Pop stars adapt to new trends and do whatever is necessary to get their music out on the radio. They dress how they are told to dress, and sing what is written for them to sing. Pop stars are simply sell outs. That is why Siobhan will never fit that category.

Auto tune will never replace her soulful voice. Her music takes on the rock, blues, and soul genre. But for her, it’s a lot more. “I would describe it as storytelling music,” said Siobhan.

Musical talent is something that’s run in Siobhan’s blood. “My father is a musician. Once he found out that I was actually good at music and wanted to pursue it he sat me down and said ‘If you want this, we need to find ways to make you better,” explained Siobhan. She became involved in every musical class or group available at her high school and even performed in theater.

She spoke of eventually dipping her feet into acting. Her love for music also coincides with theater. Siobhan spoke about being exposed to theater at a young age because her older siblings were involved, and they always used her as an extra.

Siobhan was accepted at Salem State College, but eventually dropped out and starting working as an apprentice glassblower. However, one of her older brother’s knew she was meant for something much bigger. He made a deal with her.

He gave her a lock box that had a slot in it. In the box was a ticket to Nashville. “He told me that if I was able to put two hundred dollars in this box then he would give me the key to it,” said Siobhan. It didn’t take too long for her to accumulate the money.

While in Nashville is when Siobhan got the call about American Idol tryouts. “My friend and I made a deal that if they ever came to Boston we would go and try out.” The call was good timing. Her grandmother was starting to get worried about her in Nashville and constantly asked when she would be back.

“I got back the night before the audition,” said Siobhan. My initial reaction was: so wait, when did you have time to prepare?

Footage of girls explaining their preparation for their American Idol audition can be found anywhere on the internet. Some spent months taking vocal lessons others spent entire days rehearsing. It’s all very extreme.

Siobhan , let’s just say, took an entirely different approach. When I asked her about her rehearsing schedule she said, “I chose my song fifteen minutes before I was going to audition.” I think that perfectly depicts her personality.

Even though she had somewhere to be after lunch, it was never rushed. There was always something new to speak about and it was always laid back with a mixture of laughter.

She could have easily sounded annoyed when she explained her miserable car ride on her way to auditions. “More than half way there we have to turn around because I forgot everything I needed,” said Siobhan. She left all her forms of identification that she needed in order to audition.

To make matters worse, she also received a speeding ticket. While reiterating this story she laughed the entire time; not one complaint.

Her new single, Black Doll, is currently available on iTunes. “Black doll is half a homage to Edward Gorey and the other half is making that connection between myself and Gorey; talking about how everyone feels out of place sometimes, but there is nothing wrong with that. My favorite thing about the song is the allusion to things only my family will get. That line about the “purple house,” is the house I grew up in, my house is the only purple one and is kind of a landmark in my neighborhood,” said Siobhan.

Edward Gorey is one of the reasons as to why Siobhan gained more publicity. She not only shows her artistic nature through her music, but also through the tattoos that she has on her body. One night on American Idol, one of her tattoos were showing. Her tattoo is a tribute to Edward Gorey. Her manager saw this while he was in a bar and instantly tried to get in contact with her.

“His people were trying to get in touch with my people,” said Siobhan.

Since American Idol, Siobhan has been working on her debut album. She has released two singles. Siobhan has also been seen on The Ellen Degeneres Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. She was part of the American Idols LIVE! Tour 2010. She has also sang the national anthem at Fenway before a Red Sox game.

Siobhan made her solo debut at the Wilbur Theatre on Oct. 30. At her show, “Hallowe’en Dreams,” she introduced her new album, “Moon baby.”

I was going for a fresh start with my computer. It’s been running slow. There’s a lot of stuff installed that I don’t need. So I did some autumn cleaning, opening the case to dust it up and then doing a fresh format and install of Windows 7 Ultimate. (All my documents, photos, videos, music, and other files are stored off the “C” drive. (See this article for more info on “Clean Starting” your PC)

Besides Office and iTunes, and this handy guide I created a while back, here are some more programs (in no particular order) that you should download and install:

10. Foxit Reader

Adobe/Acrobat Reader was a default for me for years. Every time I configured a new computer, it was one of the first programs I installed. Until now.

Thanks to MaximumPC, a magazine I’ve read and subscribed to for years, I found Foxit Reader. Apparently, 100 million other people have found it too.

It’s fast and light, allowing you to view PDFs with just 3MB of memory used. It’s free, but there’s also a professional version for $40 if you want to do some PDF editing. I think I’m in love.

One warning, when you install it, it does try to bundle a browser toolbar with it. Just uncheck that option.

9. 7-Zip

Sure every new version of Windows supports Zip files natively, but what about the occasional RAR or ISO file? What about GZIP and TAR files?

7-Zip is a tiny program that integrates into the Windows 7 shell to give you native-looking support for all these formats. It is a great program that does not hog resources.

8. Filezilla

Sure iCloud and Dropbox are great, but I back up a lot of my files on personal webservers, and I still like FTP as the way to go when it comes to accessing those files. It also comes in handy for editing website files on the fly.

Filezilla is the best way to use FTP in Windows. You can download a client and a server app for free under the GNU license. It’s a great way to handle files.

7. Notepad++

Good ole Notepad. One of the last unchanged vestiges of Windows 3.1 days. Personally, I love Notepad, but my eyes don’t. Neither does my head after a migraine induced by a difficult CSS editing session.

Notepad++ is just that. It is a basic text editor that does two things that we tech nerds need: It supports more than one document, and it highlights HTML and programming code in easily recognizable colors.

It is a smart text editor that is also amazingly fast, almost as fast and unassuming as the original Notepad. But once you install Notepad++, you’ll know why I’m never going back.

6. Audacity

This isn’t new at all, but if it is to you, then shame!

I love Sony’s Acid software for music projects and anything that requires a lot of power, but for everything else, including podcasts and streaming interviews, it’s Audacity. Audacity does for free almost as much as hundreds of dollars worth of audio software can do, and it’s so easy to use.

Audacity is a default app for Emerson College as well, and if the journalism and multimedia students are using it, you should too.

The only pain is that you have to download the MP3 plugin separately.

5. Gimp or Photoshop Elements?

Gimp is the open-source response to $500 for Adobe Photoshop. It’s very decent software. It is what Open Office is to Microsoft Office. Powerful, but lacking in the polish department. It’s also free.

If you want to buy something, Photoshop Elements is an under-$100 alternative to the full version, and it’s worth a glance. If you primarily do photo editing, retouching, and the like, Elements is really all you need. It gives you layers and most of the tools you use in the full version.

Still…I don’t use either. I admit it. I have the full version. I use it for Blast’s graphical needs, and I also need things like Adobe InDesign and Contribute.

4. Secunia PSI

This is a new one for me, but I’ve started to really enjoy it. Secunia Personal Software Inspector keeps tabs on all the software you have installed on your computer and checks them against a database of known vulnerabilities. It will tell you if you need a new patch or if your older software is at end-of-life, possibly leaving it vulnerable to exploits.

You can disable the tray icon and just scan your computer manually, but I have it running right now, it it only uses 1.2MB of memory, so I’m happy. When you’re doing a clean start install of Windows, it’s great to have this one running, because it will tell you what you still have to patch, even when you think you’re done.

3. bioPDF

Here’s another one that goes against the Adobe grain. bioPDF is a PDF Printer that lets you do just that. Everyone runs into a time when they need to create a PDF, and there are a lot of bloated or adware-filled options out there. This is not one of those. This is a quick, tiny, and free PDF creator.

2. GnuCash

We all need a little accounting software in our lives. For most people, that’s Quicken. For small business owners, it’s QuickBooks. But both cost money, and people tend to think they have to buy it new all the time, because new versions keep coming out every year.

I use GnuCash. It’s larger than your usual free app (about 400MB) but that works in its favor in this case. GnuCash is also the only title of its kind to make PCMag.com’s Best Free Software of 2011 list.

The best thing is, if you have an old version of Quicken of Microsoft Money, you can import your old backup files into GnuCash.

1. TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt is an encryption program. Not everyone needs it. Some people really need it. No matter. TrueCrypt won’t stop the CIA or a police raid on your computer, but if you want to hide sensitive, uh, photos from a snooping friend, roommate, or significant other, it will do the trick.

All snark aside, there are perfectly valid reasons to use this software. People store all kinds of sensitive information on their computers (see Gnucash) and this software lets you protect it.

As we near Thanksgiving this year, we also near the release of the newest Muppets movie today. “The Muppets” is being brought to us by writers Jason Segel (of “How I Met Your Mother” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” fame) and Nicholas Stoller (“Get Him to the Greek,” “Yes Man”) and director James Bobin (“Flight of the Conchords”). This year’s franchise reboot is hoping to breathe life back into Jim Henson’s lovable family of puppets, who have been missing from the big screen for over a decade.

Blast put together a Muppet timeline that chronicles the ups and downs of the Muppet gang from its beginning in 1969 to the current day.

1955 – 1961: Five Minutes With “Sam and Friends” student from the University of Maryland named Jim Henson creates a five minute show, called “Sam and Friends,” that airs twice every day on Washington D.C.’s NBC affiliate WRC-TV. The show features a title human character named Sam who is accompanied by a silly group of puppets, which are created and voiced by Henson. Voices are also provided by (Henson’s future wife) Jane Nebel, Bob Payne, and Jerry Juhl. “Sam and Friends” introduced viewers to puppets Kermit (not considered a frog yet), Professor Madcliffe, Chicken Liver, Pierre the French Rat, Yorick, and many others. As “Sam and Friends” grew in popularity, the characters began making appearances on other popular shows, such as NBC’s “Today”, “The Ed Sullivan Show”, and “The Jimmy Dean Show”. Check out the video below for a glimpse of Kermit on “Sam and Friends” before he became a star:

Bert, Ernie, Betty Lou, Roosevelt Franklin, Gordon and Susan on the first season of "Sesame Street"

November 10, 1969: “Sesame Street” Makes its Television Debut After over a decade of development, Jim Henson’s refined cast of puppets breaks into the spotlight with the premiere of “Sesame Street.” The television show, created by TV documentary producer Joan Ganz Cooney, aims to give pre-schoolers an education through entertainment. Families are introduced to classic characters such as Kermit the Frog, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Grover, and Bert and Ernie. Jim Henson combines the words marionette and puppet and deems his creations “Muppets.”

Scred and Ploobis with Raquel Welch on "SNL", April 24th 1976

1975: Muppets Grow Up On First Season of “Saturday Night Live” With the debut of “Saturday Night Live,” Jim Henson sees an opportunity to cater the Muppets to adult audiences rather than kids. The first ten episodes of “SNL” contain a segment that features Muppet characters Ploobis and Scred. Ploobis and Scred’s sketches frequently include adult subject matter such as drunkenness, affairs, and sex toys. As the first season comes to a close and the second begins, SNL’s writers express displeasure in having to write Ploobis and Scred sketches. The characters cease to appear on the show by April of 1976.

January 29, 1976: “The Muppet Show” Debuts

After the mishap with “Saturday Night Live,” Jim Henson decides to take a new approach with the Muppets: appealing to kids and parents alike. As if to signal a fresh start, “The Muppet Show” stars an entirely new (with the exception of Kermit the Frog) ensemble cast of Muppets that includes Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Gonzo the Great, geezer duo Statler and Waldorf, and countless others. In it’s run from 1976 to 1981, the show lands 21 Primetime Emmy nominations, four Emmy wins, three BAFTA awards, and a Peabody Award in 1979.

June 22, 1979: “The Muppet Movie” Hits the Big Screen

With “The Muppet Show” hitting it’s stride, Henson recognizes the potential for a film. “The Muppet Movie” provides an origin story for the Muppet gang, explaining how each of the major characters (Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, etc) met one another and how they began their journey to Hollywood together. The film is a box office smash, making $65.2 million domestically, which equates to $202.7 million today. It also does well critically, garnering a Golden Globe nomination and two Academy Award nominations (all for music). Roger Ebert gives “The Muppet Movie” 3.5 out of 4 stars and Variety magazine calls the film “a well-crafted combo of musical comedy and fantasy adventure.”

1981: “The Great Muppet Caper” and the end of “The Muppet Show”

The spring of 1981 brings about the series conclusion of “The Muppet Show,” which airs its final episode with guest Shirley Bassey on March 15th. The show has aired a total of 120 episodes and run for a total of five seasons. The show is cancelled not due to lack of interest but rather Jim Henson wishing to devote more of his time to other projects, particularly his upcoming film “The Dark Crystal”, to be released in December of 1982.

Almost two years to the exact day after “The Muppet Movie” premiered, the Muppets return to the big screen with “The Great Muppet Caper.” In this film, Kermit and Fozzie play twin brothers who are newspaper reporters for The Daily Chronicle. When fashion designer Lady Holiday’s valuable diamond necklace is stolen, Kermit and Fozzie are put on the case. In their travels, they meet up with other Muppets like Rowlf, Scooter, and Miss Piggy, all of them playing characters other than themselves. “The Great Muppet Caper” is another box office success (though not as popular as the previous movie), making $31.2 million. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $77.7 million today. The film doesn’t do as well critically, with Roger Ebert calling it, “too nice, too routine, too predictable, and too safe.”

1983: “Fraggle Rock”

Two years after “The Muppet Show” saw its last episode, Jim Henson uses the popularity of the Muppets to bring a new puppet show into the spotlight – “Fraggle Rock”. The new show focuses on a race of human-like Muppets called Fraggles, who come in a variety of colors and live in caves. The idea of “Fraggle Rock” is to create an internationally relatable and translatable version of “Sesame Street”. Like he’s done before, Henson introduces an entirely new and separate bunch of Muppets with the Fraggles, and likewise no classic Muppet characters make guest appearances on the show. Following in the footsteps of “The Muppet Show”, “Fraggle Rock” is a hit, airing for five seasons with a total of 96 episodes.

1984: “The Muppets Take Manhattan”

In their third film appearance, the Muppets decide to give Broadway a try, attempting to get their own musical onto the stages of New York City. “The Muppets Take Manhattan” sees the gang playing themselves again, as opposed to playing separate characters like they did in the previous film. For the first time, the Muppet Babies are introduced in a flashback – these baby characters will resurface in a future Saturday morning cartoon. “The Muppets Take Manhattan” is also the first Muppet movie to be directed by Frank Oz, the voice of Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Animal, Cookie Monster and others. Though “Manhattan” does not fair as well at the box office as its predecessors, it still makes $25.5 million domestically.

“The Muppets Take Manhattan” is the last Muppet film that Henson will see released in theaters before his death in May of 1990.

Newspaper article about the London memorial for Jim Henson

May 16th, 1990: Jim Henson Dies from Bacterial Pneumonia

By the beginning of May, 1990, Jim Henson had begun experiencing flu-like symptoms. On May 12, while on a family trip to North Carolina to see his father and stepmother, he visits a local doctor who finds no signs of pneumonia. Henson takes an early flight home to New York and visits with his then separated wife Jane. In the early morning hours of May 15^th, he finally gives into pressure from Jane to go to the hospital. Jim’s condition rapidly deteriorates, causing him to pass away the next morning.

After Henson’s death, two public memorial services are held – one in New York and one in London. Following a stipulation set forth by Jim himself, attendees are forbidden to wear black. Each service features performances from the Muppets as well as a solo by Big Bird. Printed on each program is a quote taken from a letter that Henson wrote to his children four years prior to his death: “Please watch out for each other and love and forgive everybody. It’s a good life, enjoy it.”

1991 – 1994: “Dinosaurs”

Just prior to his death, Jim Henson had been working on a new idea for a sitcom called “Dinosaurs”. The half-hour comedy begins airing in April of 1991 on ABC. The show follows a family of dinosaurs who live a human-like life complete with living in houses, paying taxes, and working 9-5 jobs.

The project is a collaboration between Michael Jacobs Productions, The Jim Henson Company, and Disney’s Touchstone Entertainment. “Dinosaurs” is the first Henson production to rely heavily on animatronics, which were developed by Brian Henson’s (Jim’s son) company London Creature Shop.

1992: “The Muppets Christmas Carol”

“The Muppets Christmas Carol” is the first time the Muppets reappear after Jim Henson’s death. The film, directed by Jim’s son Brian Henson, provides a Muppet-reimagining of Charles Dickens’ classic tale A Christmas Carol, replacing many of the characters with Muppets. Gonzo plays Dickens himself, narrating a tale that features Kermit as Bob Crachit, Miss Piggy as Emily Crachit, Fozzie Bear as Fozziewig, and Michael Caine as Scrooge. “The Muppets Christmas Carol” reestablishes the Muppets’ relevance after an eight year absence from the big screen. The movie takes in $27.2 million domestically.

1996: “Muppet Treasure Island”

Like “The Muppet Christmas Carol” before it, “Muppet Treasure Island” adapts a classic story by casting the Muppets in the story’s major roles. Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop and Billy Connolly make up the non-Muppet cast, playing Long John Silver, Jim Hawkins, and Billy Bones respectively. Roger Ebert gives the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, calling it “a near miss”. “Muppet Treasure Island” makes $34.3 million in domestic box offices.

1996 – 1998: “Muppets Tonight”

With hopes of resurrecting the magic of “The Muppet Show”, “Muppets Tonight” begins airing in March of 1996. However, the show fails to attract the audiences that the old show once did and “Tonight” is pulled after two seasons and 22 episodes. Despite being a failure, the series did introduce a handful of new Muppets, including Pepe the King Prawn and Bobo the Bear (both of which appear in the latest Muppet movie “The Muppets”).

1999: “Muppets from Space”

The sixth Muppet feature film spelled disaster for the franchise, suffering both financially and critically. With a reported budget of $24 million (BoxOfficeMojo), the movie grosses just $16.6 million domestically. Most critics pan “Muppets from Space”, describing serious franchise fatigue and remarking that the Muppets are quickly becoming irrelevant. Roger Ebert gives the film 2 out of 4 stars and writes in his review: “Maybe ‘Muppets from Space’ is just not very good, and they’ll make a comeback. I hope so. Because I just don’t seem to care much anymore.” Everybody seems to agree that “Muppets from Space” is the proverbial final nail in the coffin.

2002 & 2005: The Muppets Are Reduced to Made-for-TV Movies

In an attempt to prevent the Muppets from fading completely from public memory, two made-for-television films are broadcasted on TV: “It’s a Very Muppet Christmas Movie” in 2002 and “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz” in 2005. Star-power alone fails to save “Christmas,” which features the likes of David Arquette, Joan Cusack, William H. Macy, and Whoopi Goldberg. “The Muppet’s Wizard of Oz” is a similar story, starring Ashanti, Jeffrey Tambor, and Queen Latifah.

2011: Triumphant Return Predicted for the Muppets

“The Muppets” was released today, a day before Thanksgiving. The film is Disney’s attempt to reboot the aged franchise after a staggering twelve-year absence from theaters. New life is being breathed into the Muppets through a young new crew led by writer/star Jason Segel. Segel wrote the script with Nicholas Stoller (“Yes Man”) and James Bobin (writer/director for HBO’s hit “Flight of the Conchords”) directed the feature. A media blitz of a promotional campaign has created substantial buzz about “The Muppets”, particularly amongst nostalgic fans who grew up watching the Muppets as kids. As of the night before the premiere of “The Muppets”, the movie had a perfect 100% rating on RottenTomatoes.com based on 58 reviews.

After touring almost non-stop for the past few years, the members of The Airborne Toxic Event are understandably worn out, but that does not stop frontman Mikel Jollett from goofing around during interviews.

“Wouldn’t it be great if I gave you a bunch of misinformation and stuck with it?” he said, before launching into an epic (and made up) tale of bonding over music in Bangladesh with drummer Daren Taylor. Then, with barely a beat in-between, he switches angles: “I was raised by wolves. We would ritualistically and tribally chant every night before bed as a way of trying to further stay in touch with our roots. My introduction to rock ‘n roll – it makes sense if you think about it.”

The Los Angeles-based quintet is in the middle of yet another tour promoting their second full-length album, “All At Once,” and there is no rest in sight. As one of the hardest working groups in the current rock scene, fans have gotten used to seeing Jollett and his band mates roll through town every few months. But despite being away from home so often, the group still manages to retain that sense of humor and passion for music, no matter what.

The real version of how the band formed is more tragic. Back in 2006, Jollett’s mom found out she had pancreatic cancer, and he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder that, in Jollett’s words, “makes you look like Moby.” As if that wasn’t bad enough, he broke up with his girlfriend the same week.

“I just started playing guitar as a way of dealing, I guess,” Jollett said. “It started off almost like a joke, but I started playing every day for like four hours, and then four became five, and five became six, until all I did was play guitar, play piano, and write songs. So I thought ‘Well, looks like this thing is not just a hobby and maybe I should try and do something with it.’”

Looking back now that the band is successful, the decision makes sense, but at the time, Jollett said nothing could have been more absurd.

“Now it’s like, ‘Well obviously you were going to be a musician,’ but it was like no, people thought I was fucking nuts. I went to tell my folks and it was exactly as if I was telling them I was going to join the circus,” he said. He had been accepted into Yaddo, an artists’ community in New York. “It was like, ‘Here, go become the writer you always wanted to be. Go become one of the – and this is in all caps – exciting young writers of your generation!’” But about two months before he was scheduled to go, he decided to start a rock band instead. “It was like saying, ‘I’m going to follow my dream of training elephants.’”

But somehow, everything clicked into place as one by one, Jollett connected with Taylor, viola player Anna Bulbrook, guitarist Steven Chen and bassist Noah Harmon. “We just clicked. We all had other things that we were thinking about doing but right from the first show, it was just a thing.”

Two studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and four years of touring later, and the band members are a bit drained.

“You want to be polite, and say it’s all awesome and you’re so grateful. And you are, and it is. But we are tired,” Jollett said. “It’s not like we’re not grateful for it. It’s just hard to see which way is up right now. You lose track of reality pretty easily.”

That’s not to say that the band is not enjoying touring; in fact, they are still having a blast performing every night. The Airborne Toxic Event is one of those rare bands that may be even better live than recorded, simply because everyone appears to genuinely enjoy being onstage. The live shows are not a chore or an excuse to sell overpriced merchandise to fans. Rather, the band members are having as good of a time as the audience.

“The shows themselves are just playtime, like let’s go fuck around with the crowd,” Jollett said.

Recently, Jollett uncovered a particularly rewarding experience. On this past spring’s tour, they avoided playing the acoustic “The Graveyard Near The House,” off of “All At Once.” They assumed fans wanted loud, screaming guitars, not soft songs about death and decay. But when the band was inundated with requests to play that exact song, they decided to include it on the set list this time around.

“I’m just really, really enjoying this. After four years on the road of loud guitars to have this quiet moment with the audience…it’s really cool,” Jollett said.

Songs about death are not unusual for the Airborne Toxic Event, a band which takes its name from Don DeLillo’s novel, “White Noise,” about a chemical spill and the resulting noxious cloud that forces characters to confront their mortality.

“Fear and uncertainty are my way of dealing with songwriting,” Jollett said. “For me, the ideas that are compelling are the ones about being afraid to die, the way that being afraid to die makes you more excited about being alive. And knowing that the clock is ticking has the effect of forcing you to make decisions. Having the realization that your life is short makes you make some decisions not to waste that time and that’s a good thing.”

The band is finding non-musical ways to have fun and celebrate life as well; in fact, their fascination with fireworks has gotten them into trouble with the police in multiple cities while touring. “We blew up a piano in Boise once in a big concrete parking lot,” Jollett said while mimicking the sound of fireworks going off. “We stuffed it full of explosives and exploded it. As awesome as it could be, it was literally even more awesome. The fire department, as they pulled up, they looked at it and they were laughing.”

Ultimately, The Airborne Toxic Event works so well simply because they are all actually friends.

“It’s funny, we’re out on the road and we get so sick of each other and then we’re home for a few days and we’ll sort-of sheepishly call each other. ‘Hey man. So what are you doing? Want to hang out?’” Jollett said. “You know, after hanging out with the same people, you get so sick of one another but we are actually pretty good friends. We know that our fates are entwined and we take that part pretty seriously.”

For Leah Siegel, her musical act Firehorse and latest album, “And So They Ran Faster…” have been a long and hard-earned time coming.

As she told it, after years of working and performing in Boston and New York, she came to realize that she wasn’t being honest in her art – or with herself.

“I sort of took a step back and I thought ‘Something is wrong here. It doesn’t feel like me. I feel like I’m cutting corners so that I can fit in someone else’s kind of paradigm of belonging, of what I’m supposed to be, where I’m supposed to fit in,’” Siegel said.

Burnt out and broke, she decided to start from square one to remember what she loved about music and who, as an artist, she really wanted to be.

In this search for identity she stumbled upon a zodiac calendar, which placed her under the sign of the Horse. Researching further, she found the story of women born under a subset sign, the Fire Horse. Born just after the turn of the 20th century, they were thought to be “too gregarious, too independent, too fiery”, as Leah explains, to be suitable matches for anyone. As a result, in an era of arranged marriages, they were fated to live and die in destitution.

Feeling out of place, without real artistic identity, Leah was struck by how deeply this story of rejection and inability to express oneself resonated.

“I knew that I felt wild, and out of control, and destructive, and goal-oriented, and gregarious. And I felt all of those things, but certainly wasn’t channeling that in my music,” she said. “I listen to it now and I imagine someone holding a gun to my head.”

In taking the name Firehorse, Siegel hoped to remind herself to represent these facets of herself even if, like the Firehorse women of history, it doomed her. “The long and the short of it is that when I think about myself as a musician, (Firehorse) is what I want to be. That is who I want to inhabit.” In other words, she says, “I don’t want to make the music I think I’m supposed to make, I want to make the music that I want to make.”

It hasn’t been easy, though. Leah admits that part of adapting the Firehorse identity was embracing her own femininity, which, in the recording industry, often seemed to be an obstacle.

“It does seem that dude industry guys can take on like five boy bands, who sound exactly the same, but only take on 1 chick. Ever,” she said. “It’s like his penis compass gets so out of whack when there’s more than one woman in his life, you know what I mean? It’s just like whipping him around and he can’t get anything done … I like to think that that’s really what that’s about.”

It is little surprise that in writing “And So They Ran Faster…” Leah feels that she faced some of the darkest writing she’s ever done. It was “a battle” to complete, she said, “and I would just sit down and be like ‘I can’t take this anymore, it’s so dark. I’m gonna kill myself if I don’t do something else right now.’”

From these moments came songs “Our Hearts”, and “Machete Gang Holiday,” unquestionably the most lighthearted tracks to be found on the record.

“Those songs were sort of as I was starting to experience different feelings, ideas, and sensations in my life after many years of kind of feeling just quite bad,” she admitted.

While it’s clear she’s come a long way, even she hesitates to say what comes next. She’d love to do a tour, “because the live show is really fuckin’ awesome”, she said with a laugh.

But for a self-declared workhorse, the sky really is the limit.

“Now, as an artist,” she said, “you’ve never arrived. Because there’s always some other boundary, there’s always some other limitation you see in your artistry that you need to crash through. That’s how I feel about it, that’s always how I felt about it, that art is the only thing I can do with my life that, I don’t know, could send me down the rabbit hole…I just imagine that I’ll always be lugging boulders up the side of a rock cliff – an eternally rising rock cliff. Which sounds awesome to me.”

For now, Siegel hopes that her work resonates with listeners, but she’s willing to be candid about that, too.

“I think it’s one of those records where you either get it or you don’t,” she said, “and for the people who get it, I thank you, and I’m so honored. And for the people who don’t, I thank you too for giving it a shot. No hard feelings.”

Siggy Flicker (Media cedit/VH1)

Move over Patti Stanger: There’s a new matchmaker on the scene. No, this isn’t some feeble attempt to pay homage to the greatest maker of matches of all time: the inimitable Charles Nelson Reilly, may he rest in peace. (Dear God that man was a genius.) I’m referring, of course, to Siggy Flicker, VH1’s newest star of Why Am I Still Single?!, airing on Sundays at 9 p.m. Flicker, who the Village Voice referred to as “a hyper mix of Teri Hatcher and Sandra Bullock,” has spent years — 20, to be exact – creating a successful matchmaking business, recently gaining the attention of VH1 executives perhaps inclined to knock Stanger off her throne. With help from her team of “recruiters” (Victor, Chynna and Hayley) and stylists (the Moxie Twins, Jenn and Jamie Dunn), Flicker’s goal on the show is to help men and women find real love by helping them discover what they’re doing wrong so they can break the habits and behaviors that are keeping them single.

Flicker’s an interesting character, the type of woman you’d want as a best friend but who also might be slightly overwhelming at times. A fellow member of the tribe, she talks a mile a minute, hints of her Jersey accent peeking through occasionally, with a passion that’s clearly a prerequisite for those working in the matchmaking industry. Flicker and I caught up on the phone recently to discuss the show, her background, and the answer to that million dollar question: Why are you still single?

Like her passion for life and love, Flicker’s personal back story lends itself well to the business: After her first marriage with the supposed “perfect man” ended due to lack of chemistry, Flicker, two children to her credit, grabbed her proverbial bootstraps and put herself back into the challenging world of dating, determined to find a man with whom she had a real connection. Find that man she did: He’s a “bald, used car salesman,” Flicker says proudly and matter-of-factly. Together for six years and tying the knot next spring, Flicker feels fortunate that she abandoned the checklist because it led her to Michael ultimately. “For years, finding a mate was about making everyone else happy, dating the lawyer, the doctor, etc., but you can’t guarantee chemistry. I met Michael and fell madly in love.”

Flicker can thus relate to people’s dating struggles and that’s what makes her so appealing, both in her business as a matchmaker and a character on reality TV. “I know what it’s like to be out there starting over, but I also practiced what I currently preach,” says Flicker. She adds: “I could have stayed with my ex-husband, but I changed my attitude and got out with class and dignity and went searching for true chemistry.”

Attitude, contends Flicker, is what it’s all about. And finally, we get to the crux of the matter: The main reason people who don’t want to be single are still single is their attitudes. “Singles need to change their attitudes in life, they need to not have unrealistic expectations about people, and they can’t look at dating as a chore or burden,” opines Flicker. “This is not Iraq, for God’s sake, you aren’t losing your legs!”

Flicker also has some strong opinions about her more famous matchmaking counterpart Patti Stanger. “This is not Millionaire Matchmaker,” she says. “My show is not about money. I observe clients on dates to uncover their faulty patterns and help them understand what they are doing, and help them to find true chemistry.”

Flicker also practices in her business what she preaches to her clients: Finding the right fit. That’s why she turned down a slew of reality TV show offers before her current show on VH1, because they weren’t the right fit. “VH1 got it right,” says Flicker, maintaining for the umpteenth time that “it’s all about the chemistry.”

Flicker makes some great points, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t chime in on the discussion; after all, I’m one of the dating and relationship columnists for this magazine. I, Neely Steinberg, can offer you a simple explanation as to why you are still single … in eight parts (which reminds me of a great scene from Back to School, starring Rodney Dangerfield):

1. You really do want to be single. Case closed.
2. Because your actions don’t match your words. Refer to the ‘Know Thyself’ bullet point in my piece on the Kim Kardashian divorce for further explanation. Essentially, though, you are saying you don’t want to be single, but your actions in your love life prove otherwise (i.e. only dating unavailable men, etc.).
3. You really do want to be in a relationship, but:
1. Your standards are too high or low.
2. Your expectations are too high or low.
3. You are pursuing people with qualities that you want, without considering the qualities that you may actually need. In other words, you have this idea of what your perfect mate looks like; in reality, though, this type of person would be completely incompatible with you. For example, a Type A woman wanting to be with a Type A man. She may think she wants to be with someone powerful and in control, but she’d probably be better off with a man who displays more Beta qualities.
4. You haven’t taken an honest self-evaluation, physically speaking. I have said before (in this piece) that while you absolutely need to be physically attracted to your mate, relationships should never be based primarily on looks. But, if you’re a 5, the chances that you’re going to land a 10 are less than if you pursued, say, a 7. Moreover, studies have shown that men and women typically end up with someone of a similar degree of attractiveness. Just look at couples around you to prove this theory. Note: the two exceptions to this are if you’re a rich and/or famous male, or you are a Game aficionado, like Neil Strauss.
5. You don’t love yourself enough or you love yourself too much. If you have no respect or love for yourself, how can you expect another human being to love you? If you have an overly inflated ego, it’s likely you’re always after the next best thing. Note: IT DOESN’T EXIST.
6. You are stuck in your ways and unwilling to compromise. A study from 2009 found that the optimal time for marriage is between 24 and 26 – a marital sweet spot, if you will. I actually disagree: Statistically speaking, the divorce rate goes down for those marrying after 30. But the study does make a salient point: The older we get, the more stuck in our ways we become, the less willing we are to compromise. Which is why the study says that 24-26 is ideal: It’s the time in your life when you are not too fixed in your habits and behaviors (and maybe not yet jaded by life) but also mature enough to handle commitment and all that comes along with marriage. Something to consider.
7. You’re lazy. Love isn’t going to magically fall into your lap; you’re not going to be rescued by Prince Charming. I understand the wisdom behind the axiom that if you don’t go looking for love it will find you, but to an extent I disagree. You have to be active in your pursuit of love. Not desperate but active. For instance, you may be averse to online dating, but why not give it a shot? What do you have to lose? My mother always said: “Neel, you’re not going to meet anyone lying on your couch.” She was right. Sometimes you have to push yourself a little bit, even when you’re disheartened about the dating process.
8. You don’t make enough time for your love life. I get it: We’re all busy nowadays with work, hobbies, friends, etc. But if you really do want a relationship, you have to make time for dating.

I could go on, but eight is enough. I am interested to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Why are you still single? Why do you think others (your friends, family members, etc.) are still single? I look forward to hearing from you!

I have to believe that we are not working in a dying industry. The world will always have a need for professional journalists — edited, ethical, and responsible, etc. etc. etc.

This is an exciting field to work in, and there are actually some great movies out there made about our vocation. Here are my top 10:

10. Citizen Kane

“Citizen Kane” portrays newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst in the yellow journalism era. This is an oldie, but it is widely considered the best movie ever made. If you haven’t seen it, get off your ass and pick it up. It’s an American treasure.

“You provide the prose. I’ll provide the war.”

9. Thank You for Smoking

OK so this isn’t a movie about journalism. It’s a movie about public relations, but I had to throw a bone to our PR friends.

“Thank You for Smoking” is a raw, sometimes dark comedy, but it is one of the best films I’ve ever seen that deals with public relations head-on. Sure “Wag the Dog” is a better movie, but “Thank You for Smoking” is an effective comedy that deeply delves into the science of selling and spinning.

8. Shattered Glass

Eeep. The true story of the rise and fall of Stephen Glass is the working journalist’s equivalent of a dude watching a real douchebag get kicked in the nuts. It’s hard to watch, but oddly satisfying.

Two reasons: First, we watch this 25-year-old kid make ridiculous sums of money — more money than most of us. Then we see that his stories were lies and fabrications. Cue the hatred.

But seriously, if you’re looking for a movie about journalism, sometimes the best stories are the true ones.

7. The Front Page

A lot of people overlook this 1974 Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau drama. “The Front Page” chronicles the relationship between editor and reporter, reporter and source, journalist and crook, journalist and family, and journalism and public relations all in one funny/dramatic swoop. Lemmon and Matthau play off each other like … well, like Lemmon and Matthau.

“The Front Page” is as hilarious as it is tragic, as a reporter tries to balance his desire for a normal family life as a lucrative public relations job offer looms. Journalists may be the only ones that get the tragedy.

6. The Year of Living Dangerously

You know Linda Hunt as the diminutive boss on “Law and Order: Los Angeles,” but you should know her from her Oscar-winning, gender-bending performance in “The Year of Living Dangerously.”

This stacked early 80s drama also stars Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver, and it will make you want to be a foreign correspondent. Gibson plays an Australian reporter named Guy Hamilton, sent to Jakarta in 1965 during a time of political strife and upheaval.

5. Good Night, and Good Luck

A lot of people are going to say that I ranked “Good Night, and Good Luck” too highly on my list, but the truth is that this film contributed to my wanting to be a journalist. David Strathairn’s amazing portrayal of Edward R. Murrow as he takes on Joe McCarthy during the peak of red fear in this country is brilliant.

The film also demonstrates television’s rise to power in the home. The ensemble cast also features Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., and Frank Langella.

4. Deadline U.S.A

This was Caitlin Kelly’s top pick on her J-movie list, and I can’t blame her. “Deadline U.S.A. stars Humphrey Bogart as an editor who tells his newsroom staff that they’ll all be laid off in two weeks. Boy that rings true. In 1952, when the film was released, journalism was in its heyday, but today anyone who works in a newsroom has probably seen people lose their jobs or take a buyout.

Kelly also points out a line from the paper’s star female reporter reflecting on her career: “I’ve got $81 in the bank, two dead husbands and two or three kids I never had.”

3. All the President’s Men

You wanna see some really ballsy journalism? How about the kind of reporting that brought down a president?

“All the President’s Men” stars Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman who portray Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward as they uncovered the Watergate scandal that ended the presidency of Richard Nixon.

This journalism’s sex tape. “All the President’s Men” shows how awesome it is to be a journalist and how much of an impact we can have on the world. For Christ’s sake — they brought down Nixon!

2. The Paper

“The Paper” is a comedy, but I’ve shown it to journalism students before. It shows the inner-workings of a metropolitan newsroom better than most films, and even though it was made in the mid-90s, the newsrooms still look pretty much the same as they did 15 years ago, except for a few more empty seats.

The film has another ridiculous cast that includes Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Marisa Tomei, Randy Quaid, and a small but memorable appearance by Jason Alexander (George from “Seinfeld”)

“The Paper” deals with the pressures of a New York metro editor trying to get not only a true story, but the best possible story that beats the competition. All the while, he is watching the clock for deadlines — both business and personal, as his pregnant wife and fellow journalist (Tomei) ponders her post-child life.

1. Absence of Malice

This 1981 Paul Newman/Sally Field flick is not necessarily my favorite movie, but it is a dramatic portrayal of what happens when a reporter gets too close to a source and when a publication over-pursues a story.

Newman plays Michael Gallagher, the son of a dead Mafia boss who finds himself on the front page of a Miami newspaper in a story indicating he is under investigation for the murder of a longshoreman.

Field plays the reporter behind the story. I won’t give it all away, but there is some romance, a lot of betrayal, a question of ethics, and a surprise ending.

The film begs the question: What’s the difference between accurate and truthful?

My dad drinks Scotch, so I drink Scotch.

Odds are, you have a similar tale. Scotch, single malt, bourbon — our dads seems to be whiskey guys, and there’s something tough and sophisticated about that.

And that means I drink whiskey too. Where do we begin? Well Charlie Whitfield, a brand ambassador for The Macallan offers a few tips on whiskey drinking and whiskey etiquette that perhaps will make you outshine your father in whiskey appreciation … one day.

BLAST: What are some of the common whiskey terms? What do phrases like “single malt” and “cask strength” mean?

CHARLIE WHITFIELD: Cask Strength – for this style of Scotch the whiskey comes straight from the cask and has no water added to it. Normally water is added to bring it down to bottling strength, usually to around 40-43 percent alcohol by volume. In the case of The Macallan Cask Strength, it is bottled at original cask strength, 59 percent ABV, without chill filtration or the addition of water. This delivers an exceptionally rich Macallan, wonderfully rich in color with dried fruits, spice and chocolate orange, best enjoyed with a splash of water to release the complex and sumptuous flavors.

Blended Scotch (like The Famous Grouse) which makes up around 90 percent of the Scotch whiskey industry, is a mix of different types of grain, corn, and single malt whiskeys and can come from any number of distilleries (anywhere from two to sometimes 50). A single malt making up around 9 percent of total Scotch production, can only come from one geographical location (one distillery) and can only be made using malted barley, water and yeast.

Vatted Malt is a blend of two or more single malt whiskeys.

Cask Maturation — Over 60 percent of all the aroma and flavor in Scotch comes from the interaction between the oak casks and the spirit during the maturation process. Therefore it is vital to use oak casks of the very best quality. The Macallan currently invests around $20 million dollars into our oak casks each year, hand crafting and picking each and every one.

BLAST: What kind of glass should one drink Scotch in?

CW: Whatever drinking vessel you can get your hands on! Whiskey is a drink to be savored, time spent enjoying the flavors on the nose are equally important as those on the palate. It is down to personal preference, though I would recommend a glass that tapers towards the mouth, the result being that it captures the delicious and varied aromas in your Scotch. They say that there are around 150 different flavor compounds in a single malt. The Glencairn style glass would be a good example to start with.

BLAST: What’s the difference between Scotch and other whiskeys?

CW: In order to be called a Scotch, the whiskey must be made in Scotland and matured in oak casks for at least three years. Whiskey is also made in other countries such as America, Canada, Ireland and Japan.

BLAST: What is a good intro-scotch for a young person to get started with?

CW: I would recommend a lighter style Scotch with more fruity and floral flavors. This style is much more accessible to someone new to Scotch and not too overpowering and rich on the palate. The Macallan Fine Oak range fits this style profile perfectly. The Macallan Fine Oak 15 is currently my wife’s favorite.

BLAST: How should a person drink Scotch? Ice or no ice?

CW: At the end of the day it is your Scotch, you should drink it however you enjoy it! I would suggest trying it neat to start with, so you can enjoy it in its truest form. Adding a couple of drops of water actually opens up the bouquet of the Scotch and releases the full aroma profile. Adding ice slightly numbs the aromas and flavors but is a refreshing alternative. The Macallan Ice Ball machine creates perfect spheres of ice, which due to less surface area, melt much more slowly, chilling your Scotch to perfection without turning it into a diluted mess!

BLAST: Why Macallan?

The unrivaled quality and consistency of the brand, combined with the unique history and heritage of the distillery. Just as important to me are the people who represent The Macallan and the “family” approach I’ve already noticed to the way we do business.

My first memories of Scotch whisky are more for it’s medicinal purposes, helping me to sleep, whilst at anchor during particularly stormy nights when sailing off the West coast of Scotland. It has now become my drink of choice.

Unofficially I’ve been associated with The Macallan since I was two years old! My granny entered me into a raffle and I won first prize, two cases of The Macallan 10 Year Old. My father drank one case but gave me the remaining case when I reached legal drinking age! The Macallan also played a part in my proposal to my American wife last year, in the snowy Highlands of Scotland, but that’s another story!

To say that Never Shout Never has made a few changes is an understatement.

Cristofer Drew, the lead vocalist, grew tired of his one man act and expanded Never Shout Never into a full band consisting of some of his longtime friends.

The new members include Caleb Denison who plays guitar, drums, and percussion. There is Taylor Macfee on the bass and Hayden Kasier on the guitar and along with percussion.

Kaiser describes the transition this band is undergoing as a “re-birth.”

This band not only grew in number, but matured in sound. After recording and producing their first album, Time Travel hit the shelves and internet in mid-September. If you’ve been a fan of Never Shout Never from the beginning you can agree that it is a completely different sound.

“This album we definitely wanted to go for a big sound,” said Kaiser.

He described the band’s big sound as going down the path of rock and roll. Kaiser said some of their inspirations were Muse, Queen, and Pink Floyd. However, when it comes to the bigger picture, their sound is something they can’t explain.

“It would be hard to compare our stuff to any other artist,” said Kasier. He feels as if the band fits in their own separate genre.

If there is one thing the band wants their fans to know it would to be just live life freely.

“We don’t give a fuck. We are just playing our music,” said Kasier.

Pick up a copy of their new album Time Travel and experience their new sound.

Friday, September 30 — After meeting for a few days in encuentro5 (a space in Chinatown for community and progressive groups), the pioneers of Occupy Boston reached consensus to occupy Dewey Square a week earlier than was initially planned.  Before setting up tents, they joined a protest of 2000-3000 people organized by Right to the City (RTTC) and local unions.  The presence of the Raw Mechanical Orchestra, visiting from NYC for the Honk! Festival in Cambridge and Somerville that weekend, added a cheerful atmosphere despite 24 people being arrested for refusing to leave the lobby of Bank of America headquarters.  Reacting quickly, corporate spokesperson T.J. Crawford called the protest “aggressive public-relations stunts” and asserted that “Bank of America has a lot to be proud of.” Despite the protestors’ refusal to seek permits (“we’re protesting, not camping”), Mayor Menino instructed Boston Police to allow  Occupy Boston to set up their encampment without interference.

Monday, October 3 — After just one weekend, tents devoted to special functions such as medical, logistics, food, sign-making and media were already in place, giving the Occupy Boston encampment a basic form similar to what it has now.  Over the next four weeks, however, many improvements were made as flimsy bowers and makeshift tents were replaced with sturdier, more weather resistant alternatives and the route bisecting camp, called “Main Street” by inhabitants, went from a path of cardboard to a wooden walkway of pallets and plywood elevated inches above the ground.  On October 3, as people bustled around the camp improving things, Ariana Webb, 47, described  “We will stay here as long as necessary. We will stay here through the snows. We’ve started to acquire warm weather gear already. We will be here as long as it takes.”

Saturday, October 8 — Returning from a large march through the city, about two dozen Occupy Boston protestors sat in the doorway of the Federal Reserve with a wall of police and motorcycles separating them from several hundred more supporters in attendance.  At one point, Jeff Nunes, 17, involved with Occupy Boston since its initial meetings at encuentro5, climbed atop the building entrance and waved a homemade flag with an anarchist “A” and the words “no government…true freedom and equality” painted in white on black material.  Tara, a much older woman involved with the protests, began yelling for him to get down but Nunes’ climb was defended by several others as an “autonomous action” in support of the movement.  After several minutes, the smiling Nunes hopped down anyway.  Realizing that there are other ways in and out of the building, and blocking the door indefinitely might not accomplish much, protestors negotiated with police to move their motorcycles and allow them to leave as a group.  Demonstrators then made their first trip to Fanuel Hall and Quincy Market, marching loudly through the interior of both while police and baffled tourists watched passively.

Monday, October 10 — An Occupy Boston protest that began on Boston Common ended with thousands of demonstrators blocking the North Washington Street Bridge that leads from the North End to Charlestown.  One middle-aged man was arrested almost immediately, but police prevented the bulk of the protestors from moving onto the bridge.  After a stand off of over an hour, protestors seemed to accept the police claim that bridge might not support their weight, and left.  The “Battle of the Bridge,” was later viewed as a diversionary tactic, however, as occupiers back at Dewey Square expanded their encampment while police attention was on the bridge.  From there, the mass of protestors rushed back to Dewey Square and formed human chains to protect their tents in both the new camp and the original one.  Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis warned if Occupy Boston didn’t return to its original footprint by midnight, police would act to remove the tents in the new area.

Tuesday, October 11 — Hundreds of law enforcement officials (including Boston, transit and State Police, as well as members of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s department) descended upon the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway.  They began making arrests around 1:20 a.m. as protestors sang “God Bless America” or chanted slogans such as “this is a peaceful protest” and “the whole world is watching.” Among the 141 people arrested was a Rachel McNeill, an Iraq War vet there with fellow Veterans for Peace members.  She describes, “I was holding the American flag. The rest of the veterans were carrying Veterans for Peace flags. I was standing with arms locked in the center of the line of Iraq and Vietnam veterans. We were the first targeted, knocked down, and dragged away for arrest by police…I saw [the American flag] hit the ground in one video…I am told it was thoroughly trampled by police and it was not returned. It is either now a trophy for some policeman or it is in the trash.”

Friday, October 14 — John Carlos, an athlete much-remembered for displaying a black power salute from the podium at the 1968 Summer Olympics, visited Occupy Boston to speak and sign some books before heading to another engagement at Northeastern University.  Moments later, in one of countless tense moments this month between occupiers and police, two patrolmen prevented men from bringing a wooden pallet onto the site.  The protestors explained the pallet was needed in order to build a safe passage along “Main Street” so people wouldn’t slip in the mud, while the obviously perturbed patrolmen said they wouldn’t allow any more building materials into the campsite (this remains an ongoing conflict).  The following Saturday morning, after rain had subsided, Gov. Deval Patrick visited the Occupy Boston and told Boston Phoenix “…it was fascinating. I met with a couple of the organizers — very thoughtful, responsible people. It’s incredibly well organized…I saw the library and the media tent and the food distribution and logistics — really beautifully organized.”

Friday, October 21 — As many demonstrators were en route to Roxbury to rally with Occupy the Hood, police arrested Issac Bell, 34, and Charlene Dumont, 31 for allegedly selling heroin to an undercover cop in Dewey Square.  After dismantling and searching their tent, police tossed it in a vehicle and removed it from the scene.  Monday, noting Bell’s prior conviction on a drug distribution charge, Assistant DA Matthew Fitzgerald requested his bail be set at $25,000 and Dumont’s at $1,000. Judge Michael Coyne released both on personal recognizance and ordered them to stay away from Occupy Boston.  Bell, who used the nickname “Shorty,” allegedly told the undercover officers that he sold “dope, not crack”   when they tried to buy cocaine from him on Thursday.  The arrest of Bell and Dumont came amid a week of headlines about crime in Dewey Square and fueled a false rumor that someone in camp had lethally overdosed from heroin sold by the pair.

Saturday, October 22 — MIT professor Noam Chomsky, having been rained out of his scheduled appearance on Wednesday, arrived at twilight and was greeted by 1,000 or more people.  Chomsky lectured for about a half hour and answered questions for approximately as long.  While he saw many failures in the modern system, Chomsky identified two — nuclear proliferation and environmental destruction — as the most urgent and warned “everything else won’t matter in a generation or two.” While many close to the front seemed ecstatic to be hearing Chomsky speak, at least half those present couldn’t hear Chomsky despite his use of two hand held microphones.  Acknowledging this difficulty, Chomsky told the audience, “you can see why I’m not a public speaker.  Later in the night, about 100 protestors returned from a march, assembled in the same spot as the October 11 arrests, and held an impromptu general assembly to discuss whether or not to make a stand.  After discussion, however, they retreated back to the established camp.

Sunday, October 23 — About 50 protestors from Occupy Boston took a meandering route from their encampment to “the Pit,” an area in Harvard Square associated with various countercultures over the decades.  En route they stopped to flip the bird at what may be the Beacon Hill townhouse of local Bank of America president Robert E. Gallery, temporarily hung a “We are the 99%” banner from a footbridge over Storrow Drive, blocked traffic one-way on the Mass Ave bridge, and paraded through the Head of the Charles Regatta chanting slogans such as “we got sold out, banks got bailed out” and “this is what democracy looks like.” In Harvard Square, they held a rally where they used the people’s mic to explain the purposes of their protest before talking to people one-on-one.  Deeming their first trip beyond Boston city limits a great success, the group took the Red Line from Harvard Square back to South Station, each person paying their fare.

Tuesday, October 25 — Paul Carnes (a.k.a. Paul Fetch) defended his reputation during one of the most drama-filled General Assemblies of the month.  Previous to this, Occupy Boston’s Financial Accountability Working Group (FAWG) voted unanimously to remove Carnes and Sidney Sherrel “due to their lack of accountability and transparency, as well as their failure to provide information to both the FAWG and Occupy Boston’s General Assembly…[they] also repeatedly failed to follow established procedures for financial expenditures.” At one point, Carnes appeared to be leaving the camp, causing people to sprint after him.  Later, when he sought shelter inside the Info Tent, a few people outside mockingly chanted “who’s peacoat?  Our peacoat!” in reference to a garment thought to be purchased with donations to Occupy Boston.  While maintaining his innocence, Carnes, who has also attracted unfavorable attention at other occupations on the East Coast, remains a subject of derision within the Occupy Boston community.

Thursday, October 27 — A group of supporters left Occupy Boston and walked in the early morning rain to US District Court where Tarek Mehanna, of Sudbury, accused of supporting Al-Qaeda, was starting trial (this photo is from the previous day). Jacob Dinklage, 22, said via the Boston Anarchists Against Militarism (BAAM) announcement list, “The FBI and the Massachusetts US Attorney are accusing Dr. Mehanna of ‘material support for terrorism’ and related charges. His real offense in the eyes of the US government was his courage as a Muslim and a man of conscience: his opposition to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; his vocal support for other Muslims falsely imprisoned by the US government and; his refusal to work as an informant for the FBI in the Muslim community. For these stands he now faces the possibility of life in prison.” Occupy Boston participants had previously shown support for Mehanna in an October 9 rally which drew national criticism from the Far Right.

Sunday, October 30 — Days before, when an unseasonal nor’easter was predicted to hit New England, winterization efforts at Occupy Boston were kicked into high gear.  While Boston didn’t receive as much precipitation as some other parts of Massachusetts, the storm made for a cold and miserable night.  The wet slush  caused a few structures in camp to collapse, but no one froze to death despite the most malicious wishes expressed online by Occupy Boston’s detractors.  The occupation’s supporters, on the other hand, poured out their support for Occupy Boston as it survived the first of what promises to be many “Valley Forge moments.” Those who weathered this slushy snowstorm in the encampment were especially grateful to the woman who got up early and (according to a Facebook post) “donated over $270 worth of hot coffee and a lot, we mean a lot, of pastries/bagels.” Later, Occupy Boston devoted a few midday hours to celebrating its one month anniversary and renewing participants’ commitment to remain encamped (as a movement motto says) “as long as it takes.”

Imagine a married couple’s bedroom. They’ve just had a wonderful dinner (perhaps candles and wine were involved) and the kids (if they happen to have them) are tucked into their beds. They start kissing and one of them brakes away saying: “Not tonight honey, I’m sorry but I have a headache.” Stop right there. Let me guess — you imagined the wife making excuses right? Her husband (or any other guy for that matter) is bound to be the one who wants sex, right? Women on the other hand are the ones who like it less and don’t need it as often – so they are thought of as the sex that always ends up making the ‘not this time’ excuses. Or so we’re told from about the time we learn what makes boys and girls different. We’re constantly being convinced that there are strong biological bases for men wanting (and pursuing) sex more than women. They mostly boil down to the same old “it’s about the testosterone” or “men evolved to pursue multiple sex partners”. Because these pseudo-scientific claims include words with more than three syllables as well as references to Charles Darwin’s tried and true theory, these explanations tend to sound like facts. For starters, though, do these “facts” explain real human behaviors or just perceptions about what human behavior is (supposed to be) like?

Ever since Dr. Alfred Kinsey gave up gall wasps and decided studying human sex is more interesting we have been learning more and more about the realities of our species’ sex life. However, we still have quite a way to go and there’s a number of reasons for which it’s pretty hard to learn what’s actually going one. Firstly and most importantly, the subjects themselves – i.e.’ regular’ men and women – are a bit of an issue. As anyone who has ever seen a single episode of House MD will know: “People lie”. Dr. Greg House is a bit on the cynical side (to say the least), but he is right about one thing: people tend to stray from being truthful when asked personal questions by people in white coats or with any authority. And that’s basically what sex research is. A bunch of professors with strings of letters behind their names signifying how important and smart they are, asking delicate questions about how often and how much… You might be thinking that anonymous questionnaires are a way out, right? They are – but only to a certain degree because it’s been shown that people will still give the answers they think they’re supposed to. This happens even when they’re guaranteed complete anonymity. Consequently, at the end of the day the result really might not be all that enlightening.

Secondly, it’s very hard to discern nature from nurture. As in any study on fellow Homo sapiens – whether it’s studying the causes of diabetes, breast cancer or musical talent – it’s really hard to tell what is innate and what’s not. In the case of sex studies, the real question is discerning socialization and conditioning from innate tendencies (some people aren’t even sure it’s doable). People still don’t really know how much of our sexual behavior is the result of what our families and cultures teach us and what is determined by our libido and innate characteristics. So, for example, when I was 12-years old, my Mom made me watch “Bridges of Madison County” with her. If you haven’t seen it, I assure you you’re not missing much. Basically it’s a movie about a wife who cheats on a husband and hates herself for it (or something to that effect). So when the movie was finally over and I was a little surprised by my dear Mother’s question “Maria, what do you think is the moral of this story”. I had absolutely no idea. As far as I was concerned, the moral was that making movie with the words “bridges” and “Madison” in the title is not a very good idea. Because my Mom could see the blank expression in my face, she proceeded to lecture my on how this movie really is about the merits of per-marital sex. I didn’t quite understand so she elaborated that it shows how one should make sure to experience sex before committing to a lifelong relationship, because otherwise we might wind up with someone with an incompatible sexual temperament. I was 12. I still thought boys gave you cooties and at the time I was slightly traumatized. Now, I think this incident (and the general attitude in my house) went a long way to making sure I have a pretty healthy relationship with both myself and my husband (the story also makes for pretty amusing dinner party conversations). I’m pretty sure that if I had spent my childhood and adolescence being lectured on the long list of things ‘good girls’ don’t do, I probably wouldn’t be writing this piece right now. Would I still learn to enjoy sex and have a healthy relationship with my sexuality? Perhaps, who’s to say, but I’m pretty darn sure it would be very difficult. My story is just one example of how hard it is to disentangle the complicated factors which impact this very complex thing that is sex drive and sexual behavior in general.

Having said all that, scientists do keep having a go at studying the underlying causes of human sexual behavior and the determinants of our sex drive – and good on them! A recent study in Current Directions in Psychological Science by a Michigan psychologist Terri Conley and co-authors actually looked at some of most common myths about sexual differences between genders:

1. Men have more sex partners than women

Yes, men talk about their sex partners more than women do, but there’s no real data to show that it’s because they actually have more to talk about. It might be that they feel they can talk about it, because they won’t be called ‘sluts’ for doing so or…potentially they sometimes just make stuff up. Previously, sexologists largely based their studies of human sexuality solely on what subjects were telling the scientists (and remember there are some issues with that). Now, this really isn’t the way science should be conducted. If fictional doctors from fictional hospitals know that people don’t always tell the truth, surely super smart scientists should come around to that conclusion as well, right? Well good news – they did. Conley and colleagues came up with an interesting (if somewhat sneaky) way of getting their subjects to tell the truth about their sex partners – they hooked them up to a fake polygraph. Obviously, their interviews had no idea the thing didn’t actually work. The results were illuminating: Conley et al write, “When participants believed that their true sexual history could be revealed by the polygraph, gender differences in reported sexual partners disappeared.” Basically, it’s back to what I mentioned earlier – people tend to say what they think they should say, so women claim to have fewer partners and men tend to exaggerate the number of women they slept with. If you get them to speak truthfully it turns out that the differences in the number of sexual partners aren’t real.

2. Women aren’t into casual sex, men like nothing more

This assertion (scientifically) goes back to a now-famous study in which men and women approached subjects and offered to have casual sex with them. No women agreed to the proposition, but 70% of men did. According to a lot of folks, this was the ultimate proof that men were biologically hardwired for random sex and women avoided it. But, surprise surprise, things aren’t that simple. As it turns out, men and women were both more likely to accept a proposition if they thought the proposer would be good in bed — and women were much less likely to think that a random guy would have the skills to make it all worth the hassle. Plus there is the issue of safety – a random hookup is much less likely to turn violent for the guy involved. And not to be forgotten- the ghost of moralities past ‘slut-shaming’ – which is still doing pretty well for itself.

Finally:

3. Women are “picky,” but men will have sex with just about anyone

Conley et al point out that “assumptions about women’s choosiness have been based on our culture’s traditional gender dynamics” — particularly, the expectation that men should approach women while women should wait and silently bat their eyelashes at potential sex/romantic interests. One research team decided to turn the tables by asking women to approach men and a speed dating scenario. Here’s what happened:

“The mere act of physically approaching someone (i.e., simply rotating through potential partners and introducing oneself during speed-dating) caused individuals to evaluate potential partners more favorably (e.g., reporting greater romantic chemistry and increased likelihood of a romantic relationship developing). Moreover, when women approached men, women behaved more like men (becoming less choosy), and men behaved more like women (becoming more choosy). Thus, this research suggests that “choosiness” may be an artifact of gendered social norms concerning who approaches whom.” The review goes on to conclude that “gender differences are in fact rooted in much more mundane causes: stigma against women for expressing sexual desires; women’s socialization to attend to other’s needs rather than their own; and, more broadly, a double standard that dictates (different sets of) appropriate sexual behaviors for men and women.”

So, studies conducted so far suggest that there probably are some biological differences between men and women which may (or may not…) go beyond the anatomy of the sexual reproductive organs. The thing is, it’s currently an incredibly difficult exercise to actually dig through societal influences and get to the ‘biological core’ and the ‘true explanation’ of our behaviors. I wonder though how useful that would really be?

As just about anything, humans have complicated the relatively simple biology of sex with a lot of cultural influence. Simple things like eating and sleeping are no longer obvious to considerable numbers of human beings (notably insomniacs and people suffering from eating disorders). Why would we think that sexual intercourse is a simple act and we’ll all just follow our ‘biologic blueprint’ when we get around to it? And that’s assuming there really is one. Obviously, sex takes up a whole lot of people’s lives (doing it, thinking about it, watching card ads with nude ladies…) so we want to know as much as possible about it. In essence, this is a good thing – as applicable a science as any which may tell us something useful/enlightening about our nature. However, as I hope I have shown, the study of human sexual behavior is fraught with difficulty. Also, we need to keep in mind that it’s just that – the study of general human behavior and not research into what an individual human being should like/do. Really, the important take home message of most of this research is simply this: differences in sexual temperament are individual and not gender differences and it’s about time we got over this whole biological determinism thing and let people enjoy their sex lives without making thing difficult with gendered expectations.

We’re all about making lists that make your mouth water. A few years ago, we put out a list of 10 things that taste like Generation Y childhood. Retro things like that combined with the coming Halloween holiday got us thinking of all of the treats that, good or bad, are no longer available in this day and age.

Here are 20 of them.

20. Gator Gum

Drinks and gums are a bad idea, but that didn’t stop Gatorade from releasing lemon-lime and orange gum in the 1970s, again in the 80s, in the late 90s and finally i the early 2000s.

Never a commercial hit, the gum did quench thirst. It was manufactured by Fleer, which we also know for its sports cards.

19. Yoo-Hoo chocolate bar

Yoo-Hoo commercials were all over the airwaves when we were kids, but we didn’t do much to help the chocolate drink succeed as a chocolate bar.

Described as “chocolatey coated nougat,” the candy was essentially a lighter 3 Musketeers bar.

If you’re a big fan, the Yoo-Hoo: Chocolate Flavored Bars Freezer Pops are still on store shelves.

18. Heinz EZ Squirt

Someone thought this was a good idea, and some people actually liked this.

In 2000, Heinz gave the world mustard-style squeeze bottles. Great. But they didn’t stop there. They released their signature ketchup in purple and green colors. It completely backfired. As it turns out, (most) people do not like eating food covered in what looks like boogers and puke.

The product was quickly pulled due to poor sales.

17. The Arch Deluxe

Odds are we never even ate one of these as a kid. The McDonald’s Arch Deluxe was marketed at our sophisticated, burger-enjoying parents.

Trouble was, they didn’t eat it either.

Introduced in 1996, the “burger for adults” arrived with a $100 million advertising campaign. It became one of the costliest flops in fast food history.

The burger was essentially a quarter-pounder with a circular piece of peppered bacon on top, with the usual fixings and special sauce. I don’t know what’s so sophisticated about that.

16. PB Crisps

“Peanut butter with a crunch” — PB Crisps were cookies filled with peanut butter introduced in 1992.

They were delicious, and that was a problem, apparently. More than 2,000 people have signed an online petition to bring the snack back, but Kraft has said it has no plans to re-introduce PB Crisps.

15. Butterfinger BBs

We were actually shocked to learn that BBs had not only been discontinued, but they’ve been gone since 2006. The Bart Simpsons-endorsed Butterfinger BB’s were similar to Whoppers.

In 2009, Nestle brought the product back as Butterfinger Mini Bites. But it’s not the same without the implication of gun violence that BBs gave us as kids.

14. French Toast Crunch

Another victim of the great junk food purge of 2006.

This artificially flavored cereal was launched in 2001. It originally looked like mini slices of bread, but General Mills eventually made it look more like Cinnamon Toast Crunch before pulling it off shelves.

If you are obsessed with French Toast Crunch, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding it. It’s still produced and marketed in Canada, in the original bread slice design, as “French Toast Crunch” and “Croque pain doré.”

13. Pepsi Blue

Pepsi Blue was only around for two years, but it’s product placement is forever etched into our early 21st Century popular culture, with advertisements by Britney Spears, Sev and Papa Roach and a very memorable appearance in “The Italian Job” as well as “Garfield: The Movie.”

But Pepsi Blue was a nightmare. It was marketed as “Pepsi, but berry” but it was way too sweet and sugary, tasting like cotton candy more than cola. It also used the controversial Blue 1 color that was actually banned in several countries when Pepsi Blue was released.

Today, Pepsi Blue is still available in Malaysia, or you can buy Jolt Blue CX2, which tastes strikingly similar.

12. Magic Middles

These were gooooooood.

But the 90s was a turbulent time in the food world, and these delicious cookies with the hard exterior and melty chocolate center were not meant to last.

11. Ecto-Cooler

This wasn’t even a product that was meant to last more than a few months or years, but Hi-C’s Ecto-Cooler, a tie-in to the 1987 animated series “The Real Ghostbusters” (based on the 1984 movie) lasted until 2007, when Minute Maid finally pulled the plug.

The box and the drink’s popular commercials featured the Ghostbusters character Slimer. It was an orange/tangerine/green drink that was delicious and tasted like summer and movies and everything that was great about being a kid in the 90s.

In 2001, Ecto-Cooler was renamed Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen, and Slimer was replaced with a weird “lip monster.” In 2006, it was renamed Crazy Citrus Cooler. A year later, it was gone.

Earlier this year, Dog and Pony Show figured out how to make a drink that tastes exactly like Ecto-Cooler.

10. 3D Doritos

These sucked. Clearly some people disagreed, and there is a Facebook group with nearly 8,000 fans of 3D Doritos, a thinner snack, puffed out into more of a nugget than a corn chip.

3D Doritos sold poorly, and it didn’t help that an open bag of these things smelled like a wet dog. Not a great marketing trick.

9. Squeezits

The Squeezit actually had an impressive run during the sugary snack heyday.

This non-carbonated soft drink was sold by General Mills from the mid-1980s until 2001. It came in a plastic container, and the premise was simple: Open it and squeeze to drink.

Flavors included Chucklin’ Cherry, Berry B. Wild, Grumpy Grape (later changed to Gallopin’ Grape), Silly Billy Strawberry, Rockin’ Red Puncher, Mean Green Puncher, Smarty Arty Orange, and Troppi Tropical Punch. For a limited time there were mystery flavors in Black Bottles.

There are rumors that Squeezits were making a comeback this year, but we could not confirm.

8. The Supersize

This one you’ll really never see again. The malign-ment of fast food in this decade (and rightly so) has caused restaurants to reshape their offerings so it doesn’t look as obvious that they are feeding you pure death in the form of salty fried potatoes and processed beef.

But back in the day, we ordered our Supersize fries after the multicultural group of skinny kids on the television commercials looked like they were having so much fun eating at McDonald’s every day.

7. Orbitz

Before the gum or the travel website, we had Orbitz, the gravity-defying drink with the floating orbs.

The fruity beverage was marketed by Clearly Canadian in 1997. It was a complete flop — visually appealing but not delicious in the least.

Orbitz got its spacial effect from gellan gum, which created a microscopic spiderweb effect that allowed the edible falls to float around.

We really had some weird foods back in the day…

6. Surge

In 1996, Coca-Cola wanted to compete with Pepsi’s successful Mountain Dew green citrus soft drink. Surge was originally introduced in Norway as Urge, where it is still available for sale today.

Surge cold well in the US for a few years, but it quickly started to slip when people realized that the “extreme sports” marketing was bogus — it was just a bunch of sugar and caffeine that was bad for you nad not as tasty as Mountain Dew.

Today, Coke’s Vault is similar to Surge, only with more caffeine.

5. Crispy M&M’s

Weird. People generally just loved these M&M candies with the crispy rice center, but they were discontinued in 2005 after six years.

The problem might have been an overabundance of good things. A lot of different M&M varieties came out over years, including M&M’s Minis, dark chocolate, mint, almonds, orange chocolate, coconut, pretzel, cherry, and peanut butter.

Crispy M&M’s are still available in Europe, Australia, and southeast Asia.

4. Jimmy Dean Chocolate Chip Pancake-wrapped Sausage On A Stick

Oh Jesus.

This might have had a chance if it were released in the 80s, or even the 90s, but not the late 2000s.

Speaking of too much of a good thing — chocolate chips, pancakes, and sausage … on a friggin’ stick.

This lasted about a year. Thank God.

3. Crystal Pepsi.

Here’s the thing, 20 years ago a marketing gimmick emerged promoting “clearness” as equal to purity and goodness. It wasn’t started by or limited to soft drinks.

But in 1992, Pepsi introduced four markets, including Providence, to Crystal Pepsi. It sold well, so the company released the product nationwide.

It was a miserable failure, given the millions of dollars in marketing Pepsi had invested. The product was gone within the year.

There is a rumor that Pepsi is releasing a clear cola again next year. We shall see.

2. Waffle Crisp

This cereal is not officially discontinued, but good luck finding it on the shelf at your local Stop & Shop or Market Basket.

The maple syrup-flavored corn cereal bits were launched in 1996 with a gaggle of grannies seen in commercials laboring away to make more cereal.

The cereal is readily available online if you want to relive your glory years of sugary sweet breakfast.

1. Oreo O’s

This cereal IS gone — except in South Korea, of all places.

Oreo O’s was launched in 1998 and discontinued in 2007. It is a perfect example of a cereal whose box is better for you to eat than the actual food inside.

There was also something called Extreme Creme Taste Oreo O’s, which contained marshmallows that tasted like Oreo cream.

Why can’t you get them anymore? About three years ago, Kraft and Post parted ways. Post owns the recipe to the cereal, but Kraft owns the trademark and rights to use the Oreo name, leaving no company able to make Oreo O’s cereal. Doh.

Honorable mention: Dad’s Root Beer

You can still find Dad’s at specialty stores and on Amazon.com, but it’s all but disappeared from grocery stores. Monarch Beverage Company, which bought the rights to the root beer in 1986, helped make it the second most produced root beer in the US before it all but died out in the past decade. Today, you pretty much can’t find it in the Northeast, and some people have complained that online bottles, which can go for $3 a piece, don’t taste the same and are made with corn syrup instead of sugar.

NEW YORK — Another CMJ Music Marathon has exhaustedly stumbled to a close, and this year was absolutely brimming with wonderful acts and showcases. Here’s what stood out to us from the previous week:

Best Act: Boy & Bear

This Mumford & Sons-esque five-piece from Sydney, Australia opened for We Are Augustines at the Bowery Ballroom Wednesday night before playing their own headlining show Brooklyn’s Union Hall Friday. Huddled on the venue’s tiny stage, the band treated the sold-out crowd to an 80-minute set that felt more like a campfire gathering than a concert. Most of the songs on their debut full-length, Moonfire, which was released in August, blend a folk sensibility with aching harmonies, but lead single “Feeding Line” shows they aren’t afraid to rock out once in a while.

Honorable Mentions

We Are Augustines – Formed from the ashes of indie rock outfit Pela, We Are Augustines play Springsteen-esque rock that is nothing short of infectious. The Brooklyn-based trio played multiple shows at this year’s CMJ, and t’s a testament to the band’s excellence live that, though most of their sets relied on unreleased songs rather than material from their debut album, Rise Ye Sunken Ships,the crowds still ate it up. Frontman Billy McCarthy’s unbridled joy as he plays songs that deal even the most heart-wrenching subjects might have something to do with that.

’90s Nostalgia – Attendees well-removed from the “College” portion of the CMJ Marathon were spoiled for choice on Tuesday night. The opening night of this year’s Music Marathon and Film Festival featured (at the same time, unfortunately) a screening of Cameron Crowe’s excellent, definitive biographical film “Pearl Jam 20,” celebrating the grunge band’s 20^th anniversary, as well as a performance by Helium/Quasi/Sleater-Kinney descendants Wild Flag. Fresh off a blistering performance the previous Friday at Brooklyn’s Bell House, Wild Flag brought their raucous stage show to a packed Bowery Ballroom. The female foursome’s lineup comprises a Who’s Who of women in rock, including Mary Timony, Carrie Brownstein, Rebecca Cole and Janet Weiss. Anyone claiming rock is dead need only witness Brownstein’s ferocious windmilling on her Gibson to be proven wrong. The Crowe documentary, a bittersweet must-see for any Pearl Jam fan, is a loving tribute that is insightful, informative and touching. For those who missed the screening and the movie’s presentation as part of PBS’s “American Masters” series last Friday, not to worry — it was released on DVD today.

Adrienne Drake – The Brooklyn-based Adrienne Drake took to the stage at Arlene’s Grocery on Tuesday night as part of the No Pulp Music showcase and wowed the audience with a deeply melodic (though decidedly bizarre) techno-pop-explosion. The brainchild of lead singer and master mixer Paul Holmes, Adrienne Drake uses keyboards, computers, samples and obscured vocal projections to create a hypnotic arrangement suitable for an acid trip. Composed as an electronic opera, Adrienne Drake’s debut album Dullabies is available as a free download.

Brick + Mortar – This indie rock duo delivers in sound what their name indicates: solid, earthy music. Armed with only a bass, a drum kit and a handful of samples, front-man Brandon Asraf and drummer John Tacon commanded the stage at Arlene’s Grocery Tuesday night with a high-energy performance and audience engagement. A well-blended mix of rock and reggae, the band’s EP 7 Years In the Mystic Room is a worthy investment.

Gem Club – Somerville’s own Gem Club performed as part of the SubPop/Hardly Art showcase at the Mercury Lounge Thursday night, and might take the prize for the quietest act at CMJ — but certainly not the least captivating. The cello and piano duo of Christopher Barnes and Kristen Drymala, named by The Boston Phoenix as the Best New Act of 2011, record the type of music that is best listened to in a darkened room, alone. Performing at CMJ as a trio, the band’s soft, sad lullabies stunned a crowd that, remarkably, watched in hushed silence.

Zola Jesus – Anyone who can draw a sizable crowd to Manhattan’s Ace Hotel at 10am the week of CMJ is a force to be reckoned with, and Russian-American singer Zola Jesus (a.k.a. Nika Roza Danilova) is no exception. The 22-year-old performed a short set Wednesday morning as part of a live broadcast for Seattle’s KEXP Radio, before playing a full set that night at (Le) Poisson Rouge. The diminutive blond’s fixated staring, on a point only she could see, was as haunting as her operating singing. And, as the crowd learned, her gothic-industrial music, heavy on synths and percussion, goes just as well with coffee as with beer.

Papertwin - Papertwin did not disappoint on Thursday night at Lit Lounge. Though this quartet may not yet have solid footing within the New York City music scene, Papertwin has greatly honed their Radiohead-meets-New Wave sound over the last 12 months. But you don’t have to take our word for it — the band plays at Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn on Nov. 13th.

The John Steel Singers – Another act that seemed to be all over the schedule at CMJ, the six-piece collective from Brisbane, Australia plays bouncy music featuring trumpets and trombones. Their discernable influences span everything from bluegrass to The Beatles. We were especially sold by their foot-stomping set at Pianos Friday afternoon as part of The Planetary Group’s day party. The group’s debut full-length, Tangalooma, was released last year.

jENNiNGS – For their CMJ debut, jENNiNGS delivered a typically masterful performance at Rockwood Music Hall Saturday. Having spent the last year searching for both a new drummer and lead guitarist, the result is the culmination of four extraordinary musicians talented enough to create a suitable sonic backdrop for frontwoman Mary Jennings’ powerful voice. As a solo act, Jennings is a captivating siren; as a full band, jENNiNGS is a wondrous singer-songwriter-indie-rock-pop-experience not to be missed. The band’s 2010 album, Collapse, Collide, is available online.

Full CMJ Gallery — Photos by Sarah Berman

A protester is arrested during the bridge rally (Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

Yesterday, thousands of people swelled the ranks of Occupy Boston in a march that began at the Boston Common and snaked through various Boston neighborhoods to protest — among other complaints — high unemployment, government malfeasance and corporate greed.

Student groups and representatives from local labor unions were well-represented.

The throng stopped at several points, sitting in the streets and blocking traffic in an act of non-violent civil disobedience. Then, in what one local commentator has since called the “battle of old North Washington bridge,” the protestors blocked the bridge to Charlestown for over an hour but were prevented from advancing onto the expanse itself. One protestor, a gray-haired man in a baseball cap, was arrested.

According to many within the Occupy Boston movement, the “battle of the bridge” was a diversionary tactic enabling protestors to expand their protest community in front of South Station to a part of the Rose Kennedy Greenway that Mayor Thomas Menino and Boston Police had declared to be off-limits. Protestors, arguing that their camp is too overcrowded to accommodate the number of people who arrived daily to join their cause, see physical expansion as vital to the success of their mission. They note that similar protests in other US cities have been allowed to expand and unsuccessfully implored Boston to afford them the same opportunity.

"Medics" stand by on the Greenway during the protests (Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

By early evening, police and protestors were at a standoff. Tents had been pitched in the new area and some of the infrastructure of the main camp, such as the protest group’s logistics and medical tents, were in place as well.

Gregg Housh, a 34-year old father of two serving as liaison between Occupy Boston and the city, reported having been given conflicting information. Word from the mayor was that the new site had to be surrendered by midnight or it would be cleared by force, while Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis threatened to tear down both areas if the new site wasn’t vacated by midnight.

Boston police, in an official statement later, said this was not true and that police only wanted the protesters to vacate the Greenway expansion.

The new encampment held a general assembly meeting to decide if they should stay or go. Nancy Brennan, Executive Director of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, stood up to address the crowd and, like all speakers, used the call-and-response of the “people’s mic” being used in occupy protests across the country.

The “people’s mic” involves the crowd simply repeating what the speaker is saying so that the message carries across a large group.

Police form a line during the bridge protest (Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

Brennan reminded everyone that the Conservancy had asked protestors not to expand onto the other portion of the park because of special concerns regarding a new irrigation system put into place and works on loan by various artists. But she ended her comments saying “…another thing that the Greenway stands for…is freedom of speech…and I ask…for as long as you are on this land…would you please help us take care of it?” Her smile beamed as the crowd chanted “Nancy! Nancy! Nancy!” in appreciation.

After the meeting, she said that the lawn planted in the space in question is deep-rooted, grown without chemicals, and was likely to survive the occupation, “If not,” she explained, “they’ve promised to replace it…and I have no doubt they will.”

As midnight approached, protestors locked arms and formed a human barrier to protect their occupation sites. A tight circle of more than 160 people surrounded the new campground while a ragged line of more than 220 people protected the original site. Legal advisers went around dispensing pamphlets and legal aid phone numbers, helping people write a contact number on their bare skin should they be arrested.

Medical volunteers were also present, most of them equipped with bottled cocktails of Maalox and water to neutralize pepper spray should it be used.

Jason Lydon, a Unitarian Universalist minister with the Community Church in Boston’s Back Bay, offered comforting words to the largely young and frightened protestors.

“Remember to relax and to breathe … remember that whatever happens, if you get arrested or whatever, this community will not abandon you,” Lydon said. “We will take care of you.”

Shorly after 1 a.m., hundreds of law enforcement officials, including Boston, transit and State Police, as well as members of the Suffolk County Sheriff’s department descended upon the scene.

They began making arrests around 1:20 am as protestors sang “God Bless America” or chanted slogans such as “this is a peaceful demonstration” and “the whole world is watching.”

A contingent of gray-haired war veterans and one young female Iraqi war vet, from the group Veterans for Peace had their own chant: “We have a permit. It’s called the Constitution.”

The police gave several warnings by bullhorn for the crowd to leave or face arrest. Those who stayed were quickly taken into custody. Just minutes after the first protester was cable tied, 141 arrests had been made.

Some protestors complained about what they saw as excessive use of police force.

A member of the veterans group said they were prepared to come along peacefully, “they didn’t have to rough us up and walk all over the American flags we fought overseas to defend.”

Protestors were also upset that police may not have seen the difference between the protestors who locked arms in resistance and the medical and legal advisers, identified by their clothes, who stood close by to help.

Protestors also claimed that phones, cameras and other valuables belonging to the protestors were thrown into the trash along with the mangled remains of their tents that were taken down.

Blast recorded footage of a woman being arrested on a sidewalk adjacent to the park after she yelled at police.

A statement at the Occupy Boston website objected to both the way the arrests had been conducted and the way the protestors had been characterized saying:

“…hundreds of police in full riot gear brutally attacked Occupy Boston, which had peacefully gathered on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Boston Police Department made no distinction between protesters, medics, or legal observers, arresting legal observer Urszula Masny-Latos, who serves as the Executive Director for the National Lawyers Guild, as well as four medics attempting to care for the injured….Following the raid, Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis made no mention of veterans, organized labor, students, or families, nor did he issue an apology for his department’s aggressive tactics. Since the beginning of its occupation, Occupy Boston has worked tirelessly and successfully to maintain a positive working relationship with city officials. Today’s reprehensible attack by the Boston Police Department against a movement that enjoys the broad support of the American people represents a sad and disturbing shift away from dialogue and towards violent repression…Despite the city’s attempt to silence us, Occupy Boston remains, and bears no ill-will towards the men and women of the Boston Police Department who were simply following orders.”

In the wake of the arrests this morning, Mayor Menino maintained that he has a certain degree of sympathy with the protestors and told the Boston Globe, “I understand they have freedom of speech and freedom of expression, but we have a city to manage…I’m open to suggestions, but civil disobedience will not be tolerated.”

Talking to NECN, Menino expressed his mistaken belief that anarchists – a minority contingent within the Occupy Boston community since day one – had recently entered the movement and had changed its character.

Charged with unlawful assembly and aided with bail money donated by supporters, most of those arrested were released today but are due to be back in court later in the week.

The original Occupy Boston encampment, set up on September 30, remained in place this afternoon.

Step out of your room and right onto the beach (Blast staff photo/John M. Guilfoil)

FALMOUTH — You know all those 1950s surf music videos, where people are on the beach, playing volleyball, surfing, drinking from coolers, and generally being best friends with strangers? Yeah, that’s not supposed to happen in real life. Or, if it did, it was something unique to that era, before people in New England generally hated strangers and local beaches.

So it was easy to go into a newly remodeled Cape Cod beach hotel with a certain amount of skepticism.

Imagine my surprise. Maybe I’ve been too cynical about our local waterfronts.

The Sea Crest Beach Hotel just underwent a $15 million renovation to smartly bring the resort back in time. From the soft, white sand on the beach, to the indoor and outdoor pools, outdoor dining, poolside bar and quaint, comfortable restaurant, the hotel offers a total package that screams vintage Cape Cod.

This is what a Cape vacation is supposed to be. This isn’t rows of tourist traps, awful gift shops and a endless line of Christmas Tree Shops stores. This is summer — or fall in my case — on a private beach, with employees who know your name and room number and bartenders who know what you’re drinking.

The other people staying at the hotel seemed to be taken away just as much as I was. People said hi as they walked by, and we did the same. Strangers held conversations and clanged glasses together.

Even the history of the hotel screams vintage and cool retro. In 1927, a young Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart and other beautiful and famous people created a summer playhouse and tea room on Old Silver Beach, where the hotel stands today. It burned down in a 1936 fire and was rebuild as the Old Silver Beach Club, a Prohibition-era speakeasy. It was destroyed in a hurricane two years later and re-built as The Latin Club, a club managed by Lou Walters, the father of Barbara Walters. There was a hiatus during World War II, but the property re-opened as a summer resort.

In 1963, a group led by Boston Celtics owner, the late Red Auerbach, purchased the resort and converted it into a year-round resort in 1971. It was purchased by a real estate venture last year.

The sun sets over the private beach (Blast Staff photo/John M. Guilfoil)

We began our Cape weekend with a visit to the Bourne Scallop Festival, one of many fall events and home to some of the best fried scallops I have ever tasted. There are also a variety of rides, games and local crafts.

We arrived at the resort mid-afternoon. The best rooms at the resort are the ground-floor rooms on the beach. You literally step out of your room, onto the beach. It is perfect for getting lost with a date, a bottle of wine, and a picnic lunch. We did. Hours passed slowly but surely as we let the late September fog roll offshore and the sun come out for one more hot day.

For the fall and winter, when it gets colder, there are a variety of fireplace rooms available. You can walk on the beach during the day and warm up by the fire at night.

Seated at the outdoor bar, I was really taken away by the facade covering the building and the blue and white awnings. I felt like I was much farther than an hour away from home. There is a real understated elegance to the Sea Crest. It’s not a cheap hotel, but it’s by far not the most expensive stay on the Cape, yet you feel like you should be spending a lot more money.

Dinner at Red’s restaurant was nice. It’s not a five-star restaurant, but the entrees are filling, the ambiance is comfortable and the service is great.

Here’s how I have to close the story: The Sea Crest hosts weddings, and even as a guy I can say it would be awesome to get married here.

It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s SUPERFOODS!

Drop that Dorito in the name of science. OK, maybe you don’t need science to school you on the fact that a corn chip dusted with salt and nacho cheese flavoring may not be the healthiest addition to your diet. However, science has determined that certain “superfoods” exist that mere perception may not be able to uncover.

This eclectic grouping of foods has been deemed “super” for their ability to reduce the likelihood of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and improve overall health. Each item is rich in important nutrients and anti-oxidants, and can help reduce cholesterol.

While there is no superfood directory for the curious diner to consult, many of the lists in existence feature a lot of the same eats. That being said, here is a list of 10 healthy (and common) superfoods to incorporate into your daily diet.

1. Berries

Berries such as blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries all provide a good source of fiber and memory boosting anti-oxidants. Each one provides a delicious means for maintaining a healthy digestive system.

You can also feel green about eating blueberries, because the odds are they’re local. Maine is the largest producer of blueberries in the world, producing 25 percent of all the lowbush blueberries in North America.

2. Salmon

Wild salmon and other fatty, cold water fish are rich in Omega 3’s that help reduce the risks of heart disease, arthritis, and like their counterparts from the berry group, may even help with memory loss.

So take out that spear you’ve had collecting dust in the attic, go find a nice cold river, and do some food shopping!

3. Spinach

The E. coli and Salmonella scares are long over. The bad press for spinach has finally gone away.

Now then, all Popeye jokes aside, the myth of spinach creating a stronger and healthier you isn’t far from the truth. Featuring an all star team of nutrients and very little in the way of calories, Spinach can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cataracts and even cancer. While it may not lead you to say, “Lift things up and put them down,” regular consumption of this dark green veggie certainly has its benefits.

4. Tomatoes

Although they are locked in a constant identity crisis, tomatoes can confidently claim their place among the ranks of superfoods. This staple of American agriculture is loaded with beneficial nutrients that provide a healthy boost to your diet.

The cherry on top of this superfood sundae has to be the fact that the tomato based products we all know and love (pizza sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc.) are all full of the same nutrients you get from fresh tomatoes! While this isn’t exactly an invitation to start thawing out those microwave pizzas, it does provide an easy way to incorporate tomatoes into your diet when they aren’t in season.

5. Beans

Beans may not be a sexy food, but they have a fantastic personality. They provide a great source of protein, without the saturated fats that are present in red meats, and can help reduce the risk of heart disease by keeping cholesterol levels in check.

Looking even deeper into their charm, beans are also rich in fiber and other essential nutrients. So while that medium rare T-bone steak may look enticing, health experts say that it’s important to substitute meat for beans every so often.

6. Tea

One of the more popular superfoods, tea is incredibly healthy and features zero calories if you can resist the urge to turn it into a sugar dumping ground. This first rate superfood helps prevent a laundry list of health risks including stroke, cancer, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.

Instead of throwing that keg party you had planned for Saturday, why not invite your friends over for some tea and crumpets, raise those pinkies, and see where the night takes you.

7. Yogurt

Low fat yogurt is another easily accessible and nutrient-rich superfood. It’s an excellent breakfast option, or a good go to if you are looking for a between meal snack. You can add berries or rolled oats, (spoiler alert) another superfood, to give your yogurt a textural kick.

8. Nuts

Nuts may not be the healthiest option when taken at face value, but they can be an excellent nutritional source when cycled into your diet in moderation. The list of nutrients that they feature, including protein and Vitamin-E, help lower the chances of heart attack by a significant margin, and also help prevent other chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes.

Walnuts are one of the healthiest varieties. though almonds tend to take a lot of the nut credit. Walnuts can reduce bad cholesterol (LDL), prevent gallstones, aid insomnia, protect bones and can even help in weight loss.

9. Broccoli

The vegetable many of us dream about at night has even more to offer than we first thought. In fact, there are compounds in broccoli that reduce the risks of tumors by a staggering amount (in the 50-60% range). Broccoli is also teeming with other nutrients that boost our immune systems, and contains a very low calorie count. In fact, broccoli is such a nutritional powerhouse, that one may even wish to write a song about it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRW27fyvwCs

10. Whole Grains

Whole grains, such as oats, are a great cholesterol reducer, and like the other aforementioned superfoods, can help lower the risk of common heart conditions. Oats especially, are a very potent independent source of protein and fiber, and are probably one of the more cost efficient options available in the superfoods family.

Well there you have it. Ten “superfoods” that you can work into your diet on your way to becoming a healthier you. The best part is that each item is readily available at your local food store. No excursions into an exotic jungle. No phone calls to the village shaman. No majestic waterfalls that look like they belong in a shampoo commercial. Just ten easy to find foods that will help improve your quality of life!

Steve Jobs, legendary visionary and co-creator of Apple died Wednesday, he was 56. He is survived by his wife of 20 years, Laurene, and four children, including one from a prior relationship.

Jobs was born on February 24, 1955 and grew up in Cupertino, Calif.. which would later become Apple’s headquarters. Partnering with Steve Woszniak, the pair built their first commercial product, the Apple 1, in Jobs’ parents’ garage in 1976. He is credited with much of Apple’s modern vision and product line including the iMac, the iPhone and the iPod.

Jobs recently stepped down from his duties as chief executive in August because he could “no longer meet (his) duties and expectations.”

(Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

A few hundred people in Boston — 200 to 600 depending on the time of day and the weather — are illegally occupying Dewey Square Park, the portion of the Rose Kennedy Greenway directly in front of South Station. They’ve built a colorful community of about 60 tents in the shadow of the Federal Reserve Building, the skyscraper owned by Bank of America, and other symbols of financial power. During the day, they line Atlantic Ave with signs denouncing corporate greed. At night, they train each other in useful skills or gather for assembly, a sort of egalitarian legislature in which anyone can have a say and everyone gets a vote. They call what they are doing “Occupy Boston.”

It’s a diverse group with long lists of complaints about the way society is run, especially in regards to corporations and the power they yield. While members tend to be well left of center politically, most insist that what they are doing isn’t about Left or Right, Democrat or Republican. Noting the game-changing wealth the richest 1% of families have under their control, many like to call themselves “the other 99%” and insist that anyone within that same wide percentile is who they are fighting for.

Even in countries where no declared war is being fought, 2011 hasn’t been a peaceful year. The Arab Spring toppled regimes. In summer, parts of London burned. And in New York City, exactly three years after the especially sharp economic plummet of September 2008, thousands of people physically took themselves and their anger to the doors of Wall Street itself.

Who are the people “occupying” Boston and what do they want? What connection – if any – does this peaceful gathering on the Rose Kennedy Greenway have to do with the overthrow of leaders like Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gaddafi? This is a story of Boston’s newest and smallest “neighborhood,” a small patch of dirt and grass some are calling “Occupied Boston,” and the story starts in Canada.

Origins of Occupation

(Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

Adbusters, an anti-corporate activist group registered in British Columbia way back in 1989, has been clamoring for social change ever since. But it wasn’t until this year, in the wake of the Arab Spring, that the idea for Occupy Wall Street started to really come together. On July 4, 2011, they registered the domain name “occupywallst.org.” Nine days later, a group of hackers devoted to civil disobedience via the Internet and calling themselves Anonymous, asked its members to join the demonstrations soon to follow. After two more months of planning, Occupy Wall Street exploded into a protest of more than 1,000 people on Monday, September 17, in New York City.

On day eight of this extended protest, many of those involved headed uptown, forcing the closure of several streets. At least 80 arrests were made that day, some of them roughly, and video of a New York City police officer chemical macing a group of young women intensified world attention on the event. On day 13, in front of South Station during Friday rush hour, Boston became among the first of many cities to field its own version of that same protest.

Occupying Boston

(Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

Compared to their compatriots in NYC, the men and women of Occupy Boston received a warm welcome from the city. Word came down from Mayor Menino that tents pitched outside South Station would be allowed despite lack of permits. Before hitting the streets, some Boston cops received reminders about what holds are less painful for the person being restrained. Whatever else Boston’s powers-that-be might think of the protestors and their complaints, it’s clear they wished to avoid a replay of the public relations fiasco caused by the violent arrests in NYC just two days earlier.

Folks gathered at the State House and then marched towards the Financial District. The Rude Mechanical Orchestra, a NYC marching band scheduled to be in town anyway for the HONK! Festival taking place in Cambridge and Somerville that weekend, was a conspicuous presence at the moment of Occupy Boston’s actual birth. Dressed in trademark black and green, bedecked with sequins and playing exuberantly sloppy Dixieland, they made what was happening seem more like a holiday parade that the wild-eyed images we received of Arab Spring protestors. It helped set the tenor for what was to follow.

The cops, apparently in a non-confrontational mood, seemed amused by the marching band and a few folks in costumes. As people flocked into Dewey Square Park, police and protestors exchanged nonthreatening looks and polite words. “Hello…hiya…hello…howyadoing?” Even “welcome.” According to one police officer, a 30-plus-year veteran of the Boston Police Department who spoke on condition of anonymity, “What they’re doing here? It doesn’t bother us…(but) a few people barged into the bank and were trying to get arrested. So we helped ‘em out.” At least two dozen people, largely middle aged folks who had lost their homes, were gently taken into custody.

Emerging from their workplaces, waves of people stopped to gawk at the spectacle or tap their toes to the sound of horns and drums before catching the next train home. Widely circulated estimates that this first night drew about 1,000 people don’t seem to take into account the number of individuals and groups coming and going during these first hours. Two thousand plus seems more accurate.

It almost didn’t happen. Local organizers were targeting the following Friday, October 7, to hit the streets. But planning went surprising well and consensus was reached on numerous issues earlier than expected. The Occupy Boston movement was able to mobilize on September 30 instead, the same day that local groups were showing up on Beacon Hill – each with its own specific grievances regarding housing, labor or other issues. Most left with the sunset, but a few hundred people now firmly identifying themselves with the “Occupy Movement” encamped for the first night of the protest. Even torrential downpours during the night couldn’t dampen their impression that Occupy Boston had gotten off to a very auspicious start.

Teyvan Lowe

Teyvan Lowe (Blast Staff photo/John Stephen Dwyer)

People came and went from the event throughout the weekend. By Monday, day four of the Boston protest, it looked like those in the camp were enjoying a decent level of comfort. Good planning meant that such essentials as the medical tent were in place from the start. People of various descriptions had dropped off carloads of food through the weekend, meaning a surplus had begun to be stockpiled. What had been a patch of turf was now a bustling shantytown of colorful tents in the gray shadow of America’s financial colossi. Some of its inhabitants – especially those with no roof over their heads before joining the protest – were already calling it “home.”

Teyvan Lowe, 18, was one of them. During the evening rush hour, as people held up various messages for the benefit of motorists, Lowe stood alongside them playing his guitar, dressed like a sort of bandito in a mask and stocking cap. Pulling down the bandana that covered the bottom of his face, he said “This is basically where I live. The streets.” He explained that trouble with his family and the lack of a job had given him no other choice. Lowe, who had arrived at the protest on Friday, said “I’m here mostly on behalf of the homeless population. As a community of homeless people, no one is going to take us seriously. It’s hard enough to find a job if you haven’t showered in three weeks and have dirty clothes.”

Arania Webb

Arania Webb, 47, of Wakefield, wasn’t much better off. “I was in investment bank law. I was in the legal profession for twenty-five years. I was good at what I did. I was laid off in 2008…when our clients went under, so did we.” Since then, she’s done everything she can to survive, “temp work, housecleaning, dog-walking, you name it. People who mock the unemployed by saying ‘get off your ass and get a job?’ There are no jobs. I have zero income. I used all my savings. I had to liquidate my 401K…now I am sleeping on the floor of my friend’s home office.”

Seeing a chance to again put her professional skills to good use, Webb joined Occupy Boston’s legal team six days earlier. “Where else could I be?” she asked. She then referred to those outside the top 1% saying, “if you were in any way touched by the market crash, you are the 99 percent…if you are one illness or hospital stay away from bankruptcy, you are the 99%…this is a nationwide movement turning into a worldwide movement.”

Some at Occupy Boston found it difficult to articulate their topmost demands, while others said that capitalism itself must be forced out of existence. Webb fell into neither category, and her demands were surprisingly simple and modest: single-payer health care, FDR-esque work programs, and “some kind of campaign finance reform.” When asked how long she’d tough it outdoors, Webb said “We will stay here as long as necessary. We will stay here through the snows. We’ve started to acquire warm weather gear already. We will be here as long as it takes.”

(Media Credit/46137 via Flickr)

Hurra fur bier! It’s Oktoberfest season, and Blast has gathered information about the up-and-coming New England beer festivals that will have you dancing to Oompah music, yodeling to your heart’s content, chugging German beer from your stein, noshing on pumpkin-themed food, playing keg bowling, and…chicken dancing?

Connecticut

October 14: Brewfest at the Beach, The Pavilion at Ocean Beach Park, New London

The rain-or-shine event will feature live music, food, over 150 different types of beer, and ahh, that fresh sea air!

6 p.m. to 9 p.m., tickets $25 in advance/$30 at door.

October 15: The Connecticut Tigers Octoberfest and Chili Cook-Off, Dodd Stadium, Norwich

The name NOVI comes from the Latin phrase “Homo Novus”, literally translating to “New Man”, a play on words that Carolyne Neuman, the electro-pop sensation, has crafted as a stage name for herself as she flies to the top of the music charts with her catchy new single “Blackbirds” from her EP “Now I’m Here.”

Whether fans call her Carolyne, NOVI, or the Nov, this singer and songwriter hailing from Ashland, Ore., is causing a commotion in the music industry with eight tracks that she has been working on for three years now with her best friend and producer Lee Miles. The album is due to release this fall.

As NOVI described “Blackbirds” she said, “It was totally meant to be a joke. Miles and I had been writing some heartfelt pop-rock and one night in my bedroom I was drinking some wine and screwing around on Garage Band.” She continued, “I sent it to Lee and he said he woke up singing the hook.”

The duo has also aired a music video for “Blackbirds” to supplement the single’s release.

NOVI is uncertain about releasing the EP this fall as she prefers to add more tracks and release the album as an LP.

After a few “sappy and crappy” demos, as NOVI described it, she moved to Los Angeles and made the transition from wanting to do comedy shows and acting to performing musical arts.

She said, “It was when I met Lee that I knew this was the thing I wanted to do.”

NOVI told how her surroundings in Oregon and Los Angeles seriously influence her tunes. She gets her edge from her small town upbringing and got a reality check when she realized everyone in LA has been in the industry their entire lives, making her late in the game.

“All of those things are real to me and when I sing about them they’re true,” NOVI said. “I’ll always have my hometown roots, but it’s a happy balance to have both towns in my life.”

Coming from an artist who is a big believer in music with meaning, NOVI said that each song has a different message. She described how each track represents a different moment in time and the feeling that comes along with it. “Blackbirds” ideally speaks of bringing levity into peoples’ lives while “Dominos” is an ostentatious slap in the face.

For the most part NOVI’s lyrics are all straight from her own mind, but at times she described, as she’s writing, she’ll imagine she’s someone else to discover what their perspective would be in a certain scenario.

Big names in the music industry like Imogen Heap and Adele came up in conversation as a few of NOVI’s favorite artists as of lately, but Florence + the Machine stands out as NOVI’s latest artist of choice.

Talking about the group’s music, she said, “I felt like Florence Welch just did something to me and brought me to a place. I could barely clap.”

In the future, NOVI is determined to conquer her late start in the game and stay innovative as she expands her repertoire of new music.

“It’s easy to get stuck in some sort of deal where you have to do things a certain way,” as NOVI spoke of creativity. “Don’t be afraid to make a certain song that will make people cringe.”

At this point in time she has a few things in mind for expansion including putting together live shows, creating a NOVI brand, and reviving her passion for comedy. Eventually NOVI wants to create a personal record company on her own.

Live performances remain an obstacle to overcome and a rite of passage for NOVI to reach in her career.

She said, “When it comes to singing these songs live, I get super nervous and shaky.” However, the electro-pop goddess highlighted how after she performs live she comes out feeling like the most powerful person on the planet.

“It’s just so rewarding every single day,” NOVI said. The ability to express herself creatively is one among many rewarding aspects that the singer takes away from her career in music.

Although the singer denied the idea of live performances at the moment, for more updates on NOVI and her EP “Now I’m Here”, follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or visit her homepage at iamnovi.com.

There is a three month period, between when the air is too thick to breathe and the apocalyptic snow fall, that New England becomes arguably the most beautiful places in the world. The fall season of September through November, a time when 70-degree weather reigns and the foliage paints a natural landscape, is the reward for living for in the area and a true call for celebration.

And as every true New Englander knows, no celebration is complete without the correct beer.

The Northeast is privy to some of the better brewers in the country and has its share of standards. But as you belly up to your favorite bars and shop through your regular package stores, why not take advantage of fall 2011 and give a new beer a try.

Here’s Blast Magazines list of the top 5 best unknown beers, locally brewed and just waiting to become your new favorites.

5. Wachusett Octoberfest

The Wachusett Brewing Company, the Westmister-based brewer which is mainly known for its economically priced blueberry flavored beer, also releases an Octoberfest seasonal. A thicker brew that comes off slightly bitter, the beer has a slightly less warm temperament than most of the autumn releases. But any fan of the Blueberry brew will enjoy this seasonal offering.

4. Hex

Magic Hat, South Burlington VT’s own pride and joy for strange brews, has come out with the Halloween theme seasoned Hex Octoberfest. Holding up Magic Hat’s reputation for strong taste and thick constancy, Hex is not something that can be sipped in a relaxed manner. Fans of hops will not be disappointed.

3. Pumpkin Works

Locally brewed in Boston Beer Works, this pumpkin beer is a fine example of something original in the way of autumn beer. An odd combination of smooth taste and strong spice, the beer goes down quicker than some of the more bitter seasonals, but let it be said it will get on top of you quick. (Only available at Boston Beer Works)

2. The Great Pumpkin Ale

Straight from the best kept secret in The People’s Republic comes The Great Pumpkin Ale. A specialty brew from the Cambridge Brewing Company, this fantastic offering marks the first time the company has actually bottled its beer. The Great Pumpkin has a great taste and good consistency, with its only real flaw being that it’s a rare find in most stores.

It is an unfiltered ale, and the company is promising better availability this year “cuz we’re making a LOT of it.”

1. Smashed Pumpkin Ale

Those who have been around the area may have noticed Shipyard Pumpkin beer making its mark on several large chains and bars around the area. But what you may not know is that the Portland Maine company makes another brew known as Smashed Pumpkin. It is only available at a limited amount of liquor stores (and only in pint sized bottles) but this beer is worth the looking. Amazing flavor, good consistency, and 9 percent by volume make this the best $10 you spend all fall.

So there you have it. Blast Magazine’s top five under the radar New England brewed beers for the fall seasons. Go out and enjoy the weather and ale while you can, because we’ll be walking through six to twelve inches of snow before you know it.

Beautiful hair was everywhere at this year’s New York Fashion Week, and thanks to some of the industry’s top hairstylists, you can create these chic, straight-from-the-runway looks yourself at home. Read on for step-by-step instructions, and you’ll be looking runway-ready in no time!

A modern, youthful twist

Designer: Preen 
Hairstylist: Paul Hanlon, lead stylist for Aveda

To complement Preen’s modern yet feminine look, Hanlon says he “wanted the hair to impart the same lightness, innocence and purity.  We created a sleek silhouette to mirror the clean lines of the clothes.” The result? Hair that is “pure and neat; it almost has a forties feel,” he adds.

How to do it

1.     Prep hair by spritzing throughout with Aveda Volumizing Tonic, then blow dry with a round brush.  Work hair away from the face and neck to keep the hairline clean.  If hair is dry or damaged, begin by prepping with Aveda Brilliant Damage Control, and follow with Aveda Volumizing Tonic.

2.     Once dry, gently brush hair away from the face and let hair part naturally on the left side. Smooth hair with a fine-toothed comb and a light mist of Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

3.     On the right side of the head at the top of the ear, begin to twist hair toward the back of the head, staying just on top of the parietal ridge.  Use a tail comb to neatly bring hair up into the roll, and secure the roll with “U” pins.  Avoid twisting too tightly at this point.

4.     Continue twisting toward the back of the head following the natural hairline.  Twist all the way to the nape, secure hairwith a clip.

5.     Repeat twist on the left side, starting slightly lower, one to two inches above the top of the ear, sloping downward at the back of the head to create a “U” shape when twists meet at the nape.

6.     Neatly brush hair upward from the hairline to create a seamless connection between the two twists.  This gives the appearance of a single, smooth, twisted roll that snugly wraps around the head.

7.     Use Aveda Air Control Hair Spray and the end of a tail comb to smooth all wisps and flyaways while replacing “U” pins with bobby pins, snugly tucked and hidden. 

8.     Finish with Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine.     

Long, loose, effortless waves

Designer: Christian Siriano
Hairstylist: Antoinette Beenders, lead stylist for Aveda

“The hair for Christian Siriano this season is playful and looks effortless,” says Beenders. “We’ve updated the loose, beachy waves of the ’90s with a more groomed look that’s smart, young and approachable. I was inspired by Christian’s muse for this collection: a charming, smart girl who radiates happiness. The hair is super wearable and reflects her flirty, yet clever nature.  It’s fun, fresh and modern—just like the collection.”

How to do it

1.     Dampen hair at the root with Aveda Volumizing Tonic and blow dry with a large round brush to create natural volume.  For added lift, use Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray as a setting lotion while blow-drying by lightly misting the hair.

2.     Use a one-and-a-half-inch barrel curling iron to curl one-inch sections of hair away from the face until all hair is curled.  Rake with fingers to loosen. 

3.     Flip hair upside down and gently brush curls through.

4.     Flip hair back up. Create a deep side part and gently smooth out the top of hair using a comb, maintaining volume at the part.

5.     Spray Aveda Brilliant Spray-On Shine onto a kabuki makeup brush and stroke the brush over hair from roots to ends to give a healthy shine.  Keep style in place and protect against humidity with Aveda Control Force Firm Hold Hair Spray.

Textured and touseled

Designer: Band of Outsiders 
Hairstylist: Didier Malige, stylist for Aveda

Malige created two looks for the Band of Outsiders’ show (which was inspired by the dark 1975 Australian film “Picnic at Hanging Rock”), a romantic, “girly” look of textured waves, and a “boyish” look of a touseled chignon. “The hair for both looks at Band of Outsiders is textured, matte and has an easy look, almost undone,” says Malige. “It’s as if she’s done her hair herself, pulling it back into a loose chignon or letting it fall into natural waves.”

How to do it: The “girly” waves

1.  Divide dry hair into two sections with a straight middle part.

2.  Working with one section at a time, twist each section of hair away from the face while applying Aveda Brilliant Retexturizing Gel.

3.  Continue twisting hair and working in the gel until hair is nearly saturated.

4.  Holding the twisted section out with your fingertips, use a blowdryer to set hair. Continue blowdrying and twisting until hair is completely dry.

5.  Pin the twist to the side of the head, creating a large spiral. Leave for several minutes to set.

6.  Repeat on the other side of the head.

7.  Once the spirals have set, remove pins so that the twists fall onto each shoulder. Rake hair with your fingers to create waves.

8.  For added texture, scrunch Aveda Pure Hair Abundance Potion into waves.

9.  Finish with Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

How to do it: The “boyish” chignon

1.     Mist Aveda Air Control Hair Spray throughout hair from roots to ends to texturize the hair and give pliable hold.

2.     Gently brush hair through using a brush.

3.     Using a wide-toothed comb, backcomb hair from mid-length to ends, leaving the roots untouched. This creates grip and hold on the hair, making it easier to pull back and secure.

4.     Twist hair back and create a loose chignon at the occipital bone. Pin into place.

5.     Gently backcomb the top layer of hair and the chignon in a feathering motion, creating additional wisps and a slightly “undone” look.

6.     Loosen a few wisps of hair around the face for a natural, slightly mussed feeling.

7.     Hold style in place with Aveda Air Control Hair Spray.

 A wearable, pretty chignon

Designer: Sophie Théallet
Hairstylist: Didier Malige, stylist for Aveda

For Sophie Théallet’s collection, inspired by the 1969 film “La Piscine” (meaning “The swimming pool”), Malige wanted hair that expressed “an understated refinement, an instinctual sensuality.”  Malige says that “the hair is that of a girl who has just gone swimming, as if she has offhandedly pulled her hair back in a chignon and just left it to dry.  It reflects a nonchalant sensuality, her natural and understated sophistication.”

How to do it

1.     Brush hair away from the face with fingers, while working Aveda Pure Abundance Potion throughout to texturize.

2.     Pull hair back with hands, gathering at the back of the head as if to pull into a ponytail.

3.     Twist hair and coil into a loose bun, fasten with bobby pins.

4.     Pat a generous amount of Aveda Men Pure-Formance Grooming Clay and Aveda Control Paste onto the head, massaging and scrunching to create a matte, wet-and-dried texture.

5.     Smooth sides very close to head and leave a little volume on top.

Here is some information about hair transplants.

I’ve always felt a weird connection to the Gears of War franchise. Maybe it’s because both of the first games were released on my birthday and it became a ritual to check out Delta Squad’s latest mission as I got older – but I always felt like Gears of War 3 was somehow my game.  So please, forgive me if I gush a bit.

With Gears of War 3, Epic Games has taken the formula set by the first two games and tweaked it ever so much to create the perfect finale for their long running series. Everything you love is here, the chainsaw lancers, the grubs, the brumaks, but there’s also so much more.  The characters are deeper, the story is more engaging and the entire experience is deeply satisfying. Gears of War 3 is undoubtedly Microsoft’s biggest release of the year, and it’s also the best; one that if you own an Xbox – you simply have to experience.

It’s been eighteen months since the end of Gears of War 2, where Jacinto, the last human city was sunk in an effort to flood out the locust horde. As a result, the remaining survivors have setup camp throughout the world and must ban together to survive – food and weapons are scarce, and hope is bleak. To make matters worse, the high levels of imulsion left in the world (a luminescent, highly volatile, low-viscosity fluid) have turned some of the locust into glowing, mutating monsters.  Marcus Fenix, the leader of Delta Squad gets a message that his father is alive and being held captive. Your job is simple – return order to the world and find Adam Fenix.

The story in Gears of War 3 is easily the most well paced and thought out of the entire series. For the first time ever, Marcus and the rest of Delta Squad aren’t fighting the Locust because they’re soldiers; they’re doing it for their survival. Throughout the game, there are several emotional moments that for the first time ever, really let us see emotion from the members of Delta Squad.  One of these moments happens early in the game, where Cole returns to his former hometown, ravaged by Locust and Lambent in search of supplies and see’s statues and images of his former career as a thrashball superstar. Staring at a cardboard cutout of himself; Cole remarks to his squadmates about seeing his own death.  It’s a bit humbling for these characters, who have previously only been seen as muscle-bound brutes to show real emotion for the first time.

Of course, at its core, Gears of War 3 is built on its action – and it does not disappoint.  Sequences in the third game are incredibly large compared to those of previous games with huge badass monsters to take on, and are anything but easy. The Lambent, which sprout up from stalks from underground offer a change to the formula the franchise has setup for the last two games; as they’re mutating abilities will usually allow them to reach behind your cover to attack you, or worse – smash right through it. This of course forces you to adapt your strategy since you won’t be able to stay behind one source of cover for an entire battle.  The Lambent will explode when you defeat them, so it’s best to keep your distance less you want to take an excessive amount of damage even when succeeding. It’s these elements that make Gears of War 3 feel like a true evolution of the formula.

The lambent's explosions make for great visuals.

What surprised me most about the campaign in Gears of War 3 was just how much room it left for creativity and error. The first two Gears games were strictly linear affairs, but here, there’s a bit of user choice. Of course, you won’t be able to navigate the battlefield as you choose, but take for instance one section early on in the game where you try to sneak into a Locust stronghold without sounding the alarm. Your obvious route is to sneak around and pick off guards with the sniper rifles conveniently strewn about the battlefield (you’d think they wouldn’t want to leave them around like that), but letting one of the guards get to the alarm doesn’t necessarily mean you fail, as you’ll just have to take on the remaining horde head on. Interestingly, I also tried sounding the alarm myself, which proved to be the hard, but most fun route.It’s when you’re fighting the non-infected Locust though that the game truly feels like a Gears of War title. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the challenge of the Lambent, but you can’t do a lot of the things that make Gears unique. It’s with the Locust that you can do the game’s signature executions (there are a number of new ones here, including some really badass ones with the trusty chainsaw lancer), and it’s the Locust that feature the superb AI that the series is known for.  There are of course several new Locust types, including the Savage Grenadier and the Digger Boomer. Trust me; you’re going to hate the damn Digger Boomer.

With these new Locust types comes new weapons, and they too deliver. Killing the Digger Boomer gives you the digger gun, which sends missiles that burrow under the ground and the ground and come up rip the target to shreds. The most prominent new weapon though is the retro lancer, which replaces the chainsaw on the lancer you know with a musket like blade. At first, I hated it, but the more and more I used it, I preferred to always have one in my inventory. Rather than revving up a chainsaw to melee attack an opponent, you’ll hold down the b-button to charge and impale them. It’s deeply satisfying, perhaps even more so than the traditional lancer.

Apart from the campaign, the game features an impressive online suite. There are of course the competitive modes, which are powered by dedicated servers and features new game modes, and some awesome maps (I’m partial to the checkout map, which puts you in an abandoned grocery store and thrashball, which puts you in an old stadium –complete with falling jumbo-tron). For the first time ever, Gears of War 3 features full four player co-op throughout the entire campaign.

Horde returns in a more strategic form.

Horde mode also returns in the form of Horde 2.0, a new and more strategic way to play the survival mode. At first, I wasn’t sure about the new changes, as you and your squadmates buy barriers and bases to keep out the Locust and the Lambent, but it started to grow on me rather quickly. It forces players to work together, rather than camping out in certain areas. Also new to Gears 3 is Beast Mode, which is like Horde, but lets you play as the Locust Horde and target humans.  You start with simple tickers and soldiers, but as you progress you unlock new Locust types – it starts slow, but it’s a ton of fun, especially if you’re able to get a group of dedicated friends together to play the mode.

The Blast Factor: Gears of War 3 is easily the best game in the franchise, and it makes its case for best Xbox 360 game period. It’s a deeply satisfying and at times touching game that takes the formula set forth by the previous iterations and tweaks it in just the right places to make an incredible gaming experience. Simply put – if you own an Xbox 360, your library is not complete until it includes Gears of War 3.

Gears of War 3 releases worldwide for the Xbox 360 on September 20, 2011. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for this review.

When the original Resistance was released alongside the PlayStation 3’s launch, it felt very much like a launch title. It was a good lucking, entertaining shooter, but certainly didn’t scream next-gen power. Full of linear paths, indestructible walls, and wide-open spaces purely used as massive arena battles, it served mostly to provide a pre-requisite sci-fi shooter and show off how many creatures the PS3 could shove on the screen at once.

Frankly, not a lot’s changed. The sequel was improved, but still suffered from a by-the-numbers design philosophy and felt like an endless string of gigantic set pieces, absurdly crowded battles, and gauntlet runs. With Resistance 3, Insomniac Games gotten off the leash just a little and while it would be easy to say the formula is fundamentally unchanged, the results are stunningly improved.

The third chapter picks up several years after the oppressively downbeat ending of Resistance 2. Players take the role of Joseph Capelli, the angry grunt from the second game whose actions lead to his dishonorable discharge. Joe has settled down, gotten married, and had a son.

Joe helps protect one of the rare “safe” towns with his family in Oklahoma, and the game does an amazing job of detailing just how dire the situation is for humanity. The chimera has overrun the United States and stopped capturing humans to replace their vast numbers. Now, they just kill any humans they find. To make matters worse, they’ve started reproducing in the wild somehow, leading to a feral breed of chimera that attack anything.

Through the game, Joseph will bear witness to all manner of horrors and wonder on this trip through the darklands of Americana. Vast wild herds of gigantic widow makers, hordes of zombie-like grims, and variations on other old favorites scour the landscape. The levels take you from Oklahoma to the Mississippi river, and through Pennsylvania, in order to reach the ultimate goal of destroying the worm hole generator in the heart of New York City.

To that end, Joe will fight through small towns, mine shafts, and burned out urban landscapes. He’ll defend a moving train and run rampant through a super max prison. Every environment feels new and different in comparison to the last, and the game’s oppressive portrait of a destroyed America makes the action feel all the more intense. Joseph, like Hale before him, isn’t a particularly personable protagonist, but the cinematic sequences and overall story do a good job of presenting him as the country’s last hope.

Resistance 3 throws in some surprisingly retro mechanics that actually make the game feel more innovative. The tired two-gun limit has been thrown out the window, allowing Insomniac to flex their creative penchant for destruction learned from Ratchet & Clank. Players now have access to all available guns all the time—provided they have ammo.

While old standbys like the shotgun, assault and sniper rifle, bullseye, auger, and magnum are all here, many of the new guns are ingenious. There’s a freeze gun, viral mutator, and lightning gun, all of which have very specific and entertaining uses. The secondary fire options are especially well-done. The mutator is a charge shot that can infect most enemies with a mutated chimera virus, leading to a truly awful death. The secondary fire, however, disperses a cloud of the virus to infect a group.

The magnum uses explosive shots that can be detonated at any time with the secondary fire. The lightning gun uses chain lightning normally, but also shoots a sucking vortex of death. The fights tend to be so overwhelming that using all the guns and constantly running low on ammo is common place.

The other change is Joe doesn’t regenerate, nor does he have a shield. Instead, he must find good ol’ health power-ups, which greatly changes up the tactics that most shooters have been relying on since the original Halo. It is somewhat annoying that Joe can’t actually hold med kits in his inventory, leading to somewhat unnecessary frustration during the harder battles.

Resistance 3 still relies heavily on a linear approach to design focusing on huge set pieces and vastly outnumbered battles. During some of these sequences, Joe has some minor help from AI allies, but mostly it’s just him against an army. The battles are well-paced, intense, and mostly incredibly entertaining.

Yet, there are times when it just feels canned. Why, for instance, would a lone human join a battle of militant chimera against a giant, feral widow maker instead of just sneaking around them? Another oddity is the final act, which bizarrely loses steam right when the game should be gearing up for a grand finale.

Just the same, Resistance 3 delivers an insane amount of over-the-top shooting carnage in an environment that feels amazingly compelling. Flaws be damned, this is a great single-player shooter. Multiplayer-centric players can opt to play cooperatively with a second player, or just battle each other with a solid array of online game modes. Some features are tweaked or missing from the earlier games and the multiplayer sessions have been downgraded (again) to 16 players, but it’s still an excellent example of online battling.

The Blast Factor: Add in excellent 3D and Move support, and Resistance 3 marks another great and much improved sequel exclusive to Sony. Insomniac has relaxed enough to tell a familiar story their way instead of simply making PlayStation alternative to Halo, and it shows.

Dead Island is a classic example of art imitating life. By the very definition of the term, Dead Island can easily be considered to be a bit of a  zombie itself. Originally scheduled for release in 2008, the game was repeatedly delayed and assumed killed off until a new emotional trailer featuring a family fighting for their lives against a horde of undead invaders hit the web and instantly went viral. Back from the proverbial dead, Dead Island was set to be an emotional and gripping take on the zombie formula.

Or at least it was supposed to be.

Half a year and a ton of hype later, Dead Island’s final product isn’t what you thought it would be – and that’s not an incredibly terrible thing. With its interesting twist on the growingly stale zombie apocalypse genre, Dead Island has some great ideas, they just don’t feel as well thought out as they could be. At its best moments, it’s a thrilling horror survival game, but at its worst – it’s a dated, limited, lethargic and confusing experience.

The clear strength of Dead Island lies within its setting. The isle of Banoi is lush, tropical and offers picturesque views, an significantly different world than most games dealing with the zombie apocalypse.  The change in setting works wonders for the game’s survival horror feeling as you’re not (well, at least for most of the game) looking around the same corners as you would in most games as the tourist resort is full of small twists and turns that you’re not going to expect. Some of the best moments of the game involve walking past an area dense with hills and trees and you’re suddenly startled by the scream of the undead when you have absolutely no idea where it’s coming from.

Perhaps that’s the genius of Dead Island, rather than focusing on merely wailing on zombies at every turn, the focus is clearly on survival. You’re rarely ever going to run into a horde of undead and have to fight your way through (though, fear not, it does happen), rather the game throws a few zombies at you, but places them in all of the right places. It’s an extremely cool feeling to round a corner and see a ton of bodies, and one of them slowly gets up, looks at you and begins to charge.  It’s a frequent occurrence to hear a growling undead from somewhere and then have to quickly adapt your strategy.

It may have the walking dead featured prominently, but Dead Island feels like no zombie game before it. It’s probably easiest to describe the game as Fallout meets the zombie apocalypse. You choose your character based on skill specialty (one for example is more proficient than the other in throwing weapons, while the other’s specialty is brute weapons) and level up as you progress through the game’s sidequests and finding items. As you level up, you’ll gain access to new weapons and the ability to combine these weapons at workbenches found throughout the island.  While this may sound great, it’s also where the game begins to fall apart. The game puts absurd restrictions on the weapons you can use depending on what level you are. Like an old wrench for example.. You mean I can’t just pick up a rusty wrench from the ground and start wailing on zombies? Nope. You’ll have to unlock certain levels first. I get it, I really do; it’s a way to progress through the game, but it’s a little frustrating when you’re searching for weapons as you’re being chased down by zombies and the only thing you can find is something you’re not able to use.

In games like Dead Rising and its sequel, you were similarly asked to look throughout the environment for weapons and items to help fight off the undead horde. In those games, the question instantly became “Can I do this?” and the answer was mostly yes, but in Dead Island, it’s a frequent no. See that surf board leaning up against the lifeguard tower? Wouldn’t it be swell to take that and beat the hell out of a few zombies? Well…you can’t. That’s just a piece of the scenery, have this canoe oar instead.  Oh, that pool umbrella over there? The one with the pointed end that could impale a zombie? You can’t use that either, can I interest you in this canoe oar instead (yeah, there’s a lot of those in the game).

It all plays a part in just how dated Dead Island feels. A good majority of the weapons feels remarkably the same, and you’ll end up grinding your way through a good portion of the game.  A lot of my play time went like this: grab weapon, swing wildly, clear area, repeat. You can make the point that this is the point of a game like this, but here, it all feels so uninspired.  On the same note, the island and its sweeping vistas may look impressive, but the characters and their animations look like they’re straight out of the early days of this console generation.  The voice acting is rather well done though.

My final complaint about Dead Island may be a small one, but it’s just as important. Now, I’m the guy who when given the choice, will normally choose the “good guy” route in most games, but even though I wasn’t given the choice in Dead Island, I felt like a douche the entire time. Regardless of what character you choose, you wake up in your hotel room unsure of what’s going on, you know nothing about the undead roaming around; all you really know is that something is going on and it’s probably a good idea to get up. That doesn’t stop you from digging through people’s bags and luggage to find supplies and money, oh, and deodorant. Lots of deodorant.

The Blast Factor: Dead Island is like no other zombie game you’ve played, and that’s both a good thing and a terrible thing. At its best, it’s a zombified take on Fallout, but at its worst – it’s a dated and uninspired action title with little to offer in the end. Regardless, if you’re a fan of zombies or action games, you should at least check out Dead Island, even if it is disappointing.

There is so much to do in Boston that living here can feel like a full-time job. It only seems fair that someone should offer monetary compensation.

No matter how satisfying your real job may be, getting paid for what you do in your leisure time will always seem ideal. Sadly, no matter how much you think about it on the T or ponder it in the Public Garden, there is nothing out there that will allow you to cash in on your spare time.

Unless of course you’ve got an iPhone. Want to get paid for your walk home? There’s an App for that.

Gigwalk is an application that allows users to report, record and share information about their surroundings. The application is free, and works by notifying users when a job is available in their area.

According to Jenifer Silver, a local Gigwalker, there are over 4,000 gigs in Boston. Provided you’re willing to snap a photo, you can now earn a second paycheck for doing whatever you’re doing, wherever you happen to be.

People rely on Gigwalk to provide them with information the internet may fail to capture, such as the daily drink special at a tiny independent cafe. Gigwalkers, as Gigwalk employees are known, function as a human search engine, providing photographic proof to specialized queries.

Silver reports responding to anywhere between five and 40 gigs per week. “My favorites are the ones where you can pop in and out without anyone noticing, such as Starbucks, McDonalds and other fast food settings. Occasionally I’ll make friends with the person working and they’ll give me a coffee!” Though Silver’s rate of response depends on her daily schedule, she points out that any time can be a good time for a gig: she’s even completed gigs on dates with her husband.

If the idea of earning $5 while dining out sounds appetizing, take heart in the fact that Gigwalk is growing. Over 100,000 gigs are available nationwide, and 5,067 of them are coming to Boston. With most gigs paying between $4 and $7 each, Gigwalkers have the potential to earn $12 to $20 an hour. Unlike you’re entry level office job, effort is always rewarded at Gigwalk. The more gigs you complete accurately, the higher your odds of accessing gigs that pay between $70 and $90 each.

“Since launching Gigwalk in May, we have rapidly grown into an on-demand mobile army of 50,000 iPhone users nationwide,” said Ariel Seidman, CEO and co-founder of Gigwalk. This army isn’t fighting for just anyone, either. With a client roster that includes TomTom and MenuPages, Gigwalk could prove beneficial to both your wallet and your resume.

So go out to eat, drink, and enjoy your city. And, if you’re a Gigwalker, get paid for doing so.