WEAKEND PLANNER IS COVERED
IN SOOT AND SMELLS FUNKY

CALENDAR
Friday, May 11t^h
7:00pm
Marcia Ball @ The Mint

Joanna O’Conner @ Kingston Mines, Chicago

7:30pm
Keane featuring Rocco DeLuca @ Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City: Moved from the Greek Theatre because of the Griffith Park fire.

7:40pm
Reds @ Dodgers on Prime Ticket: Bronson Arroyo goes against Randy Wolf.

8:30pm
Seether @ House of Blues Las Vegas

Saturday, May 12^th
8:00pm
Buddy Guy @ Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA

Vince Gill @ Harrah’s, Laughlin, NV

9:00pm
Grant Lee Phillips @ Largo

Bjork @ Auditorium Theatre, Chicago

Sunday, May 13^th—Mother’s Day
12:00pm
Stoney Curtis Band @ San Pedro Fest Ports ‘O Call San Pedro, CA

8:00pm
Modest Mouse @ The Greek Theatre

Insane Clown Posse @ Fort Cheyenne Casino, Las Vegas

JE-C’S NEW-MOVIE RUNDOWN
28 Weeks Later
Synopsis: Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later helped rejuvenate the zombie genre, and this sequel from Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ups the ante even further, with American troops arriving in England to pick up the pieces…only to find the Rage virus wreaking havoc once again.
Thoughts: Although I really liked 28 Days Later, I couldn’t care less about this one.

The Ex
Starring: Zach Braff, Amanda Peete, Jason Bateman
Synopsis: A professional slacker is forced to get a real job when his pregnant wife exits the workforce. Things go from bad to worse when he works with an overachieving handicapped man who seems intent on stealing his bride.
Thoughts: I really want to see this movie; the previews look really good and the buzz so far has been very positive. With all the blockbusters coming out, I think this one could be a sleeper.

Also opening this week:
Georgia Rule: Total chick flick
Delta Farce: Total stupidity

IDOL THOUGHTS BY YOSH KATZ
We all must admit that this season has been a letdown in some respects. After a solid Season Five, in which all eight of top eight were very strong, we let Sanjaya fever get to us, and many people have stopped watching. What caused the change? And what makes one year of Idol better than another? I don’t think it’s the audience’s fault, as many have suggested this season following Sanjaya’s emergence into the top seven, and it wasn’t because of the first round of cuts in the various cities. Where great seasons of Idol are made is during the Hollywood week, and how and who they cut there. Obviously, they made some good choices, but also some awful ones. Ratings may be down this season, but they will be back up when next season starts.

Lakisha is gone, and as Simon said, “No kiss this week”. The kiss from the previous week was a “plant” of sorts, which put her over the top and gave her some extra votes. I think they wanted to push it that way because the top four all but assured a female winner. With Chris and Phil gone, you knew many of those votes were going over to Blake, which is why he was safe, even though some thought he had a weak week. This theory brings us into this week, as Blake will go home unless he steps up huge and blows everyone away. Lakisha’s supporters will vote for Jordin and Melinda, as I don’t see many of her lost votes moving to Blake.

Jordin will be your American Idol for Season Six—it’s in the bag. I just think people don’t want Melinda to win, regardless of how talented she is. She peaked too early and hasn’t blown us away since March, while Jordin keeps stepping up. She’ll be our first teenager to win the title.

My rankings:
Jordin
Melinda
Blake

JE-C’S INDIE BAND TO CHECK OUT
Capitol Risk, from Philadelphia, has been stirring up a lot of buzz lately. They signed a licensing deal with MTV, which led to a chance to compete in the Virtual Laguna Beach Battle of the Bands and having their songs played on the shows NEXT and Parental Control. They recently signing a licensing deal with Kick Rock Records in Japan, which will release their CD in that country on June 20. You can catch them this Saturday, May 5, at the Bamboozle Festival on the Pass the Mic Right Stage at 1:30 p.m. Check them out at www.myspace.com/capitolrisk and please email me your comments at [email protected].

Here are some endorsements:

“This talented group of musicians caught my eye early on. The sky is the limit for Capitol Risk.” —Brian Ball, Ernie Ball, Inc.

"Capital Risk is one of those bands showing all the right signs. Every show seems to draw more people, and every batch of songs they write is an improvement on the last batch. I'm looking forward to seeing them at Bamboozle." —Scott Egbert, Reverb Nation

“Capitol Risk finds the perfect meeting point between punk rock and pop rock. There's nothing cheesy about this rock outfit, which resembles Jack's Mannequin making out with Spitalfield on a warm summer night. Melodies are genuine, and the harmonies are gut-wrenching. Vince D'Annunzio’s vocals soar…every move of every song has a purpose. This band stuck out to me. I viewed over 250 bands and had to choose four; I could not pass on Capitol Risk.” —Joe Reo, Max Cruise/Bamboozle

“A very surprising young talented band out of the Philly music scene; their songs will be in stuck in your head after just one listen.” —Ryan Metheny, Smartpunk.com

“This band has a great future laid out ahead of them, and I'm sure with the proper team involved, they'll reach that point.” —Adam S. Harrison, manager of Melee

“It only seems natural that some of the most catchy pop rock these days is coming from kids barely out of high school. In the front of that pack is Capitol Risk. Kids like them, and you know what? So do I.” —Nick Sambrato, Bonded Records/Between the Trees