Elvis Costello is back on the Sundance Channel for another season of ‘Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…‘ and to celebrate the new season IN*TANDEM Magazine is giving away a prize pack.

One winner will receive (1) “Spectacle: Elvis Costello With…” Season 1 on DVD (5-disc set), and a Sundance Prize Pack. Prize pack includes: T-shirt, tote bag, baseball cap, USB drive, notebook, and pen. The contest is open to U.S. residents only. Send us a @Twitter message or an email to contest contest [at] intandemmag.com with your favorite album of the year and you’ll be in the running to win. Winners will be selected on 12/23.

“Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…” is taped in front of a live audience at Harlem’s world famous Apollo Theater in New York City and The Masonic Temple in Toronto, Canada. The show premiered on December 9th. Among the confirmed guests for the seven-part season are: Bono, The Edge, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Lyle Lovett, John Prine, Ron Sexsmith, Neko Case, Jesse Winchester, Ray LaMontagne, Nick Lowe, Levon Helm, Richard Thompson and Allen Toussaint. The schedule for Season Two of “Spectacle: Elvis Costello with… ” is as follows:

12/23 @ 10PM - Levon Helm, Nick Lowe, Richard Thompson and Allen Toussaint
12/30 @ 6:00pm-10:00pm - “Spectacle: Elvis Costello with…” marathon
01/06 @ 10:00pm - “Spectacle: Elvis Costello with Elvis Costello”
01/13 @10:00pm - Lyle Lovett, Ray LaMontagne, and John Prine
01/20 @ 10:00pm - Bruce Springsteen (part 1)
01/27 @ 10:00pm - Bruce Springsteen (part 2)

If you know me at all, chances are you are well aware that: 1. Zach Galifianakis is one of my all time favorite comedians (“Live at the Purple Onion” being one of the funniest things you will ever see), and 2. Jason Schwartzman is the love of my life and by far the sexiest Coppola. So when my sister told me that these two Mediterranean men were starring in a new HBO series, I lost my shit, mentally readied myself for some possible and classic HBO series nudity, and set a calendar alarm for September 20^th at 9:30pm for the series premiere.

In the spirit of the internet and iTunes, HBO released the pilot at least a week earlier than the air date. Emotionally, mentally, and sexually prepared, I watched the first episode on my QuickTime player—ice water in hand—and was sorely indifferent.

“Bored to Death” centers around a recently heartbroken and writer’s-blocked Jonathan Ames (the actual name of the show’s creator and producer) played by Schwartzman who posts an unlicensed “Private Detective for Hire” ad on Craigslsit to live out his film noir/pulp fiction detective fantasies in wake of failing to produce a second novel. Galifianakis is his cartoonist friend, Ted Danson is his boss, there’s some dialogue, Galifianakis is slightly funny but not the Galifianakis I know, Schwartzman plays himself again, it takes place in New York… I admit it’s common for a new series to start out slow, so I’m hoping over time it will pick up because when you break it down, it sounds fantastic.

There were some positives that I will note: the theme song is performed by Schwartzman (of his solo project: Coconut Records) who plays a sensitive and “self-hating Jew”, there are some witty remarks, an aversion to babies en masse, Danson resembles a clean-shaven suit-clad pot-smoking white wizard, good soundtrack, Parker Posey is in two tentative episodes, and the white wine references are funny.

All in all, I had to watch the episode twice in order to like it, but that’s okay. Here’s to future initially funny episodes and some mild Schwartzkis (get it?) nudity. Cheers!

Official HBO site

Watch the first episode on iTunes for free

-Lya Edwards

The British are a gift that keeps on giving and to top that, they are ridiculously hilarious (Little Britain, The Office, Extras, Monty Python, Black Books, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, etc…). The comedic outfit known as The Mighty Boosh is no exception and now, for the first time on American DVD players, we can watch Howard Moon (Julian Barratt) and Vince Noir (Noel Fielding) “crimp,” quip (which I am using as a verb for the sake of alliteration), and cause trouble, only to be saved by the enigmatic Shaman, Naboo (Michael Fielding) and his familiar, Bollo (Dave Brown), a talking gorilla, while vocabulary-deficient Bob Fossil (Rich Fulcher) does some ridiculously funny stuff. Each episode features an amazing original musical production written by Barratt.

American fans have either had to watch the show in parts on YouTube under a phonetic spelling (thanks, lauraschantz, whose account was sadly suspended for that exact reason) or settle on poorly edited versions on Adult Swim (at times I still never manage to find).

Having made first-time US appearances this July at Comic-Con, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Lately, Amoeba Music (which I happened to attend), and the Roxy, my favorite Brits have been busy and are not dispelling rumors of a tentative MB movie.

While the individual DVDs have been out since July 21^st, a super special box set is scheduled to be released on October 13^th, 2009. But lucky for you, if you cannot wait, our dear friends at Netflix have Season 1 available for you to rent (Seasons 2 and 3 still have an “unknown” availability status).

Watch This!

Special thanks to my good friend, Alison, who brought this show to my attention two years ago.

-Lya Edwards

About two years ago, my friend Anthony sent me a link to watch a cartoon rap music video about our nation’s first president. By the opening stanza, I wanted whoever created this historically inaccurately accurate tour de force to be my boyfriend.

I must tell you that whenever I find (or in this case, am shown) a show or book or song or a comedic outfit that manages to be as vulgar as it is smart, I am instantly sold. So when I discovered that there was more of this brilliance—and in storyline form, I knew I was in love. Enter: “The Professor Brothers,” “I am Baby Cakes,” “China, IL,” and many more.

In addition to comics, in 2004, Neely released “Wizard People, Dear Reader,” an unauthorized supplemental dialog/narrative to the second Harry Potter film, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” While I have yet to experience this magnificence, I am sure it is just that.

So, to address my initial conclusion, there’s nothing more attractive than someone who is equally smart, witty, talented, and uncouth. And now, with my help, you too can follow the creative goings on of the love of my life. Call me sometime, Brad.*

www.youtube.com/user/TheRealBradNeely

www.creasedcomics.com

May I recommend:

George Washington

China, IL

Brad Pitt: God Substitute

Aside from the interweb, Neely’s work can also been seen, though I never have, on Adult Swim.

*In jest, married men are not my type.

-Lya Edwards

This autumn, British accessory brand Jimmy Choo will bring its international glamour and covetable shoes and bags to 200 selected H&M stores across the world, starting November 14. It’s the first time that H&M is collaborating with an accessories brand–to celebrate Jimmy Choo will extend its design vision for this collection to women’s clothing to complement the accessories. In addition, this collaboration will also include a men’s collection of shoes, bags and accessories.

“We adore Jimmy Choo’s shoes and bags. They are glamorous and sexy, and they add instant style to the simplest of outfits. I like the way we have worked with clothes to accessorize the shoes and bags rather than the other way around. This collaboration is particularly exciting because it’s our first shoe designer collection. It’s a joy to be able to offer top end designer shoes and bags of excellent quality to our customers,” shares Margareta van den Bosch, creative advisor, H&M.

Tamara Mellon, Founder and President, Jimmy Choo adds: “We are privileged to be among the fashion greats who have been affiliated with H&M so far, and to be designing a collection appealing to fashion savvy, street smart women, and to be including some great pieces for men, too. Jimmy Choo will bring to H&M a sophisticated, fashion forward, accessible and glamorous collection – the perfect party pieces to buy now and then wear out that night!”

Since its launch in 1996, Jimmy Choo has been such a phenomenal success that the brand name has become part of popular culture–say the words “Jimmy Choo”, and you know you mean shoes.  With their tall heels and strappy designs, Jimmy Choo shoes epitomize red-carpet glamour In Hollywood, Jimmy Choo shoes have become a red-carpet essential from the Oscars to the MTV Video Music Awards. Everyone has a pair and now you can own more than just your hand-me-down (I love my hot pink stilettos from 2001, thanks sis!) or secondhand purchase ( Go to Tokyo Joe on 11th Street in NYC). So step on it people as soon as it hits stores or step off.

-Colette Prosper

Dark shadows, like the ones under my eyes, and like the ‘90s remake of the classic ‘60s vampire horma (horror/drama. Anyone? No?) of the same name. Question: what makes the remake worthy of my idle time? Answer: the 200 year old vampire, Barnabas Collins, played by the great Ben Cross.

I know, you’re like, “Lya, who the hell is Ben Cross?” Well, let me tell you, he is a man with the most amazing cheekbones I have ever seen. It’s like a handball-sized cannon blasted off part of his face, in equal amounts, on each side, ever so delicately, simultaneously tanning him, feathering his hair, and plumping his lips. He is the Men’s Warehouse pinup if there ever was one, a commander of style and grace and enunciation and pleated pants. He is business casual and the worst actor I have ever seen.

Cross’s latest appearance was as Spock’s dad in the new “Star Trek” movie. He might have had something like 15 seconds worth of a speaking part, but his cheekbones spoke volumes. Just look at what you could fit in the negative space:

1. A baby’s fist
2. A gold Tamagotchi
3. One Roma tomato
4. A Sugar Glider
5. A mixtape
6. Birth control
7. The LOTR one ring

-Lya Edwards