Links

It is time for a bucket load of links, folks. Things have slowed down a little around here at the Outfield, but Slick and I promise to get back up on this horse and ride her hard now that the summer is beginning to dwindle down. Lots of things have gone down over the course of the last couple of weeks, but nothing has gotten more publicity than the all-might Michael Phelps.

Impressive? Yes? Bludgeoned to death by the media? You bet. That said, I promise to make this a Phelps free zone.

Today's links are brought to you today with a soundtrack. Or at least one song. Let's call it a soundtrack for the iTunes generation. One of my new favorite things to watch has been The Sundance Channel's "Live from Abbey Road" series that has taken a tremendous wealth of musical talent, given them the keys to perhaps the most legendary recording studio in the history of modern music, and produced intimate looks at these artists as they record. It's CD quality sound and is available in bee-you-ti-ful HD.

A treat for me is coming across a new band - usually British and where I might have been aware of their existence but not familiar with their sound or body of work – and walking away with a new appreciation for them or a couple of their songs. Today's sound track comes from one of my new finds, the British band Elbow. This is "Grounds for Divorce". Go ahead and give it a click and listen to it as you read the rest of this entry.

Now on to the links...

• Kanye West might have earned some major wrath from Slick and I with his Bonnaroo antics, but from all accounts he redeemed himself with his set at Lollapalooza. And now this – Kanye is bringing Fatburger to Chicago. Hot Damn! Too bad it's still an 8-9 hour drive from where we live, but it's a start.
  
  
• Cool news, good news, and bad news out of the Weezer camp. The cool news is that the boys have sent out an open casting call for fans to be in their next video for "Troublemaker". Too bad it's for LA area residents only. The good news is that they have FINALLY announced plans for their tour following months of patience and anticipation by us here at the Outfield. The bad news? They are - ONCE AGAIN – coming nowhere close to middle America. Oh there is a Chicago show on 10/02 and an Atlanta show on 10/25, but that's still a haul for Slick, E, and I who have still yet to catch the Weez live and in person. Of course, if any of you out there are feeling generous, I should point out that my and E's shared birthday just happens to be October 2^nd. I'm just saying. You know, tickets and hotel packages aren't too extravagant for a birthday gift and all.
  
  
• Please tell me that you have been keeping up with the whole Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer kidnapping "story". As if I needed more incentive to go see Wilson's new movie The Rocker when it comes out this month (or to watch "The Office" when it returns this fall), Wilson takes a fresh new approach to word of mouth marketing and makes me happy. Long story short: Wilson has kidnapped Fischer, bound and stuffed her in the back of his Firebird, and will not release her until the movie grosses $18.7 million. Nice. Check out Free Jenna Now for all of the hilarious up to the minute developments as they happen.
  
  
• Don't look now but our Cubbies have the best record in the National League and are only a win away from tying the Angels for the best record in baseball. Once again, no carts will be put before horses here at the Outfield, but c'mon boys – just once in my lifetime! Don't cement my loser-dom in the minds of my children! Don't make me ruin their lives with this century long beast as well!
  
  
• Idolator has a wonderful entry about the horrible 1980's choices made by some of rock and roll's best musicians. Oh, the agony! For the record, even though I hate the video, I love "The Girl is Mine".
  
  
• While you over there at Idolator, make sure you check out this discussion of the Alt-Rock classics that you secretly loathe or can't understand the appeal of to save your life. Me? I'll offer up most Radiohead after "The Bends", "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden, and the entire Sublime catalog.
  
  
• ESPN.com offered up a report yesterday about PETA's favorite quarterback, Michael Vick, and his vanishing fortune. It appears that the money was going faster than MC Hammer's long before the term "rape stand" entered into our vernacular.
  
  
• Looks like the Republican party is getting desperate. As Obama's lead in the polls surges, it looks like the GOP is willing to alienate the evangelical voters whom old Bushy rode twice to victory by toying with the idea of having a pro abortion rights VP candidate. But, as Rolling Stone writer Matt Taibbi so eloquently pointed out, McCain is doing a great job of that himself.