Joyful Noise

Warner Brothers

Rated PG-13 for profanity and a sexual reference.

Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton Co-Star in Gospel-Driven Musical Drama

When choir director Bernard Sparrow (Kris Kristofferson) passes away unexpectedly, Pastor Dale (Courtney B. Vance) finds himself on the horns of a dilemma. Should he promote the…

1960s folkie Phil Ochs tried, and failed, to change the world with song

American Masters

Monday, 7:30 p.m., (PBS)

   Phil Ochs was a singer and guitarist at the heart of the 1960s protest-folk movement. “Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune” on American Masters explores his passionate commitment to…

When I was a little kid, I used to go with my mother to Caldor on Rt. 10 in Morris Plains. If you’re not familiar, places like Caldor and Bradlee’s were like Target but without the play at upper middle class aesthetic. They were dumpy, knew it, and didn’t pretend…

“It is futile to fight against, when one doesn’t know what one is fighting for.”

-Ayn Rand

For all intents and purposes, the Republican Primary season is over. The unprecedented victories in both Iowa and New Hampshire by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney have taken the starch out of things.…

Statistics just released showed that property taxes in New Jersey, already the highest in the United States, went up an average of 2.4 percent in 2011. The politicians in Trenton are congratulating each other for keeping it so low, while those in towns around the state are claiming the small…

It’s true. I’m really Elvis. He resides within me, alive and vibrant. Just like he resided within Andy Kaufman (1949-1984), the comedian, performance artist and wrestler. When Kaufman, most known for his Latka character on TV’s Taxi sitcom, did Elvis, that essence was revealed. It was no comedy bit.…

After putting together an amazing, remarkable college career, it’s essentially a guarantee that the precocious neophyte Andrew Luck will leave Stanford and participate in April’s NFL Draft. At age 22 Luck has already put together a résumé that doesn’t need to be trumped-up—a 3.5 GPA, back-to-back second place finishes for…

The Artist

The Weinstein Company

Rated PG-13 for a crude gesture and a disturbing image.

Fading Star Falls for Emerging Ingénue in B&W Homage to Silent Era

It is 1927, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is at the height of a flourishing career as a matinee idol. But…

Clutch/Corrosion Of Conformity/Earthride

The Trocadero

December 31, 2011

PHILADELPHIA, PA—New Year’s Eve with Clutch, C.O.C. and Earthride—sometimes life just provides you with easy choices. I mean, really, there was no way in hell I was going to miss this show. My wife and I packed into the car early…

Former Drive-Thru Records artist Socratic have been quiet since their 2008 release, Lunch For The Sky, until now. After two years of writing and recording new tunes, the New Jersey band is releasing their first album in five years independently. Socratic will be available on Jan. 11 and the…