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This is unambiguous good news from a country that just banned Barbie. Do you think for one moment this would be happening without the strong actions the U.S. has taken since 9/11, most specifically right next door in Iraq? Or are the pampered, stuffed, duplicitous satraps who run Saudi Arabia …

Setting aside the merits of file sharing legality and morality, check out the spin on this story from Billboard – any doubt about who butters their bread or fluffs their pillows? It seems that music companies can’t catch a break these days. Recent news coverage of piracy lawsuits has been …

KILL BILL: VOL. 1 Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino; director of photography, Robert Richardson; edited by Sally Menke; music by the RZA; martial-arts adviser, Yuen Wo-Ping; fight choreographer, Sonny Chiba; production designers, Yohei Tanada and David Wasco; produced by Lawrence Bender; released by Miramax Films. Running time: 95 minutes. …

Iranian human rights lawer Shirin Ebadi just won the Nobel Peace Prize. Ebadi confers with Newsweek: NEWSWEEK: Is your prize a watershed for democracy in Iran? SHIRIN EBADI: I hope it is. I always acted within the law; I never did anything that was illegal. I support peaceful protests. But …

Despite the outcry from the independent film community, the MPAA refuses to relent on the “screener” ban: A spokesman for MPAA President Jack Valenti issued a terse statement Thursday in response to a Wednesday morning conference call between Valenti and representatives of three studio subsidiaries in which they discussed possible …

I’ve been in a Bowie mood. Yesterday I discussed Bowie’s “plastic soul” period – today it’s Bowie’s extremely fruitful musical partnership with the great guitarist Mick Ronson. Ronson was born in 1947 and grew up in Hull in the north of England. As a child Ronson played violin, recorder, harmonium …

Great trailer for Tarantino’s Kill Bill here. The movie opens today. Maybe he is finally back – love that Uma. I’m eager to hear the reviews, since realistically I won’t see it until DVD-time.

Rhino Records' spiffy new reissue of this indispensible 70's NYC rock classic.

65-year-old Tommy Chong sent up the river for selling bongs.

Our wise Taloran’s mention of the fine funky guitarist Carlos Alomar in the Rolling Stone guitarist poll post (see comments #534, 536) inspired me listen to his work (Alomar’s, not Taloran’s, no offense). This brought me to David Bowie, 1974. In a move away from sci-fi glam rock to what …