A Round of Shots

In my opinion toasters are the least appreciated kitchen accessory. Day in and day out they do their job without complaint or recognition. Stop and think for a second, if someone asked you right now to name the three most amazing kitchen implements, would it make the list? Most likely not. Its not as flashy as the chrome Kuerig, not as obvious as the microwave and not as modern as the marvelous magic bullet. I challenge you to find a more unassuming appliance. It is the blue collar working man of the kitchen. It quite obviously plays a pivotal role in breakfast, but is also indispensable for lunch. A club sandwich would not be the same without perfectly seared bread crumbs embracing a warm wheaty center, and how else are we to combat the challenges of the pervasive soggy bun of day old chick-fil-a? So rather than passing by, accepting the toaster as a faithful friend never to be acknowledged, I ask you to take a second and ask yourself … have you thanked your toaster today?

Matt Brown, Columnist

“Fans need to take a breath, and chill,” were the words of Michael Bay. Regarding what, you might ask? Why, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles origin story, of course. The internet was ablaze with nerd fury this week when the famed director dared to overstep his bounds as purveyor of explosive special effects and suggest that the Turtle crew in his reboot would in fact be aliens from another world. Not mutants? Promising a “richer” world and back story, Bay explained that they were working with the original creators to reconfigure the beloved crime-fighters of our childhoods. On one hand, you shouldn’t mess with a good thing. The already goofy premise of pizza-eating ninja turtles is wonderful the way it is, but how many movies and TV shows have we seen about it now? Question for everyone: do we even need this movie to be happening? At least Bay is sprucing the story up a little? Throwing us a curve ball! Keeping us on our toes! I mean, due to censorship laws in some countries when the series was first introduced, they weren’t even allowed to be called “Ninja Turtles” but were referred to as “Hero Turtles” instead. Hero turtles? Really? That’s the best you could come up with to replace “ninja”? Booooo! Whatever. That’s fine. It’s just another silly reboot; it’s out of my hands and I can’t be mad. I’ll take one ticket to the midnight showing of “Teenage Alien Hero Turtles (TAHT)” please.

Nicolle Walkling, Columnist

Comedy fans, rejoice! The folks at 30 Rock announced yesterday that they will film another live episode for the NBC comedy to air this April. After critical and ratings success with their first attempt at live 30 Rock last season — and one hell of a good time, apparently — Tina Fey and co. will be doing another one on April 26. The live episode, in this case, means episodes — they will shoot one episode to air live during the Eastern/Central time broadcast, and another for the Pacific time zone. The last time around, the live episode meant increased hilarity, heightened ridiculousness and more guest stars than you could count. Here’s hoping that round two brings more of the same.

Maija Gustin, Editor

I know it’s early, but a quarter of the year down and no world-class “Album of the Year” front-runner has emerged. A few noteworthy contenders include Plumb, Field Music’s breezy and symphonic fourth, which crosses the jangly sweetness of Grizzly Bear’s Veckitamest with an acoustic easiness reminiscent of Teenage Fanclub. Additionally, anyone else entranced by Tame Impala’s authentic psych-rock over the past year and a half would do well to try on pop-laden Beard, Wives, Denim by Pond. Of the same label and Aussie heritage as Impala, Pond has produced what MGMT’s Congratulations should have been. Lastly, perhaps the best thus far belongs to The Men, a Brooklyn outfit whose not-quite-punk physicality masks the friendliness of their release Open Your Heart. Add this album to your rotation if you seek a little more post-adolescent edge than indie affords.

Colin Rich, Managing Editor

Need more shots? Here’s A Round of Shots from last week.