The nominees for the 65th annual Golden Globes have been announced, and Eddie Vedder's musical ventures in film have appeared to pay off; the alt-rock deity has culled nods in both the Original Score and Original Song categories for his work behind Sean Penn's Into the Wild, Variety.com reports. And in addition to the usual fare -- Atonement leads with seven nominations, while favorites American Gangster, No Country for Old Men, and Eastern Promises hold a strong presence -- Judd Apatow's forthcoming comedy Walk Hard: The Story of Dewey Cox is garnered with a nod as well. The faux musical biopic, naturally, received a nomination for Best Original Song for "Walk Hard," its title track (watch Cox live!).
The awards ceremony will be televised Jan. 13 on NBC.
Malkmus Chats 'Emotional Trash'
As a consoling, empathetic friend, you may recall that Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks will confess their Real Emotional Trash this coming March. And kindly, to clear any confusion from his rampant, lyrical word-trickery, frontman Mr. Malkmus has spoken with Pitchfork on the album, its tumultuous creation and subject matter.
Revealing its many obstacles, including the deceiving confines of Montana's Snow Ghost Studios, "a bad batch of tape," and a handful of issues in mixing, Malkmus claims the record, as compared to solo set Face the Truth, is more of a collaborative effort with "some arranging by the band this time." But don't expect a lyrical cry-fest, as hinted by the title: "It's trashy, and it's real, but emotional it is and it isn't. That's about as significant as it is." And this, um, urgent significance extends to a few tongue twisting song titles. "'Hopscotch Willie' is this kind of 'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown' type of character… He's just a down on his luck dude that gets framed in this type of scenario.
Malkmus continues: "And 'Wicked Wanda' is not a person, those were just the words that came out first when I was doing the demos… so I just tried to find things that rhymed with Wanda that were funny, like Rwanda and spawned-ya and stuff… it was like 'I'd rather date Rwanda,' it says, 'She's not good to go out with / I'd rather go out with Rwanda' the country, which would be really torturous."
Smashing Pumpkins to Release New Material in '08
It appears Jimmy Chamberlin, Smashing Pumpkins' jackhammer drummer extraordinaire, is recovering from his recent hospitalization nicely, and has returned to the studio to destroy drum kits with Herculean force. And according to a band website post, whatever Chamberlin and frontman Billy Corgan are working on may soon unleash on fans. "The tour was a rock rampage and now we are back in the studio recording some songs for a possible release worldwide," Chamberlin, a frequent blogger, wrote in the post. "Look for these around the first of the year. Busy Bees!" While Chamberlin may have succumbed to his environs and adopted the jargon of a Midwestern mother, no further details have been announced regarding the mysterious release -- will they pull the proverbial Radiohead?
Liars Announce Winter Tour
On the heels on opening Interpol's 2007 U.S. tour, New York-based trio Liars have announced a headlining jaunt in support of their fourth album, a self-titled affair out now courtesy of Mute. The 24-date outing, toting Los Angeles' No Age on all dates, will kick off in San Francisco Jan. 25 and hit cities like Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, and New York in a whirlwind month on the road -- a trip frontman Angus Andrew is eagerly anticipating. "We thrive on the strong visceral power of the audience. Being face to face with a crowd can sometimes make me want to eat them. I look forward to that opportunity on this tour," Andrew said in a statement. "I also am eager to play some of the songs on our new album that we've left wanting. In all I anticipate the whole tour being shambolic, psychotic, and historic. A winter wonderland of weirdo rockers."
Liars tour dates:
1/25, San Francisco, CA (Slim's)
1/26, Reno, NV (Club Underground)
1/28, Portland, OR (Wonder Ballroom)
1/29, Seattle, WA (Showbox)
1/30, Boise, ID (Neurolux)
1/31, Salt Lake City, UT (Urban Lounge)
2/1, Denver, CO (Marquis Theatre)
2/2, Lawrence, KS (The Bottleneck)
2/4, Grinnell, IA (Grinnell College)
2/5, Chicago, IL (Metro)
2/6, Oberlin, OH (Dionysus Club)
2/7, Buffalo, NY (Tralf Music Hall)
2/8, Boston, MA (Paradise)
2/9, Brooklyn, NY (Warsaw)
2/10, Philadelphia, PA (First Unitarian Church)
2/12, Washington, DC (9:30 Club)
2/13, Asheville, NC (Orange Peel)
2/14, Atlanta, GA (The Earl)
2/16, Austin, TX (The Mohawk)
2/17, Denton, TX (Hailey's)
2/19, Albuquerque, NM (Launchpad)
2/20, Tempe, AZ (The Clubhouse)
2/21, San Diego, CA (Casbah)
2/22, Los Angeles, CA (El Rey Theater)
