arts & entertainment february 01, 2011 - Over the Edge Upcoming Most Anticipated DARCIE SMITH ARTS EDITOR | ast year saw some really stellar album releases, in- cluding Bon Iver, Chad VanGaalen, Alela Diane. . . and the list goes on. It is always easy to anticipate and assume the best, but each year there are always some major disappointments when it comes to new material. The list of upcoming albums thus far seems to be promising and of course there is plenty of room to make some negative speculations. Possibly one of, if not THE most exciting upcoming album of 2012 is the solo artist of the Canadian band The Weakerthans’ front man John K Samson. Samson has such a lovely, unique, and powerful voice that he pairs with poetic lyrics so this album (please, please) is bound to be promising. Samson seems to be one of those artists who has a dedicated following no matter what he produces. Canadian folk legend Leonard Cohen is also set to release a brand new al- bum at the end of January, and j those who were D, ‘ ‘| lucky enough to hear it streaming Leonard Cohen Releases Old Ideas how online know just unbeliev- able the album is. Unlike the Harrison Fords and Levon Helms of the world, Cohen is an old man who has managed to escape from the classic “old man voice.” He even sends off a few Tom Waits-esque growls. This is an album not to be passed over. Kid Cudi is set to release a new album for 2012, and he Releases Albums of 2012 unfortunately remains on the list of those to be suspicious of. His previous release was a little underwhelming compared to some of his outstanding earlier work. Here is to hoping he stays away from the rap- rock genre and gets back to the beats. While on the topic of rap albums, both Jay-Z and Nas are rumoured to be releasing some new material. Like Kid Cudi, Nas has also been = [JRa@Sernnon a slight let- down lately so hopefully 2012 is the year for rap. Fans of Queens of the Stone Age might be pleased to hear that Mark Lanegan is set to release Blues Funeral, his seventh studio album in early February. For the past several years Lanegan has been busy releasing some haunting and memorable collaborations with Belle & Sebastian’s Isobel Campbell. If he keeps to the tune and talent from those pre- vious albums, Blues Funeral is sure to be a success. Other artists with some TBA releases for 2012: Rae Spoon, K-os, The Cranberries, The Magnetic Fields, The Mars Volta, Metric, Stars, Yukon Blonde, Mazzy Star and let us not forget Outkast (or so the rumour mill says). The Word From Our Social Betters There’s no time, no money for friendship. Love is unsustainable. Kids aren’t cost-effective. You’re here to WORK, not enjoy life. Who do you think you are-- Wanting holidays? You’ re not in school any more! Your boss doesn’t give a damn if you get a summer vacation. “Those lazy Greeks!” “Indolent Germans, with their six weeks of holidays.” Pampered municipal workers with their bloat- ed, gold-plated pensions. “Well fire you and throw your overpaid asses > out on the street YEE-haw! YEE-haw! YEE-haw! by Paul Strickland What’s the Deal With | i Bi ? — the same goes for the |_| novels. The Southern Vam- And What Kind of : bk : II: : Name Is “Sookie?” ' ccc eee DARCIE SMITH ARTS EDITOR were adapted into a television series in 2008 and it has been wide- ly successful. Alan Ball, the writer and producer of True Blood is most well known for the remarkable HBO series, Six Feet Under. So how have the two worlds of novels and tele- vision managed to come together? Some episodes are hit, and some are miss pire Mysteries are probably more romance than they are mystery, and while they are indeed surprisingly compel- series should have. Harris is not known for her intel- lect in her writing, but more uthor Charlaine Harris probably had no idea just how Ave her Southern Vampire Mysteryies series would become when she first started out writing the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Harris began writing the series in 2001, and has recently released the eleventh book, Dead Reckoning. She was originally only going to write ten books, but a twelfth novel, Deadlocked, is schedule for release in 2012. The series revolves around narrator Sookie Stackhouse, a strong headed barmaid with a penchant for finding (or instigat- ing) trouble. She lives in small town Bon Temps, and the novels chronicle the revelation that vampires do indeed exist (as well as Werewolves, fairies, and shapeshifters). She falls in with a group of vampires and repeatedly her life is put at risk as she find herself in all kinds of perilous, and at times, erotic, situations. The books so her ability to twist a good tale and provide some easy reading entertainment. The storyline of the novels and the television program dif- fer in both minor and ma- jor ways. Fans of the novel probably have just as much to complain about as fans of the show do. To the television series’ credit, having Alan Ball sign on really helped win over some fa- Anna Paquin and Alexander Skargard play the characters of Sookie and Eric in True Blood techniques in True Blood. However, the recent obsession with vampires in media still is not enough to support the show. While campy can be an amazing source of entertainment, watching season after sea- son starts to feel a little tired and cheesy, and this is when the appeal of the novels pick up. A main disappointment of the show is the rela- tionship between Sookie and vampire Eric. The show makes him out to be far more of a villain than the novels, so some read- ers might find themselves torn when they see his cruel side on screen. The storyline of Sookie’s friend Tara also starts to get tired, though the producers man- aged to solve that problem in the finale of season four. Disappointments aside, True Blood is as addicting as the novels in a fun and ridiculous way. Overall, this is a smarter, adult version of Twilight that certainly tops many guilty pleasure lists. Read- ing the novels before starting the shows is definitely the better vour. You can see his quirky, campy style quite evidently, and move if you are willing to invest, but do not put your expectations those who appreciate his work would certainly approve of his too high.