Rest for the wicked

Just stopped working yesterday to avoid total mental shutdown... and just caught up with nice stuff like:

1) Jamie Cullum's chopped-down-to-30-minutes concert over at Channel V. My god! This guy is a real compelling performer. I've been a fan since I first heard his album Twentysomething, and seeing him perform some of his songs live was a real treat. He kept jumping up and down, and running across the stage like crazy. He even bashed away at the piano with his forehead and chair! He did caress and kiss it several times after. Heh.

2) The latest issues of Justice League Elite, New Avengers, and JLA Classified. Potential spoilers!

Manchester Black's back in Elite. Someone bites the dust, and unfortunately it's my favorite team member. Oh Well. Still good stuff from Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke. It's refreshing to see Mahnke's detailed and dynamic storytelling in this series. If only he was illustrating the regular title as well. He'd do Busiek's current story justice. That title has been suffering from shoddy and sloppy art lately.

New Avengers... hmmm... Marvel's supposed answer to the JLA's Big Seven... Sentry wasn't shown doing much. And Wolverine hasn't popped up yet (yes, he's gonna be an Avenger). Captain America recruits Spidey, Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Spider-Woman (she's got an interesting, mysterious subplot going on). Characterization's better than the past two issues. Art... not really a fan. Reminds me too much of Andy Kubert's.

JLA Classified is cool. Morrison ends his three-parter. Action scenes are way too short; I want more! McGuiness' art is okay. There are unclear panels, though, like Martian Manhunter getting dunked in a volcano... that was really confusing because we never actually see it happen. Anyway, it's good to see Aquaman kick ass without controlling fish, Batman beating up Gorilla Grodd, and the Ultramarines getting a new direction.

3) Damien Rice's O, Cyndi Lauper's compilation Twelve Deadly Cyns, and John Denver's A Song's Best Friend. Good music all around.
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"Heroes don't accept the world the way it is. They fight it."

--Bad boy Lindsey McDonald to Team Angel (Angel Season 5, "Underneath")