Bibliotica

Okay, so I just got a stylish new RED iPod NaNo, my first real foray into true iPoddy goodness, and now I have to fill it.

My 30 GB Zen is mainly full of free podcasts and Napster tunes, but Napster to Go, their subscription service, doesn’t work with Apple products (why can’t we have ONE standard for this stuff?), and iTunes has never been my favorite service.

This is why I tried out MP3Rocket.com for free music downloads. Similar to Limewire, it’s a subscription service interface for Gnutella, but it’s a lot more robust, and user friendly - I didn’t even have an issue running it in Vista, which is notoriously twitchy.

Downloading the software is a piece of cake, and searching for songs is simple - type in the track name or the artist, and, if you really want to limit your finds to mp3s, and not videos or other media, specify “audio” before you start the search function.

The basic version of the software gets you instant access to music but for a more robust connection, quicker searches, and different file types, it’s better to join the service. Membership ranges from 1.64 / month for a year to $34.44 for a lifetime subscription, and an additional $14.95 gets you access to downloadable DVD movies as well.

It’s a pretty sweet site, offering services like the top five downloads, as well as a user forum, and a way to meet other music fans.

Goes well with an mp3 player and dancing shoes.

Last weekend, after my salon visit, I spent a pleasant three hours watching MTV’s presentation of Legally Blonde: the Musical, and while my preferred method for watching musicals is not with commercial interruptions every fifteen minutes, I’d been dying to see this play ever since my friend Jeremy informed me that it existed, about a year ago.

Broadway tickets are not cheap, and seeing live theater is much more of a production when you don’t live in New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. While Dallas does get touring companies, there’s something so much more magical about seeing a show in New York. The energy is just different.

In this musical, Laura Bell Bundy takes the role of Elle Woods, who follows her ex-boyfriend to Harvard Law School after he breaks up with her because he feels he needs someone who’s “less of a Marilyn, more of a Jackie.” Through song and dance, the movie’s plotline is shared, with fine performances by all, especially Christian Borle as the gently nerdy Emmet Forrest, and Orfeh as Paulette from the salon. Orfeh’s real-life husband makes three appearances in the show, first as the reggae-esque singer/dancer in “What You Want,” next as Paulette’s ex, Dewey, and finally as Kyle the UPS guy.

Bundy, of course, is well cast as Elle, and has made the part her own, though she’s admitted in interviews that she bought so much pink clothing as part of her process when prepping for the role, that she’s a bit tired of the color now.

It wasn’t live, but it’s the first time a currently-running show has been filmed for broadcast.
And, OhMyGod, you guys, it was so much fun!

This entry comes not from the book stacks, but the audio racks. I’ve been grooving to the latest offering from RadioHead, “In Rainbows,” for the past few days, downloaded from their website. You’ve probably heard about the deal already - you can pre-order the physical disc in a fancy box to be delivered in December, for a cost of about 40 pounds, or you can pay whatever you want - even nothing - and download it directly.

I chose to pay for my download, because I think it’s cool that I could set the price. No, I won’t tell you what I paid. But I will tell you that they’ve never really done a bad disc, so that had a lot to do with their success in releasing their most recent album without going through their label. The price I paid was well worth it - I’m digging the tunes - but as always, your mileage may vary.

Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time by Rob Sheffield

This book was hanging out on the “new fiction” shelves at my local Barnes and Noble, and when I picked it up, I was hoping it was similar to a recent read I’d picked up at Half Price Books - <i>Liner Notes</i>. It wasn’t. First, it’s not fiction, but the autobiographical tale of the author’s life prior to, and during, his brief marriage to the first love of his life, a woman named Renee. Second, in this book the music isn’t incidental - it’s an integral part of the author’s personality, Renee’s personality, and the fabric of their relationship, cut short by her sudden death.

It is a beautiful book, never once becoming maudlin or depressing. Instead, it is as lyrical and uplifting as many of the tunes mentioned, albeit with a gritty backbeat only reality can provide.