And now, we interrupt your regular programming with some much-needed distractions. Fall is a busy time for everyone, and we know you’ve resolved to cut out all that summer nonsense to go back to school. But here at Diversions, we believe it’s the distractions that make life extra-nice. If you can’t justify a trip to the movies, kill some time with the season’s best offerings in music and television. So toss aside your books, postpone the 10-page paper until later and rot (expand?) your mind with Diversions’ fall picks. And if you’re wondering why there are no movies here, check back Thursday for a full slate of fall cinema.
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CALEXICO, JENNY LEWIS AND TV ON THE RADIO … OH MY!
Forget Oasis’s new album (Dig Out Your Soul, Oct. 7). Save a few releases here and there, September is the end-all, be-all for major album releases in fall 2008.
Calexico’s Carried to Dust (Sept. 9) is a sprawling desert masterpiece, the studio achievement the band has been working toward since its inception.
But all eyes in the indie-rock circles seem to be on the heavily-anticipated, guest star-laden Jenny Lewis album (Sept. 23). Acid Tongue, the sophomore solo offering from the Rilo Kiley songstress, boasts a supporting cast well worth the price of admission: Elvis Costello, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Robinson and Jonathan Rice all contribute, with M. Ward producing.
The same day, TV on the Radio releases its follow up to the flawless Return to Cookie Mountain, Dear Science. It’s almost enough to make you not care about how terribly hard Kings of Leon (Only by the Night, Sept. 23) have fallen from grace.
TV IN THE FALL
Entourage
With mixed fan reaction to last season, HBO’s Entourage (Sept. 7) and its characters are in do-or-die mode. Picking up after Medellin’s disastrous premiere at the Cannes Film Festival – and airing several months late due to writers’ strike-related delays – season five looks to follow Vinnie Chase’s (Adrien Grenier) bounce back into the limelight with “E” (Kevin Connolly) playing cleanup behind the scenes with Ari (Jeremy Piven). Expect the normal slew of cameos (Martin Landau, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Phelps and many others have all been confirmed) and the many glossy, half-naked women we have grown accustomed to.
South Park
Although part one of season 12 was not quite a full return to form, the last batch of South Park episodes definitely harkened back a bit to the glory days. The eye-popping “Major Boobage” – Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s twisted homage to Heavy Metal – and the topical “Canada On Strike!” scored big and bid particularly well for the return of Comedy Central’s pride and joy (Oct. 8). No word yet on what Parker and Stone will open with, but the duo is pretty reliable when it comes to shock and awe.
The Office
Well, the inevitable finally happened: Jim (John Krasynski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) are happily dating, and The Office hasn’t gone to crap – yet. Season four may have been the U.S. version’s weakest since its debut, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t without its moments (Dunder Mifflin’s television ad; Michael [Steve Carrell], Dwight [Rainn Wilson] and Ryan’s [B.J. Novak] night out; and Stanley [Leslie David Baker] stuttering). Season four also left viewers with a series of cliffhangers: Toby (Paul Lieberstein), one of the show’s best sources of humor, left the office for Costa Rica; Jim’s planned proposal to Pam was hijacked by Andy (Ed Helms), who proposed to Angela (Angela Kinsey); and Jan (Melora Hardin) is pregnant, but it’s not Michael’s. Oh yeah, and the season finale ended with Dwight and Angela in a slightly compromising position. Season five might make or break this series, which is on the verge of falling victim to self-parody through its expansive ridiculousness.
