This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Video Game Review
Real Speed
Mario Party 8 (Nintendo Wii)
Grade: C+
The friendless need not apply when it comes to "Mario Party 8," the virtual board game suffused with mini-games. The single player adventure is about as much fun as a one-player game of Tic-Tac-Toe. As is becoming increasingly evident, the Wii is best suited for family-friendly games for multiple players. But even as such, "Mario Party" fails to impress. Some of the games are competitive and grin-inducing diversions, such as a race through a shape-shifting world, while others are downright dull: twisting your wrist to raise a flag. Most of the levels are short and frustrating (randomized courses are a bad idea), though Koopa's Tycoon Town adds a bit of strategy with elements lifted from Monopoly. Once you've experienced every level and mini-game, however, there's not much worth revisiting.
- Sam Vicchrilli
Gorgeous visuals let gamers feel thrill of a super-realistic drive
Forza 2 Motorsport (Xbox 360)
Grade: B+
All you gear heads with a need for speed can wallow in the car mechanics and driving realism of this new, beautifully rendered racing game that is as real as it gets. In fact, too real. "Forza 2" is more of a driving simulator than an arcade racer. Even on the easy difficulty level, the motor sports game can be unforgiving with realistic physics and lifelike driving techniques. Despite that, this also is a gorgeous video game, with cars reflecting sunlight off the metallic hoods and the oily sheen bouncing off the hot roads. The game includes 45 tracks in a dozen different environments and more than 300 cars from real manufacturers that look exactly like their counterparts. Just expect to hold on tight for a realistic ride or you'll smack right into the barriers - often.
- Vince Horiuchi
Audio File
Country cat's blend of riffs and witty lyrics verges on perfection
Brad Paisley, "5th Gear"
Grade: B+
Keith Urban might be the best-looking guitar slinger among country's young crooners, but Brad Paisley is slowly-but-surely proving to be the best songwriter of the bunch. And no other country cat tears into his guitar with the same fervor and flash; Paisley is truly a guitar hero in a genre where that's rarely embraced the way it is in rock. On "5th Gear," Paisley allows his 16 songs to stretch enough to give his guitar plenty of solos, and the raucous closing instrumental, "Throttleneck," should thrill live audiences all summer. Few writers infuse their lyrics with as much humor as Paisley: "Online" roasts people who buff up their image on the Internet; "I'm Still a Guy" slyly delivers some universal truths in male/female relations; and "Ticks" might be the most romantic bug story ever. A favorite lyric: "I'd like to kiss you way out in the sticks, I'd like to walk you through a field of wild flowers, and I'd like to check you for ticks." The album would be stronger if it were shorter, but that's a quibble.
- Dan Nailen
Psychedelic rockers worth another listen
Queens of the Stone Age, "Era Vulgaris"
Grade: B
This record perplexes, but that's nothing new coming from leader Josh Homme and his band of psychedelic burn-outs. After several listens, I'm still on the fence about "Era Vulgaris," mostly because Homme's lyrics don't always live up to the consistently mesmerizing riffage on tracks like the insistent opener "Turnin' on the Screw," the glorious speed-rap of "Sick, Sick, Sick" or metallic distortion of "I'm Designer." That said, Homme's voice is always pleasing, whether scatting, crooning in a falsetto or howling at the moon, and he's never sounded as cool as on the soulful "Make It Wit Chu." After another couple weeks, I just might think this is the best hard-rock album released so far this year.
- Dan Nailen
Video File
Hard lessons give weight to magical 'Terabithia'
Bridge to Terabithia
Grade: B+
The gap between fantasy and harsh reality is bridged in this wonderfully thoughtful adaptation of the award-winning 1977 young adult book about two teenage friends. Jess and Leslie may come from different family backgrounds, but become fast friends when they cross the river into the woods and conjure up a fantasyland of creatures and tree-high trolls. But tragedy strikes, and the film makes an emotional 180-degree turn as it plunges into sadness. Still, this is a literate and sensitive film that teaches youngsters (and adults) the power of relationships, friendship, parenthood and dealing with loss. It's one bridge definitely worth crossing. Thankfully, the DVD includes a documentary on the themes in the book and explains why the author, Katherine Paterson, included the storylines that she did.
- Vince Horiuchi
New Releases
* "Reno 911: Miami"
* "Miss Potter"
* "Silver Spoons - The Complete First Season"
* "Picket Fences - Season 1"
* "The Powerpuff Girls - The Complete First Season"
IT'S A BOY: Julia Roberts has welcomed her third child, a boy named Henry Daniel Moder, born Monday in Los Angeles. He weighed 8 1/2 pounds. Roberts, 39, and her husband, 38-year-old cinematographer Danny Moder, have 2-year-old twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus. The couple were married in July 2002 at Roberts' home in Taos, N.M. Roberts will next be seen in the drama ''Charlie Wilson's War,'' directed by Mike Nichols and scheduled for release later this year.
BILLBOARD 200 TOP 10 ALBUMS
From a national sales sample compiled by SoundScan.
No. Album Artist
1. ''Epiphany" T-Pain
2. ''Good Girl Gone Bad" Rihanna
3. ''Memory Almost Full" Paul McCartney
4. ''Double Up" R. Kelly
5. ''It Won't Be Soon Before Long" Maroon 5
6. ''Between Raising Hell and..." Big & Rich
7. ''Minutes to Midnight" Linkin Park
8. ''Eat Me, Drink Me" Marilyn Manson
9. ''El Cartel: The Big Boss" Daddy Yankee
10. ''Back to Black" Amy Winehouse
BILLBOARD HOT 100 TOP 10 SONGS
Compiled from radio lists monitored by Broadcast Data Systems and sales compiled by SoundScan.
No. Song Artist Featuring
1. ''Umbrella" Rihanna Jay-Z
2. ''Party Like a Rockstar" Shop Boyz
3. ''Buy U A Drank" (S. Snappin') T-Pain Yung Joc
4. ''Big Girls Don't Cry" Fergie
5. ''Makes Me Wonder" Maroon5
6. ''Hey There Delliah" Plain White T's
7. ''Girlfriend" Avril Lavigne
8. ''Summer Love" Justin Timberlake
9. ''Pop, Lock & Drop It" Huey
10. ''Rehab" Amy Winehouse
TOP CD RELEASES
Compiled from icemagazine.com, cmj.com, amazon.com
Album Artist
"It's A Bit Complicated" Art Brut
"Lost Highway" Bon Jovi
"Dylanesque" Bryan Ferry
"Who We Are" Lifehouse
"Have Mercy" The Mooney Suzuki
"Wild Hope" Mandy Moore
"5th Gear" Brad Paisley
"The Fragile Army" The Polyphonic Spree
"Rockstar Mentality" Shop Boyz
"Epiphany" T-Pain
"Anonymous" Tomahawk
"The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3" Van Morrison
"The Brag & Cuss" Rocky Votolato
"Icky Thump" White Stripes
Television ratings
NIELSEN TOP 10
A.C. Nielsen Ratings for May 28-June 3:
No. Name of show Net. Rating Viewers
(in millions)
1. "America's Got Talent" NBC 8.3 13.0
2. "Two & A Half Men" NBC 7.4 11.3
3. "So You Think You Can Dance" Fox 6.9 11.1
4. ''CSI" CBS 6.8 10.4
5. "Deal or No Deal" NBC 6.7 10.1
6. ''CSI: Miami" CBS 6.6 9.5
7. "So You Think You Can..."(Wed) Fox 6.5 10.3
8. ''CSI: NY" CBS 6.4 9.3
9.(tie) "NBA Finals" ABC 6.3 9.3
9.(tie) ''NCIS" CBS 6.3 9.4
10. "Shark" CBS 6.3 9.4
WEEKEND TOP 10 MOVIES
Compiled by Media By Numbers LLC
No. Name of Movie Earnings*
1. ''Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer" $58.1
2. ''Ocean's Thirteen" $19.8
3. ''Knocked Up" $14.1
4. ''Pirates of the Caribb.: At World's End" $12.4
5. ''Surf's Up" $9.2
6. ''Shrek the Third" $9.0
7. ''Nancy Drew" $6.8
8. ''Hostel Part II" $3.0
9. ''Mr. Brooks" $2.9
10. ''Spider-Man 3" $2.5
* Estimated earnings in millions.Roberts gets special delivery