5 Movies
They all resonate with the soul of America - and not a John Wayne or Ronald Reagan picture among 'em. - Vince Horiuchi
"The Right Stuff" (1983) - No movie exemplifies the American spirit better than this epic about the Mercury space program. More than an aviation film, it's a modern western about space cowboys conquering the final frontier.
"West Side Story" (1961) - It's a fantasy look at urban mischief, yes. But the
music and dancing are vibrant, playful and touching, and there are no more
truly American composers than Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
"Smoke Signals" (1998) - Writer Sherman Alexie's brilliant journey about two American Indians is the quintessential American road trip as well as self-discovery for one of the travelers, even in the face of a fading Indian culture. Did we also mention it's funny, fiercely independent and expansive?
"Woodstock" (1970) - Michael Wadleigh's blistering documentary about the famous 1969 music festival was - like the event - an icon for America in the '60s. The concert was the last good time for a drug-using, free-thinking generation. And let's not forget Jimi Hendrix's rendition of the "Star-Spangled Banner."
"In America" (2002) - Foreign directors such as Milos Foreman ("Hair") or Peter Yates ("Breaking Away") have always made the truest films about America. The same can be said for James Sheridan's whimsical, emotionally-charged, semi-autobiographical look at his Irish family moving to New York.
5 Albums
I thought about a list of "The Best Five American Albums of the Past 20 Years" or "Five Classic Songs the U.S. Government Tried to Suppress," but decided to point the curious toward albums that supply some of the most evocative imagery of America and/or the West. - Dan Nailen
Modest Mouse, "The Lonesome Crowded West" (1997) - Three boys from a
logging town-turned-Seattle suburb track the evolution/devolution of "economic progress" in the West to the sound of some inspired and experimental rock riffage.
Richard Fontaine, "Winnemucca" (2002) - Singer Willy Vlautin's songs are the
ideal soundtrack to the seedy underbelly of life along the West's blue highways.
Camper Van Beethoven, "Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart" (1988) -
Acid-dropping Wyoming cowboys, Patty Hearst and the devil converge on these 14 songs that ultimately end with the message "Life is Grand."
Drive-By Truckers, "Southern Rock Opera" (2001) - If you ever wanted to know what it was like to grow up as a teenage boy in '70s-era Alabama, this is epic double-album to pick up. And the guitar solos kick ass.
Two Gallants, "What the Toll Tells" (2006) - The Bay Area duo of twentysomethings sound a lot older on this dusty, bluesy acoustic-based set about time spent in a "Las Cruces Jail" and watching "Waves of Grain."
5 Books
These aren't flag-waving books but texts that explore what it means to live in America. Each reflects such themes as freedom, ethnic diversity, westward expansion, middle-class angst and the struggle for a better life. -Brandon Griggs
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck (1939) - The Depression-era saga of the hard-luck Joad family, journeying from Oklahoma to California in search of opportunity, is an epic metaphor for mid-century America.
Independence Day, Richard Ford (1995) - A middle-aged real-estate agent tries to bond with his teen-aged son on a July 4 weekend road trip that goes memorably awry.
The Tortilla Curtain, T.C. Boyle (1996) - Boyle contrasts the lives of two California couples - one white and affluent, the other homeless Mexican immigrants - in a timely story of class and conscience.
Underworld, Don DeLillo (1998) - An ambitious, episodic novel that weaves historical snippets and a sprawling cast into a complex portrait of post-World War II America.
The Constitution of the United States (1789) - Remember this little document? Clearly the White House doesn't.
THE LIST
MUSIC CHARTS
BILLBOARD 200 TOP 10 ALBUMS
From a national sales sample compiled by SoundScan.
No. Album Artist
1. ''Loose'' Nelly Furtado
2. ''Define the Great Line'' Underoath
3. ''Taking the Long Way'' Dixie Chicks
4. ''Under the Iron Sea'' Keane
5. ''The Big Bang'' Busta Rhymes
6. ''High School Musical'' various
7. ''Light Poles and Pine Trees'' Field Mob
8. ''St. Elsewhere'' Gnarls Barkley
9. ''Decemberunderground'' AFI
10. ''Cars'' various
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. ''Promiscuous" Nelly Furtado Timbaland
2. ''Hips Don't Lie" Shakira Wyclef Jean
3. ''Do I Make You Proud" Taylor Hicks
4. ''It's Goin' Down" Yung Joc
5. ''Crazy" Gnarls Barkley
6. ''Me & U'' Cassie
7. ''Ridin' " Chamillionaire Krayzie Bone
8. ''Unfaithful" Rihanna
9. ''Ain't No Other Man'' Christina Aguilera
7. ''Life Is a Highway" Rascal Flatts Holly Brook
TOP CD RELEASES
Compiled from icemagazine.com, cmj.com, amazon.com
Album Artist
"American V: A Hundred Highways" Johnny Cash
"Never Slow Down, Never Grown Old" Peter Gammons
"Who I Am" Alice Peacock
"The Sufferer and the Witness" Rise Against
"Best of Miami Vice" various artists
TELEVISION RATINGS
NIELSEN TOP 10
A.C. Nielsen Ratings for June 19-26:
No. Name of show Network Rating Viewers
(in millions)
1. ''NBA Finals (Game 6)" ABC 10.1 15.7
2. ''CSI" CBS 8.1 11.9
3. (tie) ''America's Got Talent" NBC 7.7 12.4
3. (tie) ''CSI: Miami" CBS 7.7 11.3
5. ''Without a Trace" CBS 7.2 10.2
6. "Law & Order: SVU" NBC 6.7 9.7
7. ''CSI: N.Y." CBS 6.6 9.4
8. (tie) "60 Minutes" CBS 6.2 9.4
8. (tie) ''House" Fox 6.2 9.0
10. (tie) "NCIS" CBS 5.9 8.5
10. (tie) ''You Think You Can Dance" Fox 5.9 9.1
AUDIO FILE
Johnny Cash, "AMERICAN V: A HUNDRED HIGHWAYS" Grade: A
No doubt we're in store for plenty of Johnny Cash archival products, but this 12-song collection is not this. These are the songs Cash rushed to write and record in the period between wife June Carter's death in the spring of 2003 and his own passing four months later, and it's an oft-stunning set. That's especially so considering he could only record sporadically when he was feeling strong enough to sing, but no matter the circumstances, this would still be a killer album. "Like the 309," the last song Cash wrote before he died, is classic Cash, from the subtle, bluesy twang of the music to the funeral-train lyrics: "Everybody take a look/I'm doin' fine/Then load my box/on the 309." Cash is backed by producer Rick Rubin's stable of ace musicians, including Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, but Cash and his acoustic guitar are the focal point; each musician took a back seat to the Man in Black to great effect, making for some haunting arrangements. Rubin says there is enough material left from Cash's last sessions to make an "American VI;" if it's close to as strong as this, Cash went out pretty close to the top of his game.
- Dan Nailen
A "Popcast" on today's Pop Top topics can be found at www.sltrib.com/entertainment
WEEKEND TOP 10 MOVIES
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY
No. Name of Movie Earnings*
1. ''Superman Returns'' $52.15
2. ''The Devil Wears Prada'' $27.0
3. ''Click'' $19.4
4. ''Cars" $14.0
5. ''Nacho Libre'' $6.2
6. ''The Lake House'' $4.5
7. ''Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' $4.4
8. ''Waist Deep" $3.3
9. ''The Break-Up'' $2.8
10. ''The Da Vinci Code'' $2.3
* Estimated earnings in millions.
