Jeff Giles is the founder and editor-in-chief of Popdose and Dadnabbit, as well as an entertainment writer whose work can be seen at Rotten Tomatoes, Paste Magazine, and a number of other sites.
I’ve reached the point where I’ve stopped watching most trailers, because A) my kids won’t be quiet long enough for me to hear anything and B) every movie gets at least half a dozen of the damn things before it reaches theaters, so if you want to be surprised by anything that happens during the film, paying attention to trailers doesn’t pay. And yet here’s a teaser for the long-awaited prequel to Monsters Inc., featuring our pals Mike and Sulley during their college days:
Short and sweet, just like a trailer should be. Monsters University is scheduled to arrive in theaters on June 20, 2013.
If, like me, you shed a silent Gen X tear when Reading Rainbow was forced off the air a few years ago, and if, like me, you felt bad for longtime host LeVar Burton, whose public quest to drum up funding for his (utterly worthwhile) show came to naught, you’ll be happy to learn that Rainbow is back as a brand new app that’s launching today, courtesy of Burton’s startup RRKidz.
As TechCrunch reports, the new-look Rainbow tries to bring books to life using a few methods your kids will already be familiar with (interactive menus, animation) and at least one they most likely won’t recognize (Burton himself, who hosts segments they’re calling “video field trips”). Observe:
The app is free, with a catch: Non-subscribers will only have access to a small amount of content, which can only be unlocked by joining up for a monthly fee. All of which makes sense — the only thing that gives me pause is RRKidz’s plan to charge $9.99 a month. I never watched Reading Rainbow — I was a little too old — but I definitely respect Burton’s work, and while I’m still ambivalent about apps that bend over backwards to make books more “interactive” for kids, I’d like to help him out. That price strikes me as a little steep, however.
I think maybe if Burton had rolled this out a few years ago, I’d have felt differently, but Reading Rainbow is entering a really crowded marketplace, and the price point for most apps has been set so low that $9.99 seems like a lot — especially given that a lot of parents are already paying similar fees for stuff like Netflix and Spotify.
This isn’t a judgment against the content Reading Rainbow is offering, because the app seems pretty robust and well-designed; I just wonder whether they’ll be able to find enough subscribers to support their business model. I hope so — or, barring that, I hope they’ll be able to adjust their asking price enough to survive and thrive.
If you had to go away for awhile and you could only take five of your favorite albums with you, which ones would you choose? Yes, we know it isn’t a fair question, but that hasn’t stopped us from asking music fans who happen to be recording artists in their own right. This edition of Desert Island Discs comes courtesy of Recess Monkey, whose latest LP, In Tents!, is out now. You can preview a video from the album below — after reading their Desert Island picks, of course!
Drew:
Jellyfish, Spilt Milk
Just two records from this amazing Bay Area band. I feel robbed. This collection encapsulates so many different influences and emotions. Like many records, this one is the soundtrack for a certain point in my life. There are layers upon layers, melodically and lyrically. I could listen to “Russian Hill” on repeat forever. Never thought I’d fall so hard for a harmonica solo.
XTC, Skylarking
I was first introduced to XTC by a cassette tape my brother got from a friend. It was a copy of Skylarking. This friend had even reproduced the album art on loose leaf binder paper and cut it to size to fit in the plastic tray. From the opening notes of “Summer’s Cauldron” I was hooked. I wish I could crawl inside this record and live there.
And I might just sneak Pet Sounds and Kid A in my pack back while no one is looking. And I could probably fit Summerteeth in my toiletries bag — can I bring one of those?
Daron:
Pixies, Surfer Rosa/Come On Pilgrim
This is one of my favorite albums from one of my favorite bands — a UK release of the Pixies’ first LP and EP combined. You feel like you’re in the studio with the band…full of energy and saucy banter.
Sigur Ros, Ágætis Byrjun
When I first got this album I listened to it for about a week straight. It is so full of textures and layers that I’m still discovering nuances. Sigur Ros continues to create amazing soundscapes, but I’ll never forget the first time I heard them.
Jack:
Elliott Smith, Figure 8
It’s really a toss-up between Figure 8 and xo, but Eliott Smith is definitely at the top of my desert island list. Where to begin? I think he had an exceptional ear for harmony, and I love how he reinforced melodies with several instruments playing in unison. The guy was a downright prodigy — he played nearly all of the instruments on his albums — and manages to channel the Beatles without simply emulating them. He even recorded a lot of his later work at Abbey Road! He had some real problems in his non-musical life, but musically speaking he’s the musician I most wish I were.
John Vanderslice, Pixel Revolt
It’s no secret to Recess Monkey devotees that we¹re die-hard John Vanderslice fans. He manages to keep cranking out amazing albums that represent real growth each time — what an inspiration to see another artist who never stops growing! Pixel Revolt isn’t his newest album, but it’s the one that sticks with me the most — such a unique blend of acoustic guitar, synth pop and manufactured beats. To top it off, he’s a really nice guy AND runs a great all-analog studio in SF. We keep talking about how we can figure out a way to record there.
A Tribe Called Quest, The Low End Theory
Jazz rap. Such a great album — this is one of the ones that instantly transports me back in time, but it is still remarkably fresh to my ears. I remember seeing the video for “Scenario” on MTV for the first time thinking “what IS this!?” It totally changed hip hop for me. Q-Tip is such a powerful MC! This is my favorite hip hop album of all time.
Steely Dan, Gaucho
This is another real toss-up. I LOVE Steely Dan, and each of their records has a special place in my brain. One would definitely be on the list, and this minute it’d be Gaucho. The utter smoothness of “Babylon Sisters” is what’s ringing in my ears as I type this… But if I think about it too long, I’ll probably change my mind to Can’t Buy a Thrill, and then Aja… It never ends. Such an impressive body of work!
