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My fifth annual list of summer movies. More to come… this is just for May so far. I must be getting picky—there are only four wide-release films on my list (see asterisks). On the other hand, it’s nice that there are twenty-six films in May alone that seem to be worth watching. For previews and synopses, go to Rotten Tomatoes Upcoming Movies.

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A public-editable Google Docs spreadsheet to sort through Lars von Trier films. Direct edit link, or scroll down to view the work in progress here on Zepfanman.com.

(Photo by Christian Geisnæs via http://melancholiathemovie.com/#_download)

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I’m so thrilled about these upcoming events (3/7-5/4: two concerts, a play, and a lecture) that I’m inviting everyone. I’ll be buying my tickets in the next two weeks—and none of them are more than $25. Charles Bradley will be at Exit/In in Nashville on May 4th; the others are all in Louisville, through the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts (voted four times as Kentucky’s best venue for music, theater and dance).

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********** 10
Rodriguez – Searching for Sugar Man – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (June 2012)

********** 10
Gregory Porter – Be Good (February 2012)

********** 10
Depeche Mode – Violator (March 1990)

********* 9
Tegan and Sara – Hearthrob (January 2013)

********* 9
Kendrick Lamar – good kid, m.A.A.d city (October 2012)

********* 9
Father John Misty [J. Tillman of Fleet Foxes] – Fear Fun (May 2012)

********* 9
Tycho – Dive (November 2011)

********* 9
Cliff Martinez – Drive – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (September 2011)

********* 9
Daft Punk – Discovery (March 2001)

********* 9
Soundgarden – Superunknown (March 1994)

********* 9
Michael Jackson – Dangerous (November 1991)

********* 9
Michael Jackson – Bad (August 1987)

********* 9
Michael Jackson – Thriller (November 1982)

******** 8
Soundgarden – King Animal (November 2012)

******** 8
Tom Tywker, Reinhold Heil, and Johnny Klimek aka Pale 3 – Cloud Atlas – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (November 2012)

******** 8
Rodrigo y Gabriela – 11:11 (September 2009)

******** 8
Michael Jackson – Invincible (October 2001)

******* 7
Led Zeppelin – Celebration Day (November 2012). However, I give the film version a 10.
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I’ve had a couple of conversations recently about evolution, particularly as it relates to modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens). I feel like I haven’t done a very good job explaining it in these recent conversations, so here are a few sources from experts on the topic, starting with the most basic.

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I may need help (honestly). Anyone want to go on this data quest with me?

It wasn’t until November, when Led Zeppelin offered their new concert film (Celebration Day) on Blu-ray, that I asked myself, “Is it finally time to stop buying DVDs?” So I began to dig into the history of home video formats, and decided it would be fun to build a timeline (presented here) of both music and film media over the past 135 years.

This timeline screenshot (in Excel) is a very crude draft of what I’m aiming for. The quest is purely for my own interest, but if anyone else has good data, infographics, books, and links to share on the topic, I’d love to hear from you.

I’m sure I’m biting off more than I can chew, but I’m also interested in what the timeline implies for issues about copyright and the changing face of information exchange and media consumption in general.