The Filtered Excellence: January 12, 2012

Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” Its right here. Here are this weeks picks of what to WATCH, what to DO what to TRY what to READ what to LISTEN TO and more:

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WATCH THIS

The NFL Division Playoffs.  Four games, eight teams.  It’s the last time you’ll get a full weekend of football until the 2012 season kicks off at the end of summer. Ease into the weekend on Saturday at 4:30 est to watch San Francisco 49ers battle the New Orleans Saints on Fox. Oh and you may have heard of this Tebow kid people are talking about.  Check him out as he and the rest of the Broncos takes on Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Saturday at 8pm est on CBS.  Then check back on Sunday at 1pm for some Houston Texans action against the Baltimore Ravens, and then, the main event, Sunday at 4:30 pm est we’ll see if the Giants can take down Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.  Check in at  The IB Playoff Wire to leave your comments and various trash talk during the games all weekend long.

The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.  After last year’s fireworks you won’t want to miss Ricky Gervais’ return performance as host of the    He’s promised to top his last performance and we believe he will.  Oh and also there are awards and dresses and celebrities and all that hoopla.  DVR it and watch it after the games.  Sunday January 15, 2012 on NBC, 8pm est.

We Need to Talk About Kevin. Is Kevin innately evil, or is it some kind of legacy? Is whatever made him into what he is, also dwelling somewhere within his mother? Is she the only one who can see what Kevin really is? Count on a captivating performance by Tilda Swinton in this tense psychological thriller. She plays Eva, the mother of an increasingly frightening, disturbed teenage son. Based on the best-selling novel by the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin focuses on the question of “nature vs. nurture” as Eva contends with her own feelings of guilt and responsibility for Kevin’s tendencies. In theaters January 13, 2012.

The Flaming Lips: The Soft Bulletin.  In 1997, The Flaming Lips were at the crossroads. Their follow up album to their lone hit single stiffed and their lead guitarist left the band. They responded by taking their sound in a completely different direction and releasing the most critically lauded album of their career. This excellent documentary, produced by Pitchfork.com, analyzes this modern classic, telling the stories behind the songs and revealing the techniques used to get the album’s truly original sound.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day on TCM. Check out TCM’s, the classic movie cable channel’s 13-movie lineup scheduled for January 16, 2012; aka Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The lineup starts at 6am with the 1959 movie World, Flesh and the Devil starring Harry Belafonte and is followed by Cry the Beloved Country, Pressure Point, Odds Against Tomorrow, Lost Boundaries, Intruder in the Dust, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Defiant Ones. Then beginning is a series of 5 Films entitled Before Spike featuring Charles Burnett’s My Brothers Wedding, Gordon Parks’  The Learning Tree, Ossie Davis’ Black Girl, Sidney Poitier’s Stir Crazy, and Melvin Van Peebles’ Watermelon Man. View the full lineup on Indiewire.

LISTEN TO THIS:

Fallen Empires, by Snow Patrol.  On their sixth album, Snow Patrol seem intent on shaking up their sound with electronic beats on a few songs. While this may seem like a departure, the whole release still feels like a Snow Patrol album, and a good one at that. Download it from Amazon here

Box Set by Neutral Milk Hotel.  Since Neutral Milk Hotel stopped producing music in the late 90s, their cult of fandom has only grown. The beloved band got the proper deluxe box set treatment on the simply titled “Box Set”. The vinyl-only set collects everything or nearly everything ever released by the band and adds a number of unreleased songs, a picture disc and posters. Rather than tacked on filler, the unreleased songs are strong on their own. It’s the perfect gift for any fan of the band. Available on walkingwallofwords.com.

The Little Willies: For the Good Times.  Here’s a taste of classic country, lovingly covered and recreated by The Little Willies with Norah Jones on vocals and piano. This is their second album of country cover songs. This time around, the good times are recalled through the revisiting of such old favorites originally written and performed by artists like Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson, and Ralph Stanley, among others. Download from Amazon here.

READ THIS

The Last Holiday: A Memoir by Gil Scott-Heron.  Check out this posthumously published memoir by poet, novelist, piano player and spoken-word recording artist Gil Scott-Heron. Often referred to as “The Godfather of Hip-Hop,” Scott-Heron quite lyrically recounts not only his life; his early years, his struggles and his life on the road. His writing also serves as a reflection of aspects of the African-American experience in this country during the latter half of the 20th Century. In this absorbing memoir, Scott-Heron exudes passionate gratitude for the deeply influential figures who served to guide his life. Order or download it here.

BROWSE THIS:

The Abbey Road Crossing.   The famous spot where The Beatles shot their album cover picture is now a huge tourist destination.  But here’s the fun part, you can watch tourists constantly stopping traffic so they can reenact the famous shot by watching this 24/7 live webcam.  England is +5 hours ahead of New York time, so if you tune in later in the evening it’s a bit dead, but if you’re bored late at night you can scroll through the day’s video.

BUY THIS:

Cleveland Classic Driver. Do you golf? If you do, you’ll want to look into this unreleased Cleveland Classic Driver that already has a tournament win and twitter buzz under it’s belt. With a Miyazaki shaft, it’s incredibly long, and forgiving. The design is appropriately retro and nothing short of remarkable. We recommend checking out the preview to get an idea of what’s coming in February. I’m not kidding when I say this might be the best driver I’ve ever swung, and is genuine filtered excellence.

DO THIS:

Pardon Our Analysis: A Gathering For Gil Scott-Heron. The Black Rock Coalition Orchestra explores the range and power of self-styled renaissance man, the late Gil Scott-Heron. An all-star cast will tour the complexities of the noted poet, author, musician, composer, orator, social critic, activist, humorist and humanitarian.  This multi-media presentation promises to be a worthy salute to one of our great social critics. Go to www.symphonyspace.org or www.blackrockcoalition.org for more information.  Saturday January 14, 7:30pm.

Harry Belafonte: Sing Your Song. This amazing new documentary on the life of Harry Belafonte begins an exclusive engagement Friday at The IFC Center in New York City. It’s all here – his upbringing in Harlem and Jamaica; a stint in the Navy during World War 2; his foray into theater, and how it led to an extremely successful singing career (Belafonte sang to pay for his acting classes). As Belafonte’s career exploded, so did his work involving politics and human rights. He was close confidants with Paul Robeson and Martin Luther King Jr and played a key role in the American civil rights movement. Expertly directed by Susanne Rostock, Sing Your Song covers all of the highs and lows of Belafonte’s amazing career and his insights on affairs both here and aboard. An extra bonus: Belafonte and Rostock will be appearing after the 7:25 screenings Friday and Saturday and after the 2:45 screening on Sunday. Go to www.singyoursongthemovie.com to find out more information.

4Food Free Movie Screenings.  4Food in New York City is continuing to screen free movies at their Madison Avenue space.  For the remainder of the month, they’ll be screening Oscar Winners The Kings Speech (1/16), The Hurt Locker (1/23), and Slumdog Millionaire (1/30).  Screenings start at 7pm, popcorn is free! 260 Madison Avenue.

26th Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr @ Brooklyn Academy Of Music. On Monday, New York City’s largest public celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will take place all day at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music. It will include musical performances by Toshi Reagon and BIGLovely; The Institutional Radio Choir C.O.G.I.C. of Brooklyn; and a free screening of the excellent film The Black Power Mixtape 1967—1975. An excellent way to celebrate one of our greatest Americans. Go to www.bam.org to find out more information.

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