This weekend, hipsters young and old will converge en masse at Chicago’s Grant Park for the annual Lollapalooza musical festival. Hundreds of acts will perform during the festival’s three days, spanning all kinds of genres, and I bet you’re wondering what the hell you should go see. Well, lucky for you, I’m here to help. I’m going to let you in on 9 must-see acts at Lollapalooza.

However, there are, of course, a few stipulations. For one, these aren’t the only must-see acts, these are just 9, three from each day. Second, this doesn’t include headliners. I’m not here to break bands like Depeche Mode and Kings of Leon to you–besides, let’s face it, you’ve already made your decision regarding those bands anyway. The point here is to tip you off to some acts you may have otherwise not given any second thought. Well, now’s the time to start seriously pondering.

1. Fleet Foxes – Friday, 5:00-6:00, Playstation Stage

Fleet Foxes epitomize the classic festival band. This indie folk 5-piece has made quite a storm in the past year, and with good reason. A mix between Iron & Wine and Band of Horses, the sound of Fleet Foxes is pastoral and peaceful. Lay out your blanket, have a seat, and settle your nerves as you listen to lead singer Robin Pecknold’s incredible pipes.

2. Crystal Castles – Friday, 5:00-6:00, Vitamin Water Stage

With the emergence of indie electro we have seen a much wider acceptance of bands that somewhat go against the grain. Case-in-point: Crystal Castles. This duo consisting of multi-instrumentalist, Ehtan Kath and vocalist, Alice Glass combines punk-rock, hip-hop, Nintendo noises, electronica, and a slew of other unknown sounds. Regardless of how we label them, they know how to rock out a set.

3. A-Trak – Friday, 5:45-7:00, Perry’s Stage

One of the most impressive changes to Lollapalooza this year is the expansion of Perry’s Stage. Once a spot to check out mid-level deejays during one’s off-time has now become a showcase of the best DJ talent in the world. Perhaps at the forefront of this is A-Trak, a renowned magician on the decks. He hit the “mainstream” scene touring as Kanye’s DJ, and has been on a rampant hot streak ever since. For those of you who may not be into the whole dance music thing, this guy is worth checking out for his scratching and beat-juggling skills alone. The dude won DMC’s World DJ Championship in 1997 – at age 15. He’s so good, it’ll make you puke.

4. Santigold – Saturday, 5:30-6:30, Playstation Stage

Chances are you’ve heard Santigold plenty of times – even if you don’t own any of her music. Featured on Bud Light Lime commercials, Entourage episodes, and who knows where else, Santigold has exploded onto the scene in the last year-ish. A mix of hip-hop, electro, and rock, with a tinge of that Jamaican flavor, Santigold has done a great job making these elements work in harmony to create an incredibly likable sound. Her shows are just as likable, so don’t miss this one.

5.TV on the Radio – Saturday, 6:30-7:30, Budweiser Stage

I remember fondly my first time seeing TV on the Radio: a drunken, debauchery-filled Friday during my college days, highlighted by one of the best shows I have ever seen. While those days might be long gone, it’s good to know one can still channel those experiences. TV on the Radio received a lot of acclaim for their most recent album, Dear Science, and the only thing better than listening to them pre-recorded is seeing them live. Driving bass lines, roaring drums, and lead singer Tunde Adebimpe’s voice make for an incredible combination when right in front of your eyes.

6. Animal Collective – Saturday, 7:30-8:30, Vitamin Water Stage

Psychedelic favorites, Animal Collective perhaps offer the most complete package on this list. Known for offbeat lyrics and unpredictable song structures, these Baltimore natives always impress.  A band that can slow it down, go completely nuts, or keep a happy medium, Animal Collective has an eclectic sound perfect for the festival atmosphere.

7. Bat for Lashes – Sunday, 1:30-2:30,Vitamin Water Stage

As Sunday arrives and you drag your dehydrated, hungover carcass to the final day of Lollapalooza, a good way to ease back into the thick of things is to go see Bat for Lashes. Relatively unknown, Bat for Lashes just released Two Suns, a wonderful album full of emotion and lush sounds. I really have no way of describing the sound without misplacing terms, so just check out the video.

8. Boys Noize – Sunday, 5:30-7:00, Perry’s Stage

Glitchy, distorted, thumping – Boys Noize is the man who is bringing electro into its next era. In many ways the natural progression from Daft Punk, Boys Noize is everywhere you might not guess. Remixing tracks for Feist, A-Trak and – believe it – The Black Eyed Peas, Alexander Ridha (aka Boys Noize) has supplanted himself as a premier producer/DJ. His sets are all-out, loud-as-hell dance parties. The only question is: are you going to have enough energy by then to hang with it?

9. Silversun Pickups – Sunday, 7:30-8:30, Vitamin Water Stage

As your Lolla journey comes to an end, a good way to setup your final headliner is by checking out Silversun Pickups. Often mistaken for The Smashing Pumpkins, this 4-piece from Los Angeles does plenty to distinguish themselves from their grunge predecessors. Great vocals, coupled with some of the best guitar riffs of late help achieve a powerful, unmistakably rock ‘n roll sound that is the basis for the traditional American music festival. So, pay homage to tradition and make your way to see Silversun Pickups.

Now that you’re equipped with the knowledge you need to have a great festival experience, get out there and enjoy yourselves. Oh, and on a final note, please don’t be the jackass moshing in everyone’s personal space – I’d hate to see you get kicked out.

You may have seen the videos circulating around the Internet over the past few years of people doing the nasty with, well, nobody at all. It’s called ‘air sex’. And after making its way from Japan to the US, the crazy competition is going on tour! (more…)

This week, Jimmy Kimmel delivered this presentation to the ABC upfronts, the network executives and high-paying advertisers, and let’s just say he ripped pretty much everybody a new one. As you’ll see, the bit was well received, with plenty of laughter. But if you really listen to what he said, things like, “Every year we lie to you and every year you come back for more. You don’t need an upfront. You need therapy,” you’ll realize that Jimmy Kimmel has enormous balls.

With a ton of badass bands on the line-up and extra perks like a computer room for bloggers and complimentary adult beverages, there’s no question that the coolest spot at this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival is definitely the exclusive Levi’s/FADER Fort (1101 E. 5th Street between San Marcos & Waller). And tomorrow night, it’s going to get a lot better: We just received confirmation from a very in-the-know, anonymous source that Kanye West is confirmed to play the Fader Fort Saturday night at 8:45pm, putting to rest what has to be the biggest rumor of SXSW 2009.

Of course, some of you might not be satisfied with an anonymous source as “confirmation”. And believe us, we’d absolutely love to tell you how we have this information. But we’re not allowed. However, we can promise you that the Levi’s Fader Fort is where we’ll be Saturday night.

Check out the full Levi’s/FADER Fort line-up, here!

No Country for Old Men is my personal favorite movie of the year. If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it tonight. It’s the most quietly-intense movie I’ve seen in ages, thanks in part to the flawless editing, lack of soundtrack, and psycho killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem).

Other movies and shows got nominated too, but I’m here to sing the praises of No Country for Old Men. There Will Be Blood should be great, but I’ll have to wait until December 26 to find out for sure.

In any event, here are the SAG nominations for the best films and shows of 2007, picked by a panel of experts that enjoy quirky comedies and thick drama (and in some cases, great movies and shows).

Check out the nominees after the jump. (more…)

Last night the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards proved that a large chunk of the entertainment world is ruled by talentless hacks.

From technical difficulties (did anybody sound-check anything beforehand?) to only showing snippets of live performances by music’s heavy-hitters at various locations around Las Vegas – Kanye, five-times snubbed out of awards last night, is reportedly through with the VMAs after his performance was butchered by execs – MTV has fully transformed into a Metric Ton of Visuals.

The highlights lowlights:

Britney’s show-opening, pace-making, stupefying, phoned-in performance of her single “Gimme More.” Even Spears’ super-fans were stunned by her carelessness. As for the “magic” of Criss Angel assisting Brit? Smoke and mirrors, I guess – just like Brit herself.

Sarah Silverman’s harsh put-downs of Brit left the room in a deep silence. F***ing everybody looked away when the camera panned to them after any of Silverman’s barbs towards Brit. Just one more example of celebs having all the money and power in the world and doing nothing short of saving face. Despicable.

Check out the video link (and more pics) of Brit’s performance after the jump.

(more…)