Charleston Gazette

Best Bet: ; There's No Accounting for Taste

On Friday, step outside of the mainstream and celebrate the cult film "Bad Taste" at the historic Robey Theatre in Spencer. Filmmaker and tattoo artist Rodney Harper will present the movie, which was written, directed, produced and edited by its star and effects artist - the young Peter Jackson (pictured) - nearly 15 years before he directed the uber-successful "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The night will include a locally filmed introduction to the movie and several shorts. According to infor...

The Gazz Calendar: ; May 24-May 30

Today 5.24 Music

The Idiot Box: ; Season-Ending Blues: When Good Shows Have Bad Finales

There are few things more disappointing in the television world than being let down by a finale - especially one as heavily hyped as "Heroes." Yet, I found the end of this breakout hit's first season to be rather disappointing. Maybe I was expecting too much. Maybe cramming the three preceding episodes into the two and a half hours before the finale was a bad idea. I'm not saying that the finale sucked, but, really, is it too much to ask that the big showdown - you know, the one that's been h...

Best Bet: ; Elemental Rock

Last year, Huntington's Hydrogyn rocked Kanawha County for Labor Day weekend. This year, the band's going to rock Lincoln County for Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, the group, which now features Dio guitarist Craig Goldy, will perform at Lions Club Field in Hamlin as part of Lincoln Rocks!, a drug- and alcohol-free all-ages concert. Gates for the show open at 5 p.m. with Broken Shadows starting at 6 p.m. and Hydrogyn at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 or $10 for those with high school or college ID...

Best Bet: ; Splish Splash

Christian Group Plans to Celebrate Hilton's Jailing

This may be the only party Paris Hilton isn't tempted to attend. A Christian group known for slamming celebrities such as 50 Cent and Jessica Simpson plans to celebrate the heiress' jail sentence by trashing her CDs at Hilton Hotels around the country.

In Short

Who goes there? The West Virginia Symphony's production of the opera "Carmen" drew a sold-out crowd of 1,716 to the Clay Center Saturday. It was the orchestra's first sell-out at the Clay Center and that includes symphonic, pops and "Nutcracker" performances, said Paul Helfrich, the orchestra's executive director.

Vandalia As Seen by Joe

Cover Story: ; Vandalia As Seen by Joe

The Vandalia Gathering takes place at the Cultural Center and state Capitol grounds, Charleston. The Vandalia Sampler Concert begins at 7 p.m. Friday. Scheduled music starts at 11 a.m. Saturday and at noon on Sunday. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.wvculture.org. lynch@wvgazette.com

Depp's Pirate Portrayal Smashes Cinematic Mold

LOS ANGELES - Pirate films are almost as old as movies themselves. There was Douglas Fairbanks as "The Black Pirate" in 1926. Errol Flynn was "Captain Blood" in 1935. In 1952, Burt Lancaster became "The Crimson Pirate." Thirty years later, Kevin Kline was the Pirate King in 1983's "Pirates of Penzance."

Dreamworks, Jackson to Produce 'Lovely Bones'

LOS ANGELES - Peter Jackson is teaming up with DreamWorks SKG to film his adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Lovely Bones." DreamWorks beat out three other bidders - Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. - to finance Jackson's version of Alice Sebold's 2002 best-seller about the murder of a 14-year- old girl who narrates her tale from heaven.

Live On the Levee Returns

The city of Charleston has announced this summer's Live on the Levee concert series lineup. This year's schedule features familiar faces from the Charleston music scene and veterans of previous Live on the Levee seasons. Each week a different local charity will be spotlighted, with a raffle held to provide monetary support. Food and beverages will be served on the Boulevard. These free shows are held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays at Haddad River Front Park and are sponsored in part by KOMAX....

Film Clips

* "SHREK THE THIRD": HH 1/2 Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas. Many of the best gags in these films - the ones not involving a bodily function - are ones that the supposed target audience (kids) can't yet read and won't yet get. The animation's better, but the writing has fallen off. Still, it's fitfully amusing, and only 80 minutes long. Rated PG. * "28 WEEKS LATER": H 1/2 MC, PPSC. Set six months after the horror hit "28 Days Later," the rage virus returns to create new zombie can...

'Bug' Could Be Judd's Breakout Piece

REVIEW Bug HHH 1/2 Rated R (some strong violence, sexuality, nudity, language and drug use) Directed by William Friedkin Starring Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon and Harry Connick Jr. Marquee Cinemas William Friedkin is a merchant of nightmares, from the car- crunching violence of "The French Connection" to the occult dread of "The Exorcist" to the South American survivalist drama of "Sorcerer." His movies don't go away after you've seen them, but remain in your head for days, working their claw...

Six Ways to Prepare for One Harry Summer

J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" won't be released until July 21, but here are six tips for preparing for what promises to be a very Harry summer: 1. Laugh: Some creative Massachusetts teens have reduced the Potter characters to hand-puppet silliness. Videos, T-shirts and more are on potterpuppetpals.com. Start with "The Mysterious Ticking Noise."

New 'Radio Free Charleston' Beams Onto Thegazz.Com

Click over to www.thegazz.com/ gazztv to see a very musical Episode 20 of "Radio Free Charleston." This edition of the local music and animation webcast features Charleston band Whistle-punk 2.0, with new lead singer Karen Allen (formerly of Crazy Jane) kicking out the lyrical rocker "Satellite," with bandmates Spencer Elliott, Dan Jordan and Brian Young. Then, there's 12-string guitar virtuoso Josh Buskirk finger pirouetting through a Leo Kotke-style original instrumental, "It Always Rains O...

Third 'Pirates' Installment Lives Up to Its Hype

REVIEW Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End HH 1/ 2 Rated PG- 13 (intense sequences of action/adventure violence and some frightening images) Directed by Gore Verbinski Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Geoffrey Rush Marquee Cinemas, Park Place Stadium Cinemas It's way too long and massively convoluted and ultimately just plain silly. But still, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" is a lot of fun a lot of the time.

Gazzopolis: ; Gazzcast Chorus

Our weekly gazzcast Web shows are back online with a special appearance by the Yellow Submarine Choir. Click on thegazz.com/ gazztv each Thursday to watch these short 'Gazzopolis' webcasts of highlights in clubs and on stage for the weekend ahead. The new show, hosted by thegazz.com editor Douglas Imbrogno, gives a heads-up on Beatles tribute band Rubber Soul at the Empty Glass tonight; the Vandalia Gathering Friday through Sunday across the state Capitol Complex grounds; the monthly Front Po...

Chris Noth Welcomes Cable Shift of Tv Show

LOS ANGELES - Chris Noth of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" is looking on the bright side of an unusual deal that next season puts the drama on the USA cable channel ahead of its NBC airing. "Cable is probably the future. They're paying a lot more attention to it (the show) than NBC did, frankly," Noth told The Associated Press. The network had scheduled it against tough competitors "Dancing with the Stars" and "House," he said.

New Sounds: ; Albarn's Latest Another Winner

"The Good, The Bad & The Queen" is a phenomenal work, even though it's tough to describe. In some circles it's billed as being by the group "The Good, The Bad & The Queen," but that's technically not true. The group actually doesn't have a name. It's the brainchild of Blur frontman Damon Albarn, whose other recent group, Gorillaz, doesn't even exist in the real world.