tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64349532009-11-20T18:57:06.171-05:00Features reporter Ryan Cormier throws everything pop culture into a blender and hits frappe. Check out his take on music, movies, celebrities and everything in between. It's what you need to know and a lot more stuff you really don't. <a href="mailto:rcormier@delawareonline.com">E-mail Ryan</a> and join him on <a href="http://twitter.com/ryancormier">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ryancormier">Facebook</a> and <a href="http://myspace.com/ryancormier">MySpace</a>.Administratornoreply@blogger.comBlogger3789125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-518627450956977622009-07-08T10:39:00.008-04:002009-07-09T13:47:33.714-04:00

This blog is getting a much-needed face lift this week, switching over from Blogger to WordPress.It should be a fairly smooth transition, but if your bookmarks and/or RSS feeds start acting up, you know why.The blog's address will remain www.delawareonline.com/pulpculture.I'll see you on the flip side...UPDATE: We're still working on the new blog and have a bunch of stuff to add and tweak, but

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-37391117620127294372009-07-08T10:12:00.006-04:002009-07-08T10:37:34.517-04:00

Above: Jeff Tweedy performing with Wilco last summer at The Grand in Wilmington.In the months leading up to the release of the band's seventh album, Wilco was on the receiving end of plenty of publicity -- just not the kind you want when you're rolling out a new batch of music.First, former band member Jay Bennett filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against frontman Jeff Tweedy in early May asking

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-21872308937368681732009-07-07T10:59:00.009-04:002009-07-08T02:56:01.680-04:00

I'm locked and loaded on Twitter right now.Head over there for running commentary as the memorial service unfolds.It's scheduled to start at 1 p.m.And Jackson's gold-plated coffin will be there.Shamon.UPDATE: You can read my rundown on Twitter, but I thought it was a flawless and memorial to one of the biggest superstars we'll ever see. Seeing his 11-year-old daughter speak for the first time --

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-86685172402145933332009-07-06T13:53:00.005-04:002009-07-06T18:08:14.535-04:00

Sure unemployment is up, but doesn't the Jackson family know most of us have to work tomorrow?The 90-minute memorial service for Michael Jackson will go down at 1 p.m. and since we all can't escape our cubicles to watch TV, I'll be posting my thoughts on it to Twitter throughout the event. (My page is here.)Here's some information on what to expect."It will be a celebration of Michael's life [but

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-553853185882203812009-07-04T01:13:00.005-04:002009-07-04T01:39:29.668-04:00

Sarah Palin will not be out shined by Mark Sanford when it comes to bizarre press conferences.What is she babbling about? She is right, this is not politics as usual...

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-3794027266440160882009-07-02T15:02:00.004-04:002009-07-02T15:13:09.780-04:00

When Dave Matthews and his band performed at the Bottle & Cork, he wasn't yet one of the most recognizable names in popular music.It was July 29, 1994, and a 27-year-old Matthews had just signed with RCA Records with the band's smash debut, "Under the Table and Dreaming," which would come out two months after the band's first -- and only -- Dewey Beach performance.Many more than the 800 fans the

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-50279458395059178182009-07-02T14:09:00.005-04:002009-07-02T16:27:18.700-04:00

We are eight days from Wilco unloading more hits on us than the Blue Rocks ever could.Since I totally messed up the link last time, click on "info" next to the Wilmington show here to request a song for show, which is July 10 at 7:30 p.m.Right now, these are the top 10 requests for Wilmington...1. Remember the Mountain Bed2. Hoodoo Voodoo3. I'm Always In Love4. Muzzle Of Bees5. California Stars6.

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-76825205731480782092009-07-02T13:28:00.002-04:002009-07-02T13:32:14.974-04:00

This Philly.com story has an odd header associated with it on the site's front page.It says "Love" above a story about a little boy who died after being locked in a car for 6-1/2 hours:

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-74758494430204594132009-07-02T12:24:00.004-04:002009-07-02T12:36:40.895-04:00

While celebrating our independence this holiday weekend, it's nearly impossible not to encounter a simple summertime staple: the hot dog.On Saturday alone, Americans will eat 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from Washington to Los Angeles more than five times, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.Considering those numbers and the seemingly endless demand for quick, takeout

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-84676045677424272302009-07-02T10:21:00.003-04:002009-07-02T10:38:14.584-04:00

Above: Sea Witch Manor Inn & Spa owner Inez Conover in 2005.So, remember that innkeeper over at the Sea Witch in Rehoboth that was the subject of an episode of the new TLC show "Making Over America with Trinny and Susannah"?Well, the day after filming stopped, bed and breakfast owner Inez Conover fired the newly made-over Natalie Smith.Why?Conover's attorney, Marlee Buckson of The Lawson Firm in

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-10495656761534563762009-07-01T15:08:00.004-04:002009-07-01T15:15:24.586-04:00

Above: A quite odd 2004 photo of Dick Cheney shaking hands with New York Yankee Derek Jeter in his underpants. "You know what? Sourpuss McMonkeyheart is right," Jon Stewart of "The Daily Show" speaking about Dick Cheney last night... The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10cDick Cheney's Withdrawal Timelinewww.thedailyshow.comDaily Show Full EpisodesPolitical HumorJason Jones in Iran

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-80955690500906277862009-07-01T13:17:00.005-04:002009-07-01T13:30:58.512-04:00

The Smoking Gun got its grubby mitts on Michael Jackson's will.It looks like he left his estate in a family trust and named his mother, Katherine, as the guardian for his three kids.The best part is this: "In the case that Jackson's mother Katherine were to predecease him (or was unable or unwilling to serve as guardian), Jackson stipulated that singer Diana Ross should be appointed guardian of

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-42042775993757533822009-07-01T10:24:00.003-04:002009-07-01T10:33:01.961-04:00

Oooh.Christiana Mall made some announcements about their ongoing renovations yesterday, including word of the opening of a Cheesecake Factory, Chick-fil-A, McDonald's and a two-story Barnes & Noble.I feel so damn American being happy about that news.Oh say can you see, by the dawn's early light...

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-54231475589729934252009-07-01T04:11:00.002-04:002009-07-01T04:14:49.774-04:00

Every once in a while, I have to slap some drunks in Dewey Beach too...

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-84636669059317318072009-06-30T10:16:00.006-04:002009-07-01T04:17:42.302-04:00

Today marks the release of "Wilco (The Album)," 10 days before they roll into Wilmington's Frawley Stadium. (Tickets are still available here.)I figured I'd rank the songs on the album starting with my favorite and include my favorite lines from each tune.But before we get to that, you can try your luck and request a song for the band to perform at the Wilmington concert here. (They tend to pick

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-64170014975006031712009-06-30T10:10:00.001-04:002009-06-30T10:15:47.572-04:00

What massive pop star is this?Take a guess and click here to find out.

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-71500355681676892752009-06-29T15:29:00.006-04:002009-06-29T16:06:35.617-04:00

Above: Vince Vaughn at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach in 2004.Since the beach season is in full swing -- and, yes, I will be returning in July -- I decided to dig up my first-ever Dewey dispatch from Memorial Day weekend 2004.Enjoy...Heading into Memorial Day weekend in Dewey Beach, I knew it was going to be wild.For the unofficial opening of summer at the beach, there were tons of cool events

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-46983059664835199482009-06-28T14:01:00.008-04:002009-06-28T14:20:21.637-04:00

Wilmington's Vernay Lewis is undoubtedly Michael Jackson's biggest fan in the First State.How big exactly?Well, she traveled to Los Angeles to watch his trail from a few rows behind the late pop star.That big.She wrote a note to me today that I thought I'd share. Read it here.Here's a little taste:"The evening that Michael Jackson passed away, was the evening I became a different person. Not a

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-52851250488058254832009-06-27T23:28:00.005-04:002009-06-28T11:23:50.487-04:00

Above: Michael Jackson outside London's Madame Tussauds in 1990.Michael Jackson's chart-topping music was an inescapable part of childhood for 43-year-old disc jockey Ally, as she is simply known to listeners on Wilmington's KISS FM radio station.For Salimata Linguer, 33, Jackson's music entered her life thanks to her mother, who sometimes even dressed like the pop star, right down to the single

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-3182687122734958272009-06-26T19:39:00.004-04:002009-06-26T19:48:31.770-04:00

Above: Michael "Kid" Davis performs with The Bullets at the Blue Parrot Bar & Grille in Wilmington, as they do every Thursday night at 9.It's 11 on a Thursday night and most bars in Wilmington are about as sleepy as the city's residents.But as you enter the Blue Parrot Bar & Grille, a party scene that would make any bar owner happy unfolds: A crowd is swing dancing and downing shots as a

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-32968861629099339742009-06-26T13:54:00.001-04:002009-06-26T13:57:03.639-04:00

Well, I guess we all knew it would eventually get to this.McAnus anyone? Try all three varieties!I saw this at the McDonald's on Del.1 near Lewes last night:

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-88264550013373242532009-06-25T20:37:00.003-04:002009-06-25T20:45:25.238-04:00

Above: British fashion TV stars Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine in Rehoboth Beach today.Cameras for a TLC series are in Rehoboth Beach today and, no, they aren't following the channels' stars Jon or Kate Gosselin as they decompress after announcing their divorce. Production for the premiere season of the fashion/reality series "Making Over America with Trinny and Susannah," starring

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-11703872714479899732009-06-25T19:35:00.002-04:002009-06-25T19:48:13.935-04:00

Above: Michael Jackson at a press conference in March announcing plans for a summer residency of concerts at the O2 Arena in London.I'm down in Dewey Beach and everyone is talking about the death of Micheal Jackson, just like everywhere else, I guess.When I heard the news, I headed over to the Old 97's sound check at the Bottle & Cork and found their lead singer Rhett Miller hanging out.He had

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-42782142236400082732009-06-23T15:17:00.002-04:002009-06-23T15:27:33.318-04:00

Rubber-faced comedian Brian Regan will bring his hilarious, PG-rated stand-up act down to Dover in November, it was just announced.Regan will perform at the Rollins Center at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino on November 20 at 9 p.m.Tickets range from $65 to $35 and can be purchased here starting on Friday.Regan last visited Delaware with a show at The Grand in March 2008.A quick clip of Regan on stage:

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6434953.post-50623325606710986742009-06-23T13:29:00.004-04:002009-06-23T14:32:33.737-04:00

Above: Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia Monday night.Patterson Hood celebrated today's release of his second solo album, "Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs)," in Philadelphia last night, delivering a 90-minutes set of songs from the new disc, along with some favorites from his 2001 solo effort "Killers and Stars" and the Drive-By Truckers catalog.The

Ryan Cormiernoreply@blogger.com1