Each Thursday, the Avenue is serving up the best in entertainment, pop culture and everything in between. From the big screen to the radio waves, check out this week’s picks.
Listen: The Age of Adz
Alternative singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens continues to bare his soul on his sixth studio album. This time around, he’s trying his hand at Auto-Tune and relying more heavily on electronics than on strings. The LP, which includes 11 dream-like, choir-accompanied, horn- and sleigh bell-strewn tracks, comes just one week after the release of his EP “All Delighted People.” Savor these indie-rock gems. Key tracks: “Too Much” and “I Walked.”
Read: Freedom: A Novel
A follow-up to 2001’s “The Corrections,” Jonathan Franzen’s latest novel has all the makings of a modern classic: an internally afflicted, middle-class family disturbed by the 21st century’s political and social hurdles. Meet the Berglunds, said restless family. There’s Patty, who frequently questions her past decision to marry current husband Walter over his college roommate; Walter, a self-defeating businessman tempted by an affair with his young assistant; and Joey, Patty and Walter’s son, a cocky college graduate who sells vehicle parts to the military to use in Iraq. More importantly, this book received Oprah’s coveted stamp of approval. Enough said.
See: Jackass 3D
Some movies — ahem, “Step Up 3D” — may have been better left untouched by Hollywood’s current 3-D mania. So how do we feel about a chance to get up close and personal with Johnny Knoxville and his crew. Imagine it: a Porta-Potty catapulted in the air, a Jet Ski flying off a ramp that’s too steep, a cedar tree collapsing as two cackling bodies soar in the air then crash to the ground. We wouldn’t want to miss such self-destructive genius.
Click: Who Owns My Heart
Miley Cyrus is at it again with a new music video for her single “Who Owns My Heart.” Spoiler alert: It’s inappropriate! Surprising, right? Not so much. Ever since her scandalous Vanity Fair photo shoot in April 2008 and controversial pole-dancing stint at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards, it seems the 17-year-old isn’t trying to pay penance for her grown-up behavior. From the start of the video — with the bass pounding and the panty-clad teen writhing on a bed of ruffled silk sheets — you just know she’s done it again. We miss Hannah Montana.
