Real Genius

Phat Albert, Bright Eyes, and more media picks

April 10, 2007

BOOKS: Ladies' man Albert Einstein was apparently something of a scientist, too, as shown in Walter Isaacson's Einstein: His Life and Universe. Another genius, Iggy Pop, gets his due in Paul Trynka's exhaustively researched Open Up and Bleed. In the fiction aisle, Phil LaMarche makes a stunning debut with American Youth.

TV: Tomorrow night the final whistle blows on the first (and let's hope not last) season of Friday Night Lights, while on Friday Henry Rollins returns to IFC with Marilyn Manson as a guest. Sunday night, Fox debuts the strangely intriguing Drive, a testosterone-friendly drama on a cross-country car race. Oh, and remember Punk'd? Well, it's apparently still on. The final season debuts tonight.

MOVIES: If anyone can make us see a Molly Shannon movie, it's Mike White, who wrote and directed Year of the Dog. Elsewhere, Halle Berry squanders more Oscar goodwill in the doofy thriller Perfect Stranger, and "Adult Swim" dives into movies with Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.

MUSIC: Conor Oberst is back with his sixth Bright Eyes studio LP, the Americana-tinged Cassadaga. Also busy of late: Nick Cave, who rolls out an awesome self-titled album from new side project Grinderman (sample song title: "No Pussy Blues"). Blonde Redhead continue to refine their indie-prog on 23, while arch postpunk Brits Maxïmo Park return with Our Earthly Pleasures.

DVD: Do you like your cinematic failures with a wink or without? In the latter category is Emilio Estevez's Bobby, while a new edition of Shanghai Surprise pokes fun at its own absurdity with "Fans Unite!" commentary, in which fans justify their love for the film. Rather contemplate mass suicide? Check out the arresting cult doc Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple.