Britt Plunkett runs his forearm across his head, pushing sweat off his brow. “I actually took a picture of the thermostat,” he says. “I just had to record it: 99 degrees.”For Paul Rudd, the decision to star in Jay Roach’s new comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks,” was an easy one. “I thought the script was really funny,” he says. “That was it. It was kind of a no-brainer.” Of course Rudd, who’s built an impressive resume of smart comedies, was just as enamored of the man behind the camera. Though Lilith Fair returned from an 11-year hiatus to a very different musical landscape, it is one that Sarah McLachlan and Co. helped lay the blueprints for more than a decade ago.Although facts on the famed Clinton-Mezvinsky wedding, which is rumored to happen this weekend, are tighter than Hillary Clinton’s smile, some details have leaked out. Sources report that groom Marc Mezvinsky has “hurt” his father’s family by not inviting them to the wedding (Ed Mezvinsky pleaded guilty in 2002 to swindling investors out of $10 million.He may play the part of a high-end gigolo in “The Extra Man,” but offscreen, Kevin Kline continues to be quite a charmer.
The 88 started their grassroots rise to not-exactly fame in 2003 by handing out free discs at pay-to-play Sunset Strip clubs. And after being signed and dropped by Island Records, the trio are returning to their self-released ways.
“No, no. It was something that we really wanted,” says keyboardist Adam Merrin, deflecting our condolences. “We were trying to get out of our contract. We’re excited to be doing everything ourselves again. It’s amazing that as soon as we stopped working with Island, everything started picking up again. We’ve had more tour dates in the last two months than we did in the last two years.”
It’s the story we’ve all heard before: Band meets A&R, A&R loves band, label signs band, A&R gets fired.
“We always wanted to try a major label. And we were hoping that they were going to be able to take all the work we had done and expand on that,” continues Merrin. “It was the opposite of that. We did more on our own than when we signed with them.”
More on their own, indeed. You might not know the band’s name, but you know their songs. Thanks to an early music supervisor supporter, songs such as “Coming Home” and “Hide Another Mistake” have seen more than 50 placements in Target ads, on “Gossip Girl,” and been performed by the band on “How I Met Your Mother.”
Despite major producer pawing — Babyface and Matt Wallace (Maroon 5) shared duties — the band’s latest disc and third overall, “Not Only … But Also,” is in keeping with their smart pop ways. Keith Slettedahl’s top-drawer vocals and songwriting style point to Squeeze and The Kinks.
“It’s freeing to be able to say what we want,” says Merrin, reflecting on the current round of album promotion.
“From all of these experiences, we’re just going to record music and put it out there and tour.”
The 88
with the B-52s
Saturday, 8 p.m.
House of Blues
15 Lansdowne St., Boston
MBTA: Green Line to Kenmore
$36, all ages, 888-693-BLUE
www.hob.com/boston
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In the July MMMpod, Young Veins talk about breaking away from Panic! at the Disco, Keith Lockhart talks about Buckwheat Zydeco throwing the Boston Pops for a loop, Zooey Deschanel talks about how Roy Orbison inspired a She & Him song, Derek Miller of Sleigh Bells talks about how awesome Funkadelic is, and we talk about how awesome Jimmy Cliff is, who in turn talks about Sam Cooke and divine intervention. An explosive show for July! Oh yeah, and we also test your knowledge of America songs in the MMMPod medley.