US – Saturday, March 13
The Grid
The week's releases
Metro staff reviews the latest CDs, DVDs and books for your reading pleasure.
 
Music
Run this town
No living man but Jay-Z could get a sold out Boston arena so excited about New York City. But for two hours last night, the sold out crowd at the Garden was in an Empire State of Mind, as “The Blueprint 3” tour rolled into town.
 
My Television
Back in the trenches
Steven Spielberg makes strikingly vivid, breathtakingly poetic movies about some of the most terrifying conflicts in the history of man. The filmmaking aesthetic he pioneered with “Saving Private Ryan” — and continues to perfect in HBO’s new WWII miniseries, “The Pacific” — was born out of a desire to translate as honestly as possible his conversations with veterans on their combat experience.
 
The Word
Is nothing in her life real anymore?
When we first read that Heidi Pratt was firing husband Spencer Pratt as her manager, we thought, “Yay! Heidi’s new face is finally doing something right!” But then we found out that although she did fire Spencer, it seems like she’s replacing him with psychic Aiden Chase to take the reigns on her “career” — and then we got scared.
 
Movies
Pattinson: A vampire in Brooklyn
Robert Pattinson has been playing Americans so often that he has forgotten how to talk like a Brit. In his latest, “Remember Me,” the “Twilight” heartthrob stars as a soulful young New Yorker attending NYU, but he insists he didn’t need any help sounding like a native. “I’ve never had a dialect coach or anything,” Pattinson says. “Ironically, I’ve only had a dialect coach for this film I’m doing now, which I’m doing in an English accent. I guess I’ve forgotten how to do an English accent.”
 
Published 00:48, June the 18th, 2009
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3 INFLUENCES What inspires local artists?

Alex Torra
 
Alex Torra
 

Name: Alex Torra
Trade: Theater
Works: Associate Director of the Pig Iron Theatre Company, freelance director.

1 Miami. It’s where I grew up, as part of the Cuban-American community. It’s where I got my love for television (growing up on shows like the PBS sitcom “Que Pasa, U.S.A.?”) and my intense love of food.

2 Photography. Jeff Wall: Wall is a Canadian photographer who works primarily in large-scale transparencies. He builds incredibly detailed and sharply choreographed documentary-like photographs. My favorite is “After ‘Invisible Man.”

3 Music. Greek music from the 40s and 50s: This is specific inspiration for my upcoming production of “Comedy of Errors” for Shakespeare in Clark Park. I’ve been listening specifically to an album called “Exotic Songs/ Recordings 1937 - 1950 / Greek Modern Song.” I’m digging the tiny bit of mambo and bossa nova influence in the music.

MATT GRIGGE/METRO
 
 
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Music
MMMpod
The March MMMpod features conversation and music from Surfer Blood and The Allman Brothers Band (There's a double-bill you're not too likely to see. However, Gregg Allman does mention Hannah Montana!). We also speak with Vampire Weekend and the Dropkick Murphys.
 
 
 
Metro Life Panel
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