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The Candy mailbag: Answering your questions

Good afternoon, inquisitive readers. I have some time to take your questions, so send 'em my way. Afterward, I need to start packing for my aunt's wedding in Smithfield, Va. -- I must look dainty while I'm scarfing down dozens of ham biscuits.

Let's begin:

I know I'm probably way late for this, but I ran across something referencing the cancelled ABC series Day Break and realized I forgot to go online to see the last few episodes, and now they predictably aren't posted anymore on abc.com. Anyway, can I at least find out what the big twist was, maybe in a recap? I was kind of invested and would like some closure. -- Kiley M., Odessa, Fla.

Yeah, the website couldn't feature those eps forever, so you missed the boat on that one. You can find some details about the finale in the comments thread on this post and via Wikipedia, but I guarantee there's a Pop reader who can give you a quick recap via the comments here. I used to get questions about this show all the time, but I never got into it myself.

I saw the best performance in recent memory over Thanksgiving: Sting covering a James Taylor song on a lute. You know anywhere I can get a copy? -- Drew H.

I'm betting you saw PBS' Great Performances: A Tribute to James Taylor. The show is available on DVD, so you may want to add that to your holiday wish list. (You can buy it through PBS' website.) I can't help you out with an MP3 or a CD, though.

I have seen a small handful of trailers and videos online for Persepolis. Everything I have seen, even the stuff that clearly seems to be marketing the American relase, is in French with subtitles. I'm okay with it, but I thought the movie was going to be re-dubbed into English for its American release, with a cast including Sean Penn and Gena Rowlands. Did Sony Pictures Classics change their minds? Also, I just moved to DC and am bitter that missed the meetup. Do Another!! Please! -Mark

I was reading your post on the Jones Sodas, and I’m wondering what stores actually sell these? I haven’t seen them in any of the local Wal-Marts or grocery stores. I’d rather go to a store to pick them up instead of ordering online. -- Robert A.

Here's a store locator. You can find them at several places, including World Market, which is where I buy them.

I have seen a small handful of trailers and videos online for Persepolis. Everything I have seen, even the stuff that clearly seems to be marketing the American relase, is in French with subtitles. I'm OK with it, but I thought the movie was going to be re-dubbed into English for its American release, with a cast including Sean Penn and Gena Rowlands. Did Sony Pictures Classics change their minds? -- Mark

I just called Sony Pictures Classics for confirmation, and they told me the original version (in French) is what will be released Dec. 25. They may release the star-studded English-language version "down the line," but you'll see the film with subtitles if you go over the holidays. Though I love Sean and Iggy Pop (he's in the dubbed version, too!), I prefer to see the French version, so I definitely don't have a problem with their decision.

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An evening with Amy

SedarisLast night Pop reader Pamela W. (aka Pam in MD) got to meet Amy Sedaris here in Washington, D.C. Sedaris made a personal appearance at the Sixth and I synagogue, though Pam said she left a litle disappointed.

"(Sedaris) was really cute, but it would have been better if she just spoke and wasn’t interviewed," she said. "She did make the eye burrito (pantyhose with beans in them and then her googly eyes glued on the outside)."

Pam said Sedaris also discussed her love of Will Ferrell, Dave Letterman, and the women on SNL, as well as her appearance on Paula Deen's show. Sedaris' latest project is Dolly Parton's new video, which you can watch on YouTube.

Strike beards activate!

I just watched this video from Conan O'Brien and was delighted to see he's growing a "strike beard" to show solidarity with his fellow striking writers. You know I'd prefer a "strike mustache," but this is the next best thing ...

You can see more examples of Late Night strike beards on The Late Night Insider. Let's hope this thing gets resolved before these men (and maybe some ladies?) start to resemble Zach Galifianakis. Or Uncle Jesse.

The week in Pop: My favorite things

Once again, It's time for a roundup of my pop-culture favorites for the week. Take a look, then add your own to the mix:

Dexter_2Best TV show I saw: Dexter. I wasn't sure where the whole Doakes-Dex thing was headed this season, but, holy smokes, now it has gotten good! Parts of Sunday's episode blew my mind so much that I was sure the writers had decided to end the series right then and there. I can't wait to see what happens next, and I desperately don't want the season to end.
I also enjoyed: Torchwood (what a kiss!), 30 Rock, Nip/Tuck, Bones

Best CD I heard: I'm in a Fleshtones phase right now, so I'll throw it to the band's yet-to-be-released album, Take a Good Look. I played a song from it in this week's podcast.
I'm also listening to: All of a sudden, everyone is telling me to listen to Vampire Weekend, so I am, and I like them a whole lot. I like BIG BUSINESS' description: " Think of them as Paul Simon (Graceland) having drinks with the Talking Heads while listening to Belle and Sebastian." I'm also enjoying a group called Pale Young Gentleman; they describe their sound as "Jacques Brel meets Randy Newman meets rowdy thespians."

As for more familiar things, the other day I popped in Tori Amos' latest CD (American Doll Posse), which I didn't listen to much when it came out, but now it seems to fit my mood. And my husband is a big Animal Collective fan, so I've heard some Strawberry Jam in the car.

NocountryBest movie I saw: No Country For Old Men. I saw this a couple weeks ago, but I don't think I've mentioned it yet. The Coen brothers blew me away once again with this one, and I clenched my stomach the entire time I sat in the theater. Some people have told me they had trouble with the ending, but I don't really understand what they mean -- the ending worked for me, the acting worked, the cinematography worked and it was the best movie I've paid to see in a long time.
I also enjoyed: Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, 49 Up, I'm Not There. (OK, so I have mixed feelings about I'm Not There. Cate Blanchett did a swell job, but the rest of it didn't live up to my expectations. See it if you're a diehard fan, wait for the DVD if you're not.)

Best book I read: I tore through the fourth Scott Pilgrim over Thanksgiving. Bryan Lee O'Malley's books are fun reads that are so fast-paced my brain sometimes struggles to keep up with my eyes.
I'm also reading: The current issue of Stop Smiling, Big Questions 10 by Anders Nilsen, James Sturm's America, Legends of the Chelsea Hotel by Ed Hamilton

OK! What's been delighting your ears 'n' eyes this week?

Kenneth draws the future

Last night's 30 Rock featured too many hilarious moments to count. (I particularly loved Tina Fey's statement that she can't bear to go in Abercrombie & Fitch because it's "too loud in there!")

Anyway, this morning I thought it was funny that one Cloverfield blog picked up on Kenneth's "dream journal" as a possible clue. As you may recall, the NBC page accidentally showed Jack a scribbled drawing of a monster attacking New York. He then said of his dreams: "They've all come true so far!"

This comes three days after Kristen Bell slurped a Slusho! on Heroes. Is J.J. Abrams pulling a Verizon, or is this merely coincidence?

Pixar does the robot

I'm getting curious about Wall-E, the new Pixar movie about an adorable robot. It doesn't open until June, but that oh-so-important Internet buzz is building. You may have caught this promo video, and Pop reader Paige B. told me about the viral site buynlarge.com:

"What’s amazing to me about this site is that it looks so real!" she says. "The graphics are pitch-perfect, the site is huge, and it even features advertisements for movies and other Buy n Large products. (My favorite: Xanadou -- a drug that replicates the feeling you get when you go shopping and buy lots of stuff.)"

She continues, "I’m fascinated by the fact that the site has nothing which 'directly' relates to the film. If you stumbled onto the site you might think it was a real company, as it has no obvious connection to Pixar or to the film."

I think my favorite 'bot is the one that picks up, washes and folds your laundry. Watch the teaser trailer here.

Pop forum: Talk amongst yourselves

It's Friday in the forum, and your fellow readers are discussing pop culture all day long in the comments. Below, get to know one of them a little better:

Reader of the day: Captain Average

Candysheldon_2Real Name: Sheldon Wiebe
Where I live: Calgary, AB, Canada
Occupation: Not currently working

Favorite movie: The original Star Wars trilogy, the Indiana Jones trilogy, Biggles: Adventures in Time, Jake Speed, Big Trouble in Little China, Buckaroo Banzai, Casablanca, LOTR, Knocked Up, North by Northwest ...

Three famous people I'd love to meet: Steven Spielberg, Keira Knightley and Roald Dahl

A movie I can't stand (and why): The Descent. Despite the almost-universal praise it got last year, I found it to be a one-note, one color (gray), predictable coagulation of stereotypical characters and monsters that couldn't shine Nosferatu's shoes on their best days -- not to mention a score that was sloppy and uneven and sound effects lifted directly from The Grudge. (Essentially, it was The Cave, only with an all-female cast.)

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Early buzz: Guitar heroes, new videos, 'Allentown' and more

Happy Friday! I'm excited the weekend is here, especially since I'll get to see my family at my aunt's wedding down in Smithfield, Va. (I'm looking forward to the ham biscuits, too.) Last night I previewed a little of the Sci Fi Channel's Tin Man, but it didn't really turn me on, so I ended up watching the documentary 49 Up instead. I also loved 30 Rock -- I need to start taking notes on that show, since there are too many quotable lines to remember the next morning.

Some links for you:

- Here's our story about that Don Rickles documentary I mentioned yesterday. I'm telling you, it's good! HBO airs it Sunday.

- Seth Rogen is getting in shape (somewhat) to play the Green Hornet.

- Conan O'Brien is paying his staff out of his own pocket.

- The New York Times has launched a new section that includes videos like this one with Natalie Portman and this one with Marion Cotillard.

- I like Ingrid Michaelson's new video for her "sweater song," though don't watch it if you're afraid of clowns.

- Drea de Matteo has given birth to a baby girl named -- wait for it -- Alabama Gypsy Rose.

- Shia LaBoeuf wants to make a movie about rapper Cage.

- The L.A. Times looks at the best and worst online movie tie-ins.

- I've officially given up on Bionic Woman. Go ahead and put it out of its misery.

- The White Stripes have  made a video for the song Conquest.

Devil- Here's a list I know you've been waiting for: The best nude scenes of 2007. Marisa Tomei (left) tops it for her role in Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.

- Midnight Oil's Peter Garrett has been appointed environment minister in Australia.

- Are you good at knowing which actors are dead or alive?

- NBC is adding more reality programming to its schedule after new episodes of its shows run out. Ick.

- Brad Pitt doesn't want us to see him naked anymore.

- The newspaper in Allentown, Pa., has been celebrating the 25th anniversary of the release of Billy Joel's Allentown. Here's an interview with Joel about the song.

- I'd like to be seated next to Paul Rudd at a dinner party, too.

- Who thought it was a good idea to hire Johnny Rotten as a spokesman for Guitar Hero III?

- On a related note, Pop reader Kelli sent me a link to these impressive Guitar Hero performances.

'The Onion' takes on the world

Just in time for the holidays, the Onion has published a new book, Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of the Planet Earth (Little, Brown, $27.99). The book parodies countries around the world, and you can preview it by heading to this promotional website.

Each week the site spotlights a new country, and France is currently getting the special treatment. Click on various cities to learn where "a Frenchman weeps during the 1941 Brie shortage" and to locate the "Institute for Pretentious Mustards." You never know, that info could come in handy one day.

No more pine needles on the carpet ...

We've reached that busy, often stressful time of year when many folks are preparing to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa.

FestivusAnd then there's Festivus.

It's been 10 years since the holiday became a Seinfeld sensation, but it's still going strong: Pop Candy Reader of the Day Matt F. told me about this website that's selling "Festivus poles" for $38. "During Festivus, an unadorned aluminum pole is displayed, apparently in opposition to the commercialization of highly decorated Christmas trees, and because the holiday's creator, Frank Costanza, 'find(s) tinsel distracting,'" the site says.

There's a pretty funny page with photos of Festivus pole owners, and they look much happier than you might expect. For those who don't have room for the six-foot model, the website also sells a tabletop version.