LATEST ADDITIONS

Have you guys seen “Date Night,” the new comedy starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey? I’m thinking about going to check it out because: 1., Steve Carell is <a href="http://www.moviemaker.com/images/uploads/steve_carell_40_year_old_virgi…;; 2., Tina Fey is <a href="http://thezaz.nationallampoon.com/files/2009/12/tinafey_21313.jpg">hot<…;; 3., Parts of the film are set in my college town of Teaneck, NJ; and, 4., There are scenes featuring a hi-fi made up of Meridian’s DSP7200 Digital Active loudspeakers, Reference 800 DVD player, and G68 surround controller.

<B>London Concertante: <I>Piazzolla and Beyond</I></B><BR>
Works by Astor Piazzolla, David Gordon, Adam Summerhayes<BR>
London Concertante; Adam Summerhayes, dir.<BR>
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907491 (CD). 2009. Chris Grist, prod.; Matt Butler, eng. DDD. TT: 52:01<BR>
Performance ****<BR>
Sonics ****

I always enjoy CES. Like the Big Apple, or the City of Angels, the Consumer Elecronics Show is stimulatingly frenetic and enjoyably fatiguing&#151;things that would soon put me in the funny farm if I lived with them year 'round, but can easily cope with twice a year. In fact, attending CES is rather like visiting the city of my birth, a place whose culture is one with my own because I grew up there, and where half the pleasure lies in seeing once again those audio people&#151;the Allisons, Marantzes, Frieds, Beveridges, Haflers, and Tuckers&#151;whose durability as friends always reminds me of how rapidly time passes and how little of it we may have left.

There is a pile of boxes in my office. Nothing unusual. Boxes are a fundamental aspect of our lives here at <i>Stereophile</i>, a fundamental aspect of the lives of most audiophiles, I imagine. Inside these boxes, however, there are no amplifiers, no loudspeakers, no turntables. These boxes hold the packaging materials for our Attention Screen release, <i><a href="http://www.stereophile.com/musicrecordings/907att/">Live at Merkin Hall</a></i>.

Late on Saturday, the last night of SXSW, I somehow ended up having a pint with a mixed party of American and British band members, only one of whom I knew previously, when suddenly the subject of the British government’s support of the arts came up. Seems these four young lads, and their frontwoman&#151;one stunning fulfillment of my perky blonde English chick singer fantasy (oh my)&#151;hadn’t used their money to come all the way to Texas. No, the government had picked up the tab. The fact that they were vaguely ashamed&#151;because being on the dole is unhip and kind of the opposite of DIY&#151;told me it was true.

<i>Photo: Karyn Haag</i>