Boston – Thursday, November 20

Music
Spend the holidays with Santa Colbert
Interview. The phone rings. Adam Schlesinger picks up: It’s a producer for Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.” “Excuse me, I have a little crisis I have to deal with,” he says. Schlesinger is best known as co-front man for power pop outfit Fountains of Wayne.  
 

Entertainment
‘Spamalot’ of laughing here
There’s nothing like a night with the Knights who say “Ni” to make you forget what’s going on in the real world.  “Spamalot,” the Tony-award winning “musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture Monty Python and the Holy Grail” is back in Boston for an all-too-short run at the Colonial Theatre. And it’s as fresh and funny as it was on its first visit nearly three years ago.
 
T time
T time: Weekend edition
What to do and where to go. 
The Word
But seriously, are these kids hot enough?
GOSSIP. Suri Cruise, 2, tops Forbes.com’s “Hollywood's 10 Hottest Tots.” Yes, that means she’s “hotter” than Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s kids (Shiloh, 2, ranked No. 2; Zahara, 3, popped in third place and Pax made it to No. 4). 
 
How ‘The Jazz Ear’ works
Ben Ratliff on listening to the greats in the company of other greats
In his last book, “Coltrane: The Story of a Sound”, New York Times jazz critic Ben Ratliff offered a heady, book-length analysis of the legendary saxophonist’s evolution and influence. Ratliff
decided to lighten up a bit for his follow-up, “The Jazz Ear,” (Times Books, $25) which represents a series of conversations with jazz musicians as they listen to records that influence them.
 
 
Exactly what is so Fierce about her?
Foto: GETTY IMAGES
Music
The fall and rise of the alter ego
ROUNDUP. With the release of her latest album, “I am ... Sasha Fierce” Beyoncé Knowles isn’t the first to attempt confusing and alienating fans with the strange re-branding technique of creating the alter ego. Here’s a look at famous aliases of music-past.
 
Music
Finding 'The Point of it All'
PROFILE. No more Mr. “Where Did It Go Wrong?” for R&B singer Anthony Hamilton. The southern soul man is looking to add a dose of sunshine to his often dour image.
Books
Dr. ‘Feel Good’
PROFILE. In the first chapter of his new book, “Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid,” Denis Leary discusses the modern notion that there is no such thing is bad publicity. So when Jenny McCarthy publicly slammed the comedian last month about an excerpt where he takes to task parents who are too quick to diagnose their children as autistic, you’d think it was all according to Leary’s grand plan.
 
 
 
The grid
This week's releases
“The Optimist’s/Pessimist’s Handbook” is a whimsical little idea. Feeling happy? Read quotes full of inspiration from artists, writers, and famous people. Once you get your fill of such sunny outlooks, flip the book over and read all of the skeptical and cynical pieces of advice other quotable people have bestowed upon the world. It’s a perfect gift for all those bipolar people in your life.     
Music
'One part Dylan, one part Hendrix'
PROFILE. Many musicians would get annoyed if an interview dwelled more on their politics than their new record. Not this fellow Tom Morello, though. After all, his politics and his music -- as guitarist in recently revived agit-rockers Rage Against the Machine and currently defunct arena rock troupe Audioslave, not to mention his solo acoustic project, The Nightwatchman  -- are inextricably intertwined.   
 

Movies
Man with the golden role
INTERVIEW. Vendettas. Blackmail. Bond. Some would argue 007 never looked quite as good as the incarnation brought to life by 40-year-old British actor Daniel Craig, who courted controversy when signing up as the iconic MI6 agent for the franchise’s 21st film, “Casino Royale,” in 2005. 
 

Seen on the scene  




[Flyers by PaperG]

Metro Life Panel
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