Captain Lou Albano dies; Taylor Swift set for 'SNL' gig, Detroit concert
10/21/2009"...as human beings we are capable of making sense of situations based on the thinnest slice of experience."
— Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point.
REST IN PEACE: Don't you think Captain Lou Albano deserves a moment of silence from Thin Slices? Not only was he a professional wrestler, but he showed up in a Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" video and proved that rubber bands can be a fashion accessory. (RS)
THIS JUST IN: Country superstar Taylor Swift is hosting Saturday Night Live Nov. 7. She's been thinking of skits for quite some time and it's our guess that somehow one of them will involve Kanye West. Also, Swift is playing in Detroit at the Palace of Auburn Hills on March 26 and 27. Tickets go on sale Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. (RL)
NEWS OF THE WEIRD: When it first came out that Bob Dylan was doing a Christmas album, the only rational response was: Really? It's true and it's out and snippets of it are being played and the reviews are in and all we can say is: Really, a Bob Dylan Christmas album? Don't get us wrong. Here at Thin Slices, we think his last four albums have been nothing short of brilliant and rank with his best stuff ever. But a Christmas album? The Washington Post calls it "awesome." USA Today likes it, too, and it's important to note that all the proceeds from "Christmas in the Heart" go to charity. (RL)
JOB HUNTING: Looking to make a career change? You may want to consider one of the country's top-paying careers, according to Money magazine and PayScale.com's list of Best Jobs in America. Becoming an actuary never sounded so exciting! (RS)
OOPS: The new Michael Jackson single that everyone is making such a fuss over is a bit moldy. It's actually an 18-year-old song co-written by Jackson with Paul Anka that was originally sung by an obscure Latino singer. It even had a completely different name. Now the Jackson estate is stuck paying Anka half the royalties -- somehow they forgot to give him a co-writer credit until he spoke up -- and the song is getting rather lukewarm reviews. (RL)
ANTICIPATION: The Thin Slices crew is eager to see the new adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are, a Maurice Sendak tale that has a warm spot in our hearts for any number of reasons, not the least of which is it's simplistic beauty. Unfortunately, the New Yorker says the film is not all that good and Reuters says it's
repetitive. Still, we're keeping an open mind. (RL)
NEW TUNE: The new Michael Jackson song "This Is It," which was the title of his tour scheduled before he died and will be the name of a movie that will be released later this month, is available now. It's a precursor to the movie and a double-CD set that is coming out, featuring new songs and remixes. "This Is It" is a ballad and you can check out a snippet here. (RL)
PAST THIN SLICES
Week 1 Slices, Week 2 Slices, Week 3 Slices, Week 4 Slices, Week 5 Slices, Week 6 Slices, Week 7 Slices, Week 8 Slices, Week 9 Slices, Week 10 Slices, Week 11 Slices, Week 12, Week 13, Week 14, Week 15, Week 16, Week 17, Week 18, Week 19, Week 20, Week 21, Week 22, Week 23,Week 24,Week 25, Week 26, Week 27, Week 28, Week 29, Week 30, Week 31, Week 32, Week 33, Week 34, Week 35, Week 36, Week 37, Week 38, Week 39, Week 40, Week 41, Week 42, Week 43, Week 44, Week 45, Week 46, Week 47, Week 48, Week 49, Week 50, Week 51, Week 52, Week 53, Week 54, Week 55, Week 56, Week 57, Week 58