Each Thursday, Needcoffee.com's staff of whackos will wrack our brains to give you interesting and new things to do over the weekend. Books, movies, whatever. We'll throw them out, you do with them what you will. And hey...if you have something you want to recommend--whatever it is--drop us a line.

Incidentally, we've provided links where we can for you to buy the stuff or find out more if you're interested, courtesy of those Amazon types. Hey, come on, we can't be totally selfless in this, can we?

Bit of a Thanksgiving bend this go round. I wonder why. Have a good Turkey Day, everyone.

November 22, 2001

Book of the Week: The Gallery of Regrettable Food by James Lileks. The same man who's skewered the nostalgia of decorating books and cookbooks hits print like a pnuematic drill on a mission from God. This book is extremely effective, especially around Thanksgiving: because no matter what your Aunt Bertha cooks, and no matter how much it makes you think of that line about "They stab it with their steely knives..."--it can't get any worse than what's notated in these pages.

Graphic Novel of the Week: Preacher: Gone to Texas by Ennis & Dillon. When giving thanks, most people look to the god of their choice. But if you can't find Him for whatever reason, then you probably can relate to Jesse Custer--who sets out the hold the Almighty accountable for His actions. And honestly, some days haven't you felt the same? God bless Garth Ennis.

DVD of the Week: Home for the Holidays. Again, if you need something to make you feel better--there's always this film. Funny and endearing, it's got Jodie Foster directing, Holly Hunter starring and a backup cast that includes everyone from Charles Durning to Robert Downey Jr. to Anne Bancroft. Eat leftovers and watch this--you'll feel better.

Off the Beaten Path VHS of the Week: Wings of Desire. Not out of print, but still not on DVD. Disgusting. Why Criterion doesn't grab this sucker and treat it right I'll never know. And why they remade this moving emotional work of art as Nicholas Cage's City of Angels I don't want to know. You want to talk about giving thanks? This will remind you the glory of your very senses. Brilliant and necessary.

CD of the Week: Tears of Joy by Tuck & Patti. Having seen these two perform live on multiple occasions, I can tell you that it's amazing the sheer amount of raw talent that they bring--both in recordings and on stage. Their love for each other and their art makes everything they perform just amazing. Highly recommended introductory album to their goodness.

Beverage of the Week: Jolt Cola. Like you need an explanation for why to be thankful for Jolt. Patron beverage of programmers and tech support people everywhere, it ranks somewhere just below coffee on the scale of whacked-out insomniac popularity. Truly necessary and hey, it goes well with turkey.

Candy of the Week: Nutrageous. When you need a jolt--note the lower case--and there's nothing around, grab these. In fact, before performing on stage with my band I'd usually scarf down two of them--and you'd have to nail me to the boards to get me to stop flipping about and howling. Good stuff--great for dessert. And especially good after leftovers at two in the morning.