WEAKEND PLANNER VICARIOUS COACHELLA SPECIAL

This week I’ll be spotlighting Coachella, the hot new movies of the weekend and some really great bands you may or may not know about. I must say, though, as much as Coachella is an amazing event, I’m grateful I don’t have to schlep out there and be on my feet all day. I did it once, and that was enough.

COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL FEATURING...
Fri. Apr. 25th
Jack Johnson, Vampire Weekend, Redd Kross, The Raconteurs, The Breeders, Rogue Wave, The John Butler Trio and more

Sat. Apr. 26th
Portishead, MGMT, Kate Nash, Death Cab for Cutie, Mark Ronson, M.I.A., Aphex Twin, VHS or Beta and more

Sun. Apr. 27th
Roger Waters, My Morning Jacket, SIA, Justice, Gogol Bordollo, Stars, Swervedriver, Duffy, Love And Rockets, Murs and more @ Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA, More info at www.coachella.com

THE HOTTEST SHOWS OF THE WEEKEND
Fri. April 25^th
Chelsea Handler @ The Wiltern, L.A.
Chris Rock @ The Gibson Amphitheater, Universal City
Seether, 10 Years & Chevelle @ Sunset Station Loanstar Pavillion, San Antonio
Doug Macleod @ Bones & Blues, L.A.

Sat. April 26th
Jay Z & Mary J. Blige @ United Center, Chicago
Goo Goo Dolls, Sugar Ray & Josh Kelly @ Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas
*Laughlin River Run '08* Featuring Judge Jackson @ The Edgewater Casino & Hotel, Laughlin, NV

Sun. Apr. 27th
UFO @ The Majestic Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA
Marc Ford @ Red Devil Lounge, San Francisco
Gov't Mule and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals @ The Granada Theater, Dallas

JE-C’S NEW-MOVIE WEEKEND SPOTLIGHT
Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay: Those two loveable stoners, Harold and Kumar (John Cho, Kal Penn), try to fly to Amsterdam for a smoke-filled vacation, but on the plane they're accused of being terrorists. My friend saw a sneak preview of this last year and said it was one of the funniest movies he had ever seen. Ever since then, I’ve have been waiting for it. I loved the first one. I have high expectations for this one.

Baby Mama: Kate is a single woman with a successful career who is longing to have a baby. However, instead of putting her climb up the corporate ladder on hold to get pregnant, she hires a surrogate mom to have the kid for her. You know, I wanna say this is a total chick flick, but it actually looks very funny. It stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler who are comic geniuses, so I definitely am putting this down as one to check out with the wifey.

Also opening this week:
Deception: Starring Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams
Deal: Starring Burt Reynolds

JE-C’S NEW MUSIC TO CHECK OUT
This week I’m featuring indie band Science & Fiction, a modern-rock group based in Hollywood, Florida, with worldwide ambitions and a uniquely refined sound. The band is rapidly making a name for itself by fusing the best elements of alternative, mainstream rock, industrial, classic rock and pop; all while winning the hearts and ears of listeners around the world by means of Internet promotion, radio play, independent distribution and word of mouth. To sum them up, they’re an Alice N’ Chains for a new generation; lead singer Rick Bauer has been described as Layne Staley reborn. The band currently has endorsement deals with Line 6 and Peavey Amps. Their forthcoming album's 12 tracks were produced and recorded entirely independently in a privately owned commercial recording facility (C5 Studios). The weasels have started sniffing around, and the group definitely warrants keeping your eye on. Check them out: www.myspace.com/scienceandfiction

Other emerging bands to check out:
The Airbone Toxic Event: I was privy to some of their music, and I must say it’s quite sensational. They’re more of an artsy band, which is right up my alley, and I think they could be around for a while. They just signed to Shout! Factory and were lucky enough not to have to sign a 360 deal. The single” Sometime around Midnight” is spinning on the radio now, and if you haven’t had the privilege to check them out, you should.

16 Frames: The L.A. -based group is quite similar to The Fray, and after listening to the whole album several times, I’ve gotta say that it’s one of the best I’ve heard in ages. Loaded with really good songs, the album has a great feel to it, and I think it will appeal to people who like all different genres of music. You can sample some tracks at http://www.myspace.com/16frames, and the album is available at the iTunes Store.