I got Eddy Current Suppression Ring’s second LP, Primary Colours, in the mail last week. It’s the 41st release from the Memphis based Goner Records label. The band is from Australia. I shared a plane ride with them from Memphis to Salt Lake City last year and they were astounded by how well Americans treated them.

It’s important for people to look like what they are. Administrators wear suits, chefs wear toques, rock stars let their hair grow out, and Democrats wear the word “Hope” on their T-shirts. To flaunt your political leanings while supporting your chosen candidate, it’s easiest to go straight to the candidate’s Web site.

Spring 2009’s fashion shows began and ended last week at Fashion Week in New York, and admittedly, Utah didn’t blink an eye. The Beehive State is notoriously far removed from the frontier of fashion, but we still can’t help but be affected by the goings-on of the fashion elite.

In the U.K., Ricky Gervais is a big deal. In the U.S., while not many may know his name, almost everyone is familiar with his creation. Gervais is the 47-year-old co-creator/writer and star of the hit BBC shows The Office, which spawned an American imitation with Steve Carell playing his part, and Extras, which HBO distributed domestically.

A resort and adventure center opened in Orem this year with outdoor pool and grass area, planned trips to nearby sightseeing hotspots, 24-hour a day staff and medical care, and top-of-the-line meals. To spend time at the resort, potential roomers have to pass physical and psychological tests.

In a college town full of rental agreements and temporary residents, the Sego Arts Foundation is encouraging students to take a bigger part in supporting the local music and arts community. The Foundation will hold the third annual Sego Festival on Sept. 26 and 27 in Provo.

Let’s face it: For some people, more is more. We all know some big guy that looks as cuddly as a teddy bear, but take away that excess baggage and all of a sudden he seems more grizzly than plush. The same is true for the ladies. A little curve goes a long way and besides, it’s not like Sir Mix-A-Lot didn’t know what he was rapping about.

Take Car and Driver, Wired, Maxim, The Economist, Time, and People magazines, add a bit of bodybuilding and just for the hell of it, a slice of Vogue, throw an intentional male tone over the whole thing and you’d have a good idea of what AskMen.com is all about.

Seven months is how long it has been since that Friday in February when hope was finally restored to television fans across the country. And four days later, the official announcement had been made — the strike was over. It had been a frustrating 14 weeks watching little more than the Writers Guild of America, whose members constitute the backbone of television and cinema, stand up for themselves.

Oftentimes I’ll be given the chance to screen the smallest of indie flicks with an opportunity to interview the filmmakers or stars. Usually, after seeing the movie, I want nothing to do with it ever again. Such was not the case with Take. The first thing that drew me into Take was its cast: I’d loved Minnie Driver since Grosse Pointe Blank and Good Will Hunting and had recognized Jeremy Renner from Swat, North Country and 28 Weeks Later.