At some point we all knew that J.K. Rowling would close up shop on the Harry Potter universe. Most assume she’s going to retire and swim naked in the piles of cash and coin being kept in a vault. But no one had any idea that Universal Studios, makers of theme parks and increasingly better Harry Potter movies, has decided to build a Harry Potter Theme Park in Orlando.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,” will open in late 2009 in Orlando, officials said Thursday.

“The plans I’ve seen look incredibly exciting, and I don’t think fans of the books or films will be disappointed,” said author J.K. Rowling, who has been working with a creative team to make sure the park resembles the books and films.

The Potter park will allow visitors to view the iconic locations in Rowling’s magical world, like Dumbledore’s office in Hogwarts and the shops in Hogsmeade. Some locations may be in upcoming books, Trowbridge said.

Trowbridge said while there would not be any character lookalikes at the park, fans wanting to see Harry Potter and his magical friends wouldn’t leave disappointed.

Did you hear that faint sigh? Cause Daniel Radcliffe just heard the news and realized his plans for a post-Harry Potter acting career have been put on hold indefinitely. No character lookalikes, cause they’ll coerce the real actors to play the parts!

The studio will spend no expense and they’re thinking it may look similar to this:

Pink is in, I swear!

It’s officially summertime. Well, for me it is, down in Florida. Sorry to rub it in. For all you Northerners you still have a little time to go, although there have been some beautiful days scattered here and there. Which brings me to ponder….What is it about the seasons that change our wine preferences? What type of wine does summertime call for?

Don’t you find light, dry, crisp and flavorful whites to be much more invigorating on a hot summer day? The same applies during the arctic New England winter, when those dark, rich, deep, brooding Syrahs or Cabernets can really put some meat on your bones. I don’t think that the seasons or weather necessarily dictate that you should drink white in the summer and red in the winter though. It all depends on what you like. For me, summertime and sitting outside on the deck, or being at the beach watching the sunset prompts me to enjoy the most overlooked wine of all. ROSÉ!

Rosé is still having difficulty getting past the reputation that was created for it in the mid 70’s and 80’s. That was when Sutter Home and E&J Gallo paved the way for sweet pink wine with their jug “Pink Chablis” and White Zinfandel. Even though that was years ago, the American consumer still automatically associates rosé with sweet, cheap, pink jug wine. The Spaniards didn’t help either, giving rosé a bad name amongst their fellow countrymen, by putting rosé on the back burner to their great Tempranillos and Grenaches. Luckily in France, particularly southern France & Provence, rosé has always been the pride and joy of winemakers and wine drinkers alike. Their contagious enthusiasm is now spreading rapidly like wildfires throughout the world.

Fashionably speaking, pink has been in for a few years and unfortunately in the U.S. it is only recently that rosé has even been an inkling in the consumer’s repertoire. Why is rosé such a hard sell? It is a great medium between red and white wine, with refreshingly juicy flavors of strawberry, raspberry, watermelon and hints of spices. Its extreme versatility with cuisine and ability to literally quench your thirst on a hot day is reason enough.

Let’s be clear on one thing though, when I refer to rosé I am not speaking of anything with the word “white” in the title. White Zinfandel, white Merlot, white OUT! What I am referring to is what the Italians call “Rosato”, the Spanish call “Rosado” and what is also occasionally referred to as “vin gris”, or grey wine.

Rosé can range in color from apricot to salmon, pale pink to a non-opaque magenta. It all depends on the grape(s) used and how long the juice stayed in contact with the skins before being drained off to ferment. This is called the saignée method, one of two methods to make rosé. This ‘skin contact’, or maceration, is necessary to give rosé both its color and flavor. Tannins, that dry tactile sensation associated with big reds, and color both come from the amount of time that the juice spends macerating and fermenting with the grape skins, stems, seeds and pips.

Traditionally, rosés are usually made from a single, light press of red grapes and then left in contact with the skins anywhere from hours to a few days at the most. The wine is then drained off after the short maceration to ferment. This results in a wine that marries the vibrant freshness of a white wine with the color, flavors and tannins of a red wine. The most common grapes used for rosé are Grenache, Mourvedre, Syrah, Cinsault, Counoise, Sangiovese and Pinot Noir.

Interestingly enough, the saignée method was originally used as a means to create more flavorful and intense red wines. Once the wine intended to be rosé was drained off, there would be a higher skins to juice ratio. This “leftover” juice was actually the initial focus of the winemaker. With less juice in the tank the resulting unfermented wine had more opportunity to gain color, flavor and the potential to be a great red wine. It’s crazy to think that making rosé was only the means to an end.

There has been a paradigm in the way rosé is made now though. Winemakers are still using the saignée method, however they are “bleeding” off all of the wine focusing their efforts entirely on rosé. Grapes are being picked specifically for it. There are even producers who specialize in making only rosé. No longer does rosé have the back seat. Now if only consumers would realize what they have been missing out on we could have a full blown rosé revolution on our hands. Maybe we’re not quite ready for that though!

A few tips on rosé.

1. Only drink the freshest available, unless it’s vintage rosé champagne. That’s an entirely different subject and article!
2. The darker the color, the more it is going to taste like the full blown red version of the grape(s) that it is made from.
3. It’s great with Asian flavors & dishes, especially sushi.

For all you rosé lovers I thought this would be a fun way to test your knowledge. Match the region with the primary grape or grapes used for making rosé.

Region:

a. Anjou

b. Marsannay

c. Tavel

d. Provence

e. Colchagua Valley

f. Navarra

g. Rioja

Grape:

h. Grenache

i. Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault

j. Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon

k. Pinot Noir

l. Cabernet Franc

m. Grenache, Mourvedre, Counoise

n. Malbec

Answers after the jump!

MORE »

You might not think there’s a lot of room for various bluegrass jam bands. For most folks, that genre pretty much taxed out with String Cheese Incident. And though we do enjoy Yonder Mountain String Band every now and again, when we’re in the mood for some bluegrass jamming we consider ourselves Hobos.

There’s no ryhme or reason for this preference. But like any fan of Railroad Earth, we’re more than happy to cop to being a Hobo. They’re less druggie than SCI and way more talented that Yonder. Anyway, the band’s been kicking it since 2001, after lead singer Todd Sheaffer picked up the pieces from his former New Jersey band From Good Homes.

Not long after forming, Railroad Earth was playing national bluegrass festivals all over, notably Telluride. Since then, they’ve put out a few studio albums The Black Bear Sessions (2001, Bos Music), Bird in a House (2002 Sugar Hill), The Good Life (2004 Sugar Hill), and recently a very polished live album with Elko (2006, SCI Fidelity).

We always spin the live album. It just sounds better. The discursions from bluegrass, folk, celtic, Americana. You get a music stew, long extended sojourns that never feel long, never feel overwrought. Even with songs stretching ten or 15 minutes it’s possible to forget you’re listening to an album because you become entranced, lost in the tapestry they’re weaving.

Besides Sheaffer on vocals and acoustic guitar, you’ve got Tim Carbone on violin and vocals, John Skehan on mandolin and vocals, Johnny Grubb on upright bass (gotta love that!), Carey Harmon on percussion, and multi-instrumentalist Andy Goessling. You name it Goessling probably plays it: Acoustic guitars, banjo, dobro, mandolin, flute, pennywhistle, saxophones and vocals.

Truth be told it’s about time some people tried to reappropriate the term hobo and give it the love it deserves. Give these tunes a spin and tell me you don’t feel like doing some good ole fashion hippie dancing; or long to sit on the edge of a slow moving train with a bunch of strangers, shooting the shit, passing the time or a bottle or a cigarette until the sun crests below the horizon. I’ll just call’ya a stinkin’ liar.

Mp3: Railroad Earth - “Long Way To Go”
Mp3: Railroad Earth - “Railroad Earth”
Mp3: Railroad Earth - “Head”
Mp3: Railroad Earth - “Mighty River”

Cause, as they say, it’s all down hill from here. Your best days are behind you. Oh wait, that’s actually not until after college or marriage or death or something.

Behold the beauty of Sydney Elizabeth Bashford. Not being a baby person and cynical by nature it was a little unnerving to have my heart melt about 3.4 degrees after seeing my niece. I might have even gotten slightly giddy and possibly had a delicate tear develop in the corner of my eye.  I say might, you won’t ever hear me cop to that.

She’s amazing though, so tiny and whatnot. Born a month early and over Memorial Day (I kept telling Big Sis Oyster she had to hold on until Labor Day for irony’s sake) Syd’s the latest edition to the Oyster clan.

I raise a drink to toast. 19.5 inches long, 6.5 lbs. and a redhead. And she sleeps. On a side note I believe she was named after superagent Sydney Bristow but I can’t say for certain. Here’s how the conversation went:

Sly Oyster: So you named her Sydney. That’s a great name. Did you name her after the Alias chick?

BSO: Um, well we were thinking about naming her Sydney Veronica Bashford, but I think naming her after two television show characters would be kinda weird.  [a beat] Just kidding.  We just liked the name Sydney.  And we weren’t really gonna give her Veronica for a middle name.

[an awkward moment of silence]

Sly Oyster: Yeah.  Cause that may be a little weird. But I like that Veronica Mars, she’s a spunky one.

Without further ado!

She’s so squishy.

Prolific troubador Ryan Adams has announced a slate of tour dates in support of his forthcoming LP Easy Tiger. Yup, it’s his ninth album in seven years and from the first few listens it sounds like it could be every bit as good as previous efforts. Certainly better than the disapointment of 29.

June
18 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
19 Chicago, IL - The Black Orchid
20 Detroit, MI - Gem Theater
22 Toronto, ON - Enwave Theater
24 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
28 Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore
29 Boston, MA - Somerville Theater

August
03 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

September
01 Turin, NY - moe.down

Until you see him live or pick up the album (where he’s backed again by The Cardinals) these two tracks from Easy Tiger should satiate your desire. They sound perfect for a lazy summer drive or backyard beers and ’shoes.
Mp3: Ryan Adams - “Two”
Mp3: Ryan Adams - “Everybody Knows”

Easy Tiger is out 6/26 on Lost Highway Records.

Check it out!  The Cannes winners were announced and it’s guaranteed that you’ll never want to see any of the winning films, which includes the Palm D’Or winning film from Romania about an illegal abortion, a Japanese film about an elderly person and their caregiver, and the latest film from American Julian Schnabel (Before Night Falls, Basquiat), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.

Schnabel’s film is about a French magazine editor who becomes paralyzed after a stroke and learns to write again by blinking his eyelids.  Which was an awesome story when it actually happened to Marcel Proust.  But I guess it’s cool that the same exact thing happened to two people.

Whatevs.   No Transformers, no thank you.  Just kidding, since we’re salivating for a chance to see Wong Kar Wai’s Blueberry Nights.  

Consider my mind blown. Take a spin of the Microsoft Surface, a table-top computer, that seems to be able to do everything. Watch the videos and freak out. The future is here and it’s all Bill Gate’s fault.

The project began way back in 2001 and was unveiled yesterday at The Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital Conference in Carlsbad, CA. But what is it exactly?

Kind of hard to say, but it seems that Microsoft wants their digital table to become a virtual information gatherer. A 24-hour hotel concierge, or for restaurants to use them as not only dining tables, but as menus, sommeliers, etc. Home use would be for pictures, music, digital coffee table books? Who knows. From Microsoft:

Microsoft Surface puts people in control of their experiences with technology, making everyday tasks entertaining, enjoyable and efficient. Imagine ordering a beverage during a meal with just the tap of a finger. Imagine quickly browsing through music and dragging favorite songs onto a personal playlist by moving a finger across the screen. Imagine creating and sending a personal postcard of vacation pictures instantly to friends and family, while still wearing flip-flops.

Surface also features the ability to recognize physical objects that have identification tags similar to bar codes. This means that when a customer simply sets a wine glass on the surface of a table, a restaurant could provide them with information about the wine they’re ordering, pictures of the vineyard it came from and suggested food pairings tailored to that evening’s menu. The experience could become completely immersive, letting users access information on the wine-growing region and even look at recommended hotels and plan a trip without leaving the table.

That’s some scary shit.

Though it’ll be a few months from the much anticipated release of Challengers, the first track has leaked. Not sure who was the first person to get their hands on this one, but dang it, this is classic New Pornos. Even though it’s a tad slower, a tad less aggressive than some of their finer songs, “My Rights Versus Yours” has all of the harmonies and bouncing guitar jangle you’ve come to expect from Carl and the gang.

Not sure yet if Neko Case will be on this album, though she did design the album artwork, since Carl’s long-lost niece Kathryn Calder has joined the band full-time. Hopefully it won’t mean the end of her band Immaculate Machine.

Mp3: The New Pornographers - “My Rights Versus Yours”

Challengers is out 8/21 on Matador Records

George Lucas gave Star Wars fanatics a little treat over the weekend, a little taste of things to come for the space saga.  He has two different projects in the works: one is an animated show taking place during the Clone Wars and the second is live action television films focussing on characters not seen before.

The latter project actionally sounds kind of cool, especially if Lucas tosses around a huge budget for them.  I like the idea of a Firefly type show taking place in the Star Wars universe.  Not sure if that’s what it’ll be, but you know, one can dream.  The former project Star Wars: Tales of the New Republic, debuted a trailer this past weekend.

Gotta say, all the characters seem like they have to poop.  Their faces just look strange and though he’s going for a more realistic approach then the recent Gendy Tarkovsky animated Clone Wars, I’m not sure I think the new show is an improvement.  You decide.  The first clip is the trailer for the upcoming animated series.  The one that follows is for the Tarkovsky show.

Hopefully, the new show will improve with time.  But still, it doesn’t seem nearly as awesome as the recent animated effort.  Here’s some clips from the Gendy Tarkovsky show, which aired on The Cartoon Network during the interim between the theatrical releases of Episode II and Episode III.

And yes, I’m aware that anything is more exciting when the Requiem For a Dream score is overlayed onto it.  Even a dog licking its butt would be exciting with Clint Mansell’s score.

USA Today had an interesting bit and some official production photos for The Dark Knight. Anyone who’s been reading, knows by now that along with Iron Man, the Chris Nolan directed follow-up to Batman Begins is our most anticipated movie for 2008.

They’ve leaked the scarred image of Heath Ledger has The Joker already. Now there is word that Nolan is directing the four big action sequences in 70mm Imax, including the bank robbery that introduces the world to The Joker.

Seems that Chris Nolan just gets it, ya know? He’s clearly coming from a love of film and a love for his audience.

Shooting on IMAX, Nolan says, will have a twofold effect. The four scenes will fill the IMAX screens, some of which are eight stories high. And in traditional theaters, the scenes will appear more vivid (think high-definition television over standard).

Don’t expect many movies to follow suit. Only 280 IMAX theaters are in operation worldwide, and fewer than 100 show feature films.

And shooting in the format is difficult. IMAX film, which is 10 times the size of standard film stock, is costly and must be shot using bulky cameras.

And “they’re loud,” Nolan says. “We had to figure a way to eliminate the sound so we could shoot dialogue.”

In a rarity for Hollywood, the payoff isn’t primarily financial, so far. “It doesn’t have a huge effect yet on the money you bring in,” says Chris Aronson, a distribution chief with 20th Century Fox, which carried Night at the Museum on IMAX. “But it does help make your movie more of an event.”

For Nolan, IMAX makes the moviegoing experience unique again.

“You can’t do this on any home theater,” Nolan says. “Batman has some of the most extraordinary characters in pop culture. We wanted the Joker to have the grandest entrance possible.

“I figured if you could take an IMAX camera to Mount Everest or outer space, you could use it in a feature movie.”

Nice to see he’s doing something to see if it works and not bowing to the bean counters. Surprised the studio would let him attempt this on such an expensive gamble.

You go away for an extended weekend and look at all the stuff that happens. Lots of catching up to do today. On all fronts.

First up is The Monolith Music Festival in Denver, which already has a stellar lineup, has added some Norwegian deathpunk, English art-rockers, and a pair of indie darlings.  Behold the latest bands to join the Monolith Festival:

TURBONEGRO, EDITORS, ART BRUT, AU REVOIR SIMONE, MATT & KIM, WILLIAM ELLIOTT WHITMORE , ROCKY VOTOLATO, VIENNA TENG, TIM BARRY, DE NOVO DAHL, CAMERON MCGILL, AND MASON PROPER

Not to bad.  I’d be real curious to see Au Revoir Simone and on the opposite spectrum Turbonegro.  It’s kinda cool, cause you wouldn’t normally expect those two bands to be playing at the same festival.