Mondays With Sufjan

I was lucky enough to attend the fourth of a five night residency latest uber-hyped Sufjan Stevens. Mr. Stevens deserves the hype. His latest musical endeavors have been pretty much infallible starting with Michigan to the release of Seven Swans to his most recent release the second album in his attempt to blow though all 50 States, Illinois. The state was


Stevens and his Illionise Makers had the audience eating out of their hands with their 5 night pep rally, complete with matching outfits and humorous cheers that led into many of the songs. Illinois was pretty much completely worn out musically, as all of the tracks they played from their main set came from the gem.

After a rapturous applause, the very appreciative and sincere Stevens brought his band back out for one more song in different matching outfits to play the beautiful opener of Seven Swans. It was sad to see the extreme focus on Illinois at the expense of his work but after seeing this amazingly entertaining performance. If you can catch Sufjan on the road, it would be highly recommended.

Natasha Lyonne

You might know her from her standout performance in The Slums of Beverly Hills, one of the best pure retro comedies in recent memory. That and a bunch of interesting indie roles such as in the film But I'm A Cheerleader as well as American Pie.

Well, on the set of another overloked piece of excellence Tim Blake Nelson's holocaust drama The Grey Zone costarring Steve Buscemi in Bulgaria, she picked up Hepatits C, possibly from sharing needles. She's a recovering heroin addict and now she's fighting for her life in the hospital.


All the best to her and her family.