In a video sent to donors on Friday, David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s campaign manager, claimed that the Senator received 100,000 contributions in the wake of a new McCain campaign ad portraying Obama as an out-of-touch celebrity. The ad, which juxtaposes images of Obama against images of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton and which calls Obama the “biggest celebrity in the world,” drew ire from the Obama campaign. Plouffe told donors that, of the 100,000 contributions they received on Thursday, over 1/3rd were from first-time donors. more ›

15. Mogwai - Mr. Beast (Matador) As ever, Mogwai manage to blend unadulterated post-rock weight to their shoegazer tendencies with tracks like "Glasgow Mega Snake" and "Folk Death 95," showcasing their ability to create anthems with no words. This is where Mr. Beast really shines, in between blistering chord progressions and gradual swings into corybantic climaxes. In some ways a throwback to earlier (and heavier) Mogwai material, Mr. Beast isn't merely a rock album.... more ›

More summer blockbusters are coming your way, friends. Don't forget your eyepatch! *Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest It seems like forever ago that Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl took the world by storm. Depp was nominated for a friggin’ OSCAR, for Jeebus’ sake. We’re almost positive that won’t happen again, but we’re not ashamed to admit we’ll pay full admission price for this fluffy bit of high... more ›

M O N D A Y [12] [music] UT Ethnomusicology Dept Ensembles at Momo's (8pm) [music] David Newbould at Flipnotics (8pm) [music] Singer-Songwriter Night at Longbranch Inn [music] Elizabeth McQueen at Theadgill's (8pm) [music] Listening party for Ludacris' new album, Disturbing Tha Peace at Nasty's (8pm) [music/shopping] Armadillo Christmas Bazaar with the Eggmen at Austin Music Hall (Check website for dates/hours) [party] Friends of the Spade Christmas Party at Velvet Spade (11pm) [film/food] "Narnia"... more ›