‘annie’ comes to lowellThe ‘DO’ lisT, Page F2

christmas with a new PuPPyBOOks, Page F4

n.y. times crosswordspare Time, Page F5

can video games make you smarter?family, Page F6

Lifewww.eagletribune.com i managing editor tracey rauh solomon i 978-946-2000 i trauhsolomon@eagletribune.com

FINSIDEmovies, F3Books, F4spare time, F5Family, F6

start a family traditionhow to make your own advent calendar with your kids, Page F6

familylast action heronicolas cage defends his commercial films, Page F3

movies

YELLOWMAGENTACYANBLACK

Books & CDs For unDer the tree

For months now, you’ve been on a mission.

You’ve been doing a bit of spying, and stealth is the name of your game. Bravely, you’ve ventured forward in search of your prey, always aware, eyes constantly roving. You’re not sure what your target looks like, but you’re confident you’ll know it when you see it. Able to leap tall trees in a single bound, speedier than shop-pers at a buy-one-get-one bin, more powerful than a 75 percent off sale, you’re invincible.

Whew. Holiday shopping is hard work.

So how about some relief? How

about one-stop shopping at your local bookstore? Here are some great suggestions to get you going and shorten your gift-buying load.

FictionWithout a doubt, there’s some-

one on your gift list who loves a mystery. That means you’re going to want to wrap up “Heat Wave” by Richard Castle. When a real estate tycoon falls to his death on a New York City sidewalk, it’s obvious that he didn’t just fall. It’s up to Detec-tive Nikki Heat to turn up the heat on NYC bad guys in this hard-bitten novel. Also try “The Big Wake-Up” by Mark Coggins (with a very noir

seasons readingsnew books that would make

great holiday giftsBy Terry Schlichenmeyer

Correspondent

This has been a big year for box sets and other special releases, and many of them would make great gift ideas for those music fans on your Christmas lists. This list offers fine choices in just about every genre of music. No need to settle for a gift card: Just read on and deliver the real thing.

michael Jackson, “hello World: the motoWn solo collection”

While the documentary “This Is It” shows Michael Jackson as a man able to thrill with his smooth moves and voice up until his death, the three-CD box set “Hello World:

The Motown Solo Collection” shows Jackson as a boy launching into the pop stratosphere.

With a bright yellow package depicting a cherubic, Afro-haired Jackson on the cover, the superb collection features every Jackson solo recording released from 1971 to 1975 — albums “Got To Be There,” ‘’Ben,” ‘’Music & Me” and “Forever, Michael.” Also included are songs released from the Jackson vault after he became the King of Pop, the 1984 album “Farewell My Summer Love” and 1986’s “Looking Back to Yesterday,” featuring previously unreleased masters.

Music to be merry toBoxed sets by big-name artists for

the audiophile in your lifeBy The ASSociATed PreSS

Rob Zombie had already announced that he was pushing the release date for his new CD, “Hellbilly Deluxe 2,” from mid-November to early 2010 when he spoke to reporters in a late Octo-ber teleconference interview.

A couple of days later, a big reason for the delay became apparent when Zombie, a Hav-erhill native, announced that he had left his longtime record label, Geffen Records, and signed to Loud & Proud Records, a divi-sion of Roadrunner Records, and “Hellbilly Deluxe 2” would be released on Loud & Proud.

Zombie wasn’t about to dis-close that significant move dur-ing the teleconference interview, saying only that there would be a big announcement made within a few days. But he also suggested there was more to the decision to push back the CD release than a change in record companies.

“The record was done, and we were like, ‘You know, we just love the record,’” he said. “We’re like, ‘It’s the best record we ever made. Why are we — it feels like we’re cutting corners and rush-ing on everything to get it out there now because we just felt like we ran out of time.’

“And we go, ‘You know what, rather than just sacrifice the record, we might as well just stop, you know, calm down for a second, push it a couple of weeks. It’s not going to kill any-body. We’re not going to cancel any (concert) dates. We’re not going to do anything, and it will be fine.’”

haverhill’s Zombie

set to take Boston stage

By AlAn Sculley

Correspondent

rob Zombie With nekromantix and

captain cleggwhen: � wednesday, dec. 2, at 7:30

p.m.where: � house of Blues, 15 lansd-

owne st., Bostontickets: � $45, $35info: � 888-693-Blue or www.hob.

com/venues/clubvenues/boston/

Never heard of folk-hop before? You’re not alone.

But that could change if the genre’s pioneer, Lawrence’s Andres “DraMatik” Gonzalez, is named Hip Hop Act of the Year at the 22nd annual Boston Music Awards on Dec. 2 at the Liberty Hotel in Boston.

Gonzalez, 35, grew up in the projects of New Jersey and Phil-adelphia before moving to Law-rence, where he started rapping with poetry.

“I grew up in the golden age

of hip-hop,” he said. “Hip-hop back then was more conscience, it was more fun-loving, it was more food for thought for your soul, as opposed to the hip-hop nowadays.”

After he was shot at a young age and later did community ser-vice, Gonzalez joined the group Missing Elements, which gave him his first exposure to pro-fessional recording, getting in a booth and having a beat, instead of real instruments.

“I never took rapping seriously until 2000,” he said. “I came up on the wrong side of the streets and doing community service, which

was instrumental for me because I learned how to organize.”

After Missing Elements dis-banded, Gonzalez signed with the W.O.L.V.E.S. and stepped into the arena of hip-hop and started to learn his voice.

“Some people rap and never find their voice. I found my voice,” he said.

Hip-hop is a culture that appre-ciates its youth and where age is shunned, Gonzalez said. He believes that growing up when he did kept his hip-hop pure; it wasn’t filled with the commer-cialism of today’s hip-hop.

The creation of folk-hop came

to him after he saw the movie “Once” and listened to the sound-track by “The Swell Season.”

“The music was incredible. It moved me and touched me,” Gon-zalez said. “I reached out to (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova — the artists behind “The Swell Season”), remixed all their songs, put my hip-hop to them and put some funky music behind their folk music.”

Gonzalez’s new project is call the “The Swell Season Hip Hop” — a fusion of hip-hop and folk music — and the

By Jill diver

jdiver@eagletribune.com

A hip-hop pioneerLawrence resident up for a Boston Music Award

andres “Dramatik” gonzalez of lawrence has created a new genre of music, folk-hop.

rob Zombie’s new cD, “Hellbilly Deluxe 2,” will be released in early 2010.

Please see books, Page F2 Please see cDs, Page F2

Please see Zombie, Page F2

Please see HiP-HoP, Page F2

For more holiday gift ideas, see usa weekend inside today’s sunday eagle-tribune.

ET_SET_20091129_2_F01

ET_SET_20091129_2_F01

www.eagletribune.com sunday eagle-tribune sunday, november 29, 2009 f1

ET_SET_20091129_2_F01FiNAL-1 Tue, Nov 24, 2009 11:07:39 PM

The ‘Do’ lisT

The sun will come ouT The classic musical “Annie”

returns to the Lowell Memorial Audito-rium, 50 East Merrimack St., Sunday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $30.50 to $56.50. Please call 978-937-8688 or www.lowellauditorium.com.

celTic chrisTmas exTravaganzaThe all-female traditional Irish

folk band Cherish the Ladies returns to the Rogers Center for Performing Arts, North Andover, Friday, Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. Health Quarters is hosting the fundraising night, which includes raffling Red Sox, Bruins, and Nutcracker tickets, with the winner drawn on Dec. 4. Concert tickets are $40 and $75 for a ticket and wine

reception. Raffle tickets are $20 each or three for $50. Call 978-927-9824, ext. 2108, e-mail michelec@healthq.org, www.healthq.org.

remembering Pearl harbor The Salem VFW Memorial Post

8546 will host a Pearl Harbor Memorial Service, Monday, Dec. 7, 11 a.m., at its head-quarters on 42 North Broadway in Salem, N.H. Start time is 8 a.m. in Hawaii, the time the attack began. The public is welcome. Call 603-893-1444 for more information.

winTer concerTs coming uPThe Northshore Youth Sym-

phony Orchestra performs its winter concerts Sunday, Dec. 6, at 3 and 5 p.m.

at the Ipswich Performing Arts Center, Ipswich High School. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, free for children under 12, or $20 for a family pass. The center is located at 134 High St., Ipswich. Call 978-986-2055.

leT freedom ring The United States Air Force Band of Liberty performs

Thursday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. in the Collins Center, Andover High School, 80 Shaw-sheen Road. Hosted by the Director of Vet-erans’ Service Office, the patriotic concert is free, but tickets are required. For tick-ets, stop by the Veterans’ Office, 36 Bartlet St. Indicate how many tickets are needed. Limit of six per request. Tickets are also available at the Andover Senior Center. Call 978-623-8218 for more information.

1

4

5

EDITORS’ TOP PICkS FOR THE WEEk AHEAD

2

3

From Page F5Puzzle soluTions

B A M B I S M O K E I R E S T L G AI L I A D E S S E X N E C C O O R ST I C K E T A G E N T S M O O T H O U T

L A U D S O C I A L W O R K E RE T T A R O L O R I T T S I L OD R I V I N G I N S T R U C T O R E S SS E D A N S M E E S E H E R E SE V A A R A B L E A G I T A T EL I L I E S B R A N C H M A N A G E R

B A R D O T R H E A N A C R E SI R A N F I L E C L E R K K E N TS Y S T E M F I S H M I S U S EU N I O N O F F I C I A L L A T S H EP E N N A M E K E N O B I W A Y

E R M A S A S I D E E L A I N EG A T M A R K E T I N G D I R E C T O RE V A N E G O S E S T S T H I SR E C O R D K E E P E R L A F FB R O W B E A T S N O V E L W R I T E RI S M I N L E T O N E N D A V I A NL E A S T E R S R A T S O Y E A R S

L i f e

1

2

3

Sagittarius (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — After listening to the input of others, follow your instincts and good judgment about handing something important to you.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Because by nature you are pro-tective of loved ones, without hesitation, you’ll go to bat for someone near and dear who needs help.

aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — It is not always obvious to others, but you are endowed with tremen-dous strength of mind and deter-mination. These two assets might come into play when pressure mounts and they are called for.

Pisces (Feb. 20-march 20) — The two most powerful factors that contribute to personal success are your optimistic nature and belief in yourself. All you have to do is put them to work in order

to let your dreams unfold. aries (march 21-april 19) — Don’t kid

yourself into believing situations that call for a financial risk could yield big bucks — that would be one chance in a million.

Taurus (april 20-may 20) — A com-plaining friend might be difficult for most to handle, but not you. You’ll know how to say all the right things to calm this per-son’s troubled head.

gemini (may 21-June 20) — This might turn out to be a day of reciprocation, with several friends finding nice things to do for you in repayment of past favors.

Cancer (June 21-July 22) — Getting involved with friends or family could make this an extremely pleasant day. Don’t be a loner.

Leo (July 23-aug. 22) — All it will take to overcome some barriers

and obstacles is to be strongly motivated to do so. Once you set your mind to it, what you accom-plish could be remarkable.

Virgo (aug. 23-Sept. 22) — It isn’t always your nature to enjoy competitive situations, but that’s exactly what will prove to stimu-late your senses. Get involved in something such as a good chess game or a tennis match.

Libra (Sept. 23-oct. 23) — Because of your efforts, new life will enter into an endeavor that everyone else has written off. This shift will produce numer-ous advantages that otherwise never would have happened.

Scorpio (oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Rarely are you wishy-washy about how to deal with others, and this day will be no different. When called for, you will make your position clear.

Horoscope | Bernice Bede Osol

Indeed, the release of “Hell-billy Deluxe 2” had been origi-nally timed to coincide with a fall tour that began Oct. 29. So now, Zombie is on the road, but without the new CD he intended to promote. He’s decided that’s not a big problem.

“The new songs from the record that we’ll play on tour, they’re out there on iTunes, out in the world,” he said. “So it’s not like kids will be confused as to what we’re doing.”

Zombie said the idea of doing “Hellbilly Deluxe 2,” a sequel to his 1998 CD, “Hellbilly Deluxe,” had been kicking around in his head for years. But it wasn’t until he had finished record-ing that he actually knew his next album would be the long-planned sequel.

“We thought about it for a long time,” said Zombie (whose real name is Robert Cummings). “I just didn’t want it to seem like ‘Oh well they just slapped this title on there and it makes no sense. It doesn’t tie in with the other record, it doesn’t make sense.’ But when we were done, it really felt like a perfect compan-ion piece for the first record.”

The original “Hellbilly Deluxe” turned out to be a pivotal album in Zombie’s career.

He had come onto the music scene as frontman for the band White Zombie in 1985. When that group fell apart in 1998, Zombie went on to start a solo career, and “Hellbilly Deluxe,” released later that year, was his commercially successful solo debut.

He has released a pair of studio CDs since — “The Sinister Urge” in 2001, and “Educated Horses” in 2006, and enjoyed consider-able popularity as a solo act.

One reason Zombie hasn’t released more studio albums is because he has also been building a thriving career as a filmmaker.

He began his career as a writer/director with several low budget films, including the horror flick “House Of 1000 Corpses” and a sequel of sorts to that film, “The Devil’s Rejects.”

He made a breakthrough on the film scene in 2007 by directing a re-make of John Carpenter’s horror classic, “Halloween.” Although the film received mixed reviews, it did well at the box office, and Zom-bie went on to do a re-make of “Halloween 2.”

Zombie’s version of “Hallow-een 2” will soon be available on DVD in a director’s cut he had just completed in the days lead-ing up to the teleconference interview.

“I really like this version of the movie better,” he said. “This is really the version I always wanted it to be, and I think when people see this, the movie will make — not that the movie doesn’t make sense — but it will make even more sense to them.”

With that project finished, Zombie is now able to concen-trate on his tour. And as with his previous outings, he promised that his new show will be a visual and musical treat for fans.

“I toyed with the idea of actu-ally pulling out the (“Hellbilly Deluxe”) set from like 11 years ago and using the actual set, and we started doing that,” he said. “But there was something about it that felt so tired and contrived to do that.

“So we’ve sort of gone back and created what seems like the new version of that. It’s like the modernized update of that. You know, the stage feels very fresh, very modern, very high tech, but really has the spirit of that first show.”

Continued from Page F1 �

zombie: Music took back seat to films

crossing of genres is a huge deal to Gonzalez.

“I want people to respect the kind of hip-hop that I make, which is folk-hop; it’s never been made before,” he said. “The lyr-ics are thought provoking and profound. I can sit here and defi-nitely say that I created a new kind of hip-hop. You have your gangsta rap, street rap, con-science rap, and I just invented folk-hop.”

As an artist who invents new genres, Gonzalez gears his sound toward all people who love music.

“I fancy myself an artist now; I have transformed over the years,” he said. “Infusing folk with hip-hop, I get people who listen to folk saying ‘This is pretty good stuff. I don’t really listen to hip-hop, but I’ll listen to this.’”

Earlier this year, Hansard and Irglova came to the Berklee Per-formance Center in Boston and

met with Gonzalez. “We made a video together,

they got my autograph; it was a dream come true for me, because I really admire them now,” he said. “And you gotta know where you come from to know where you’re going.”

To hear Andres “DraMatik” Gonzalez’s music, go to www.myspace.com/dramatik or www.myspace.com/theswellseasons. To vote for him as Hip Hop Act of the Year, go to www.flyfi.com/contests/bma09/vote/

Continued from Page F1 �

hiP-hoP: Musician invents new genre

’50s cover).If your giftee loves historical

novels, there are lots to look for this holiday season. “The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire” by C.M. Mayo is based on the true story of the reign of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico. “Lady Vernon and Her Daughter” by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway is based on Jane Aus-ten’s Lady Susan and is set in Regency England.

Does anyone ever outgrow their love of the classics? If your giftee is a fan of Robert Louis Ste-venson, then your gift will be the favorite when you wrap up “Flint and Silver” by John Drake. A pre-quel to “Treasure Island”, this novel imagines what happened before John Silver and Joseph Flint met up in the classic.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than to read a book about Christmas? If that’s your sentiment exactly, then wrap up “Lakeshore Christmas” by Susan Wiggs. This seasonal romance is the story of librarian who needs a Christmas miracle. Hint: wrap it up for one of those gifts you need to give early. Another romance to try – although not a holiday novel – is “The Inheritance” by Tamera Alexander. Set in the untamed West, this is a novel about a young woman who moves to Colorado to make a fresh start and finds love.

The holidays aren’t exactly the time for scary stuff, but if you’ve got a thrill-lover on your gift list, wrap up “Afraid” by Jack Kilborn. This novel is the story of horror unleashed on a small town by an accident that was no accident.

NoNFICTIoN

No doubt there’s a Drama Queen (or King) on your gift list. For that person, there’s no better gift than “How to Be Famous” by Heidi Montag & Spencer Pratt.

This tongue-in-cheek book gives step-by-step tips on getting your name in the tabs and becoming The One Everybody Talks About. Hint: not just for grown-ups, your teen may get a kick out of this book, too.

Trivia fans with a basketball interest will really enjoy reading “The Final Four of Everything,” edited by Mark Reiter and Rich-ard Sandomir. This fun book is filled with argument starters and trivia on a variety of top-ics, including Lousy Husbands, Absurd College Nicknames, and Richard vs. Dick.

For the country music fan on your gift list, there’s no better gift to give than “The Garth Fac-tor: The Career Behind Country’s Big Boom” by Patsi Bale Cox. Mostly about Garth, but contain-ing other big names in country, this hefty book is a gift that will last awhile.

This was the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, and if you’ve got someone who still longs for sum-mers of Peace and Love, wrap up “By the Time We Got to Wood-stock” by Bruce Pollock. Complete with pictures and lots of memo-ries, this book is groovy, man.

While it may seem like an odd gift to give this holiday season, “Nontoxic Housecleaning” by Amy Kolb Noyes would surely be appreciated by anyone concerned about the environment. There are lots of good suggestions in here, all ideas that your going-green giftee will enjoy knowing.

The new-ager on your list will no doubt be overjoyed by this tril-ogy from Brad Steiger: “Beyond Shadow World” is newly re-released and is the third volume in Steiger’s Shadow World tril-ogy in which he discusses spirits and the supernatural.

If there’s a weather junkie on your gift list, here are two easy-

to-give books: “Weather’s Great-est Mysteries Solved! by Randy Cerveny is a book about weather, history, and how one affected the other. This is a great book for sci-ence aficionados, too. Also look for “The Handy Weather Answer Book: Second Edition” by Kevin Hile. Better for kids or cumulo-nimbus neophytes, this book will also be welcome for people who love talking about the weather.

Would your giftee remember where he or she was 40 years ago on a Sunday? Chances are, the answer would be: gathered with the family around the TV. In “Sundays with Sullivan” by Bernie Ilson, fans of Ed Sullivan and pop culture will see how this one show changed music and the way we think about it. This book includes a lot of pictures and even more memories for Baby Boomers and their parents. Also look for “Watching What We Eat” by Kathleen Collins, a book about cooking shows then and now.

So you’ve got a know-it-all pet lover on your gift list and you don’t know what to give. Look for “The Smartest Animals on the Planet” by Dr. Sally Boysen. This book is definitely not about humans; rather, it’s about birds who aren’t bird-brains, monkeys with better-than-human smarts, dolphins, rats, and more.

Your history buff will truly enjoy getting “Time of the Rang-ers” by Mike Cox. This hefty book is all about the Texas Rangers from the beginning of the 20th century through today. Another book your history buff will love is “Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure” by Matthew Algeo. In this can-you-imagine true story, Algeo tells about the trip that Harry and Bess Truman took all by themselves (no Secret Service) to visit friends and see the country. If you can believe it, they hoped not to be recognized. This book will appeal to anyone who loves quirky history.

Continued from Page F1 �

books: Gifts for the readers on your list

Pearl Jam, “Ten” (suPer deluxe ediTion box-seT)

On Aug. 27, 1991, Seattle’s grunge scene would begin a trek to its zenith. Pearl Jam released the album “Ten” and seemingly every American male between 13 and 30 had a new favorite band.

And why not? Side A, with the unforgettable songs “Black” and “Jeremy,” is arguably the stron-gest front half of an American rock album — ever.

Now to fete that standout album comes not one but four dif-ferent box-set editions of “Ten,” remixed, remastered and retain-ing the same power that drove it up the charts and made it a music shelf staple.

The Super Deluxe Edition includes a CD of the original album, digitally remastered; a second remastered CD, with six bonus tracks; four vinyl LPs, including a live concert record-ing made at Magnuson Park in Seattle; and even a cassette fea-turing demo versions of “Alive” and “Once” from “Ten.”

The vinyl is the real cream of the crop here. Better still is the DVD of Pearl Jam’s 1992 “MTV Unplugged” performance.

ac/dc “backTracks” The essence of a box set is

great packaging, lots of swag and hard-to-find content. All that is here on the latest AC/DC box set. The high-end version comes in a box made to look like a road-worn amplifier, complete with AC/DC logo. But look — the top comes off to reveal one of the treasures inside actually IS a working amplifier that you can plug a guitar into a jam along!

The three CDs lean heavily on B-sides and live tracks that were released piecemeal as part of something else, and not a whole

lot can be considered truly rare. The set also comes with a 164-page coffee table book laden with previously unpublished photos from 1974 to the present, a vinyl record duplicating the first CD, a poster from their 1977 tour, but-tons, temporary tattoos and a 1975 vintage AC/DC guitar pick. It’s not cheap, at $200-plus, but for true fans, it’s probably worth it.

various arTisTs, “wood-sTock — 40 Years on: back To Yasgur’s farm”

First there was the triple album. Then came its sequel, a double album.

Now the single largest collec-tion of music from the three-day Woodstock festival has been gathered in the six-CD box set “Woodstock — 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur’s Farm.” Even with 77 songs, what’s presented is a mere sliver of what was actually played at the concert 40 years ago. It would take 30 discs, not six, to release all of it.

The box set does a lot of things right — including sequencing the music in the actual order in which it was played, to at least give a reasonable semblance of what it was like there over those three days. Unfortunately, only half of the songs are previously unreleased. That means true Woodstock aficionados will have to pay, again, for much of the music they already own.

“def Jam 25” There is no Jay-Z without the

Def Jam label. No Public Enemy. No Kanye West, Beastie Boys, Rihanna or LL Cool J. Sure, these game-changing talents would have been heard regardless. But Def Jam had the savvy and sheer willpower to make them stars.

That’s why this five-disc his-tory of Def Jam’s 25-year history is an essential ingredient for any serious rap music collection.

The Def Jam story starts when party promoter/artist manager Russell Simmons met punk rocker/rap producer Rick Rubin, who was making records out of his New York University dorm room. Their first hit — and the box set’s first song — was LL Cool J’s “I Need A Beat.”

That cut was just a voice and a drum machine. By the end of disc one, rap has taken a sonic quantum leap with Public Ene-my’s furious “Fight the Power.” The whole collection is filled with such fascinating evolutions and connections: Nikki D to Foxy Brown; Boss to Rick Ross; Onyx to DMX; Sisqo to Ne-Yo.

“miles davis: The comPleTe columbia album collecTion”

Miles Davis never liked to look back, always staying contempo-rary as he moved from bebop at the beginning of his career to hip-hop at the end. With this 70-CD collection, released to coincide with a major exhibition “We Want Miles” at a Paris museum, Davis deservedly becomes the first jazz musician to receive the comprehensive treatment usu-ally reserved for a Mozart or von Karajan in the classical realm.

But the trumpeter’s constant evolution caused some fans to drop away — particularly post-1970 when he turned away from acoustic to play electro-fusion jazz. Those fans probably won’t have much need for this col-lection — comprising the more than 50 albums Davis recorded for Columbia from 1955-85 — because they’ve already collected their favorite sessions plus bonus material in reissues from Colum-bia/Legacy’s ambitious Miles Davis Series since 1996.

Continued from Page F1 �

cds: Fill your stockings with these box sets oNLINe eXTraS: For more CD ideas, go to eagletribune.com.

oNLINe eXTraS: For more book ideas, go to eagletribune.com.

ET_SET_20091129_2_F01

ET_SET_20091129_2_F01

www.eagletribune.comf2 Sunday, November 29, 2009 SUNDAY EAGlE-tribUNE

YELLOWMAGENTACYANBLACK

ET_SET_20091129_2_F02FiNAL-1 Tue, Nov 24, 2009 11:07:54 PM