ALBUMS

THEN:

Ultimate Collection – Lee Scratch Perry

Reggae musician, producer and Beastie Boys muse, Lee “Scratch” Perry, is almost mythological. His early work with Bob Marley and artists like Max Romeo defined reggae sound. This collection of work from 1970 to 1979 is reggae/dub 101 for beginners...and manna from heaven for music fans.

NOW:

Hot Sauce Committee Part Two – Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys are back! Back with old school beats, back with the word salad we love! The first single “Make Some Noise” is like a time machine. It’s also featured in the Beasties’ short film Fight For Your Right (Revisited) celebrating the 25th anniversary of “(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!).” Ch-ch-check it out!

—Sharon Penny

BOOKS

THEN:

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the Marriage of the Century by Sam Kashner and Nancy Schoenberger

With Elizabeth Taylor’s passing in April, writers said Richard Burton and Taylor were the “Brangelina” of their time. This book will set you straight. With a narrative constructed around love letters and diary entries that will curl your hair, any thoughts of Bran or Gelina will quickly depart. It’s more like Mothra and Godzilla. In a good way.

NOW:

Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

Rob Lowe has had one wild boomerang of a career. From The Outsiders and Brat Pack fame, through scandal, obscurity, The West Wing, and now a burgeoning comedic career in Parks and Recreation, he has seen every possible high and low (no pun). Lowe has the surprising knack of a storyteller for writing, and shares his tale with honesty, wit and grace.

—Sharon Penny

FILMS

THEN:

Sideways

This Oscar-winning comic-drama follows two friends – depressed Miles (Paul Giamatti) and two-timing Jack (Thomas Haden Church) – on a road trip through the Santa Barbara wine country a week before the latter’s wedding. Misunderstandings ensue in the lead up to what becomes a melancholic but thoroughly hilarious observation of the mid-life crisis.

NOW:

Barney’s Version

Only an actor as talented as Paul Giamatti could portray the unremarkable Barney Panofsky in Barney’s Version – an energetic retrospect of one man’s flawed life – with remarkable humanity (to the degree we actually like the unlikable). His pairing with Dustin Hoffman, in a supporting role as Barney’s father, makes for dream cinema. This is classic human condition, folks.

—Jenn Thornton