Media

words by > Scott Steinberg

>MUSIC

Lily Allen
Alright, Still (Capitol)

A few years back, Lily Allen was just a bratty private school kid in London with a vague plan to become a musician. After a few false starts, the troubled prepster uploaded a few subversively poppy tracks to everyone’s favorite social networking site, MySpace… and suddenly the UK’s greatest new hype was born. On the surface, Alright, Still is the catchiest record you’ll hear this year. It’s a little bit of pop, reggae, big band, trip-hop—all mashed up and molded to supplement Allen’s gentle, lilting hiphop style. But, oh, those lyrics! Speaking to an ex-lover on “Smile” (already a number one British hit), she softly coos, “When you cry, it makes me smile…” And that’s about as nice as she gets.

The Shins
Wincing the Night Away (Sub Pop)

New Mexico’s cleverest fragile-rock band (famed for its Garden State soundtrack cameo) sure picked the wrong album title. With songs like the cheery “Australia,” synth-heavy “Split Needles” and catchy “Sea Legs,” Wincing will have you doing anything but. No matter the style, the band’s dedication to pop perfection remains.

>GAMES

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Konami
M
$39 (PlayStation Portable)

No mission is too tough for secret agent Solid Snake— including keeping you entertained on cross-country flights. Set in 1970s South America, this heady cocktail of stealth and real-time battles resumes where Metal Gear Solid 3 left off, chronicling previously hush-hush events in the series timeline. An epic solo campaign shines, letting you form squadrons of characters and tiptoe or blast through military-minded missions at a deliberate pace from an intuitive third-person perspective. But it’s the wireless, online-ready multiplayer connectivity that really makes the title stand out, giving friends the option to sync up virtually anywhere and enjoy a little covert action.

Rogue Galaxy
Sony
T
$39 (PlayStation 2)

Pirates are more popular than ever—especially here, where swashbuckling young space-farer Jaster must travel the cosmos in search of a legendary treasure. Dramatic plot twists and real-time melees collide atop a backdrop of hand-drawn, animated graphics to form one of the year’s most compelling role-playing romps. Sci-fi adventure, ahoy!

>DVD

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
(Sony Pictures Home Entertainment)
PG-13
$29

America’s most popular motorsport gets skillfully skewered in this hilarious send-up of NASCAR that’s unafraid to mock… or sell its soul in the name of chuckle-inducing product placement. Ignore the plot, centered on one vapid driver’s rise, fall and redemption (by way of backseat cougar), ailing friendship and showdown with flamboyant French rival Jean Girard (a laughably snooty Sacha Baron Cohen). Watch for the gut-busting sight and dialogue gags, not to mention singular camaraderie between brilliantly juvenile headliners Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. You’ll never look at buddy flicks—or stock car racing—the same way again.

EXTRAS: Deleted/extended scenes, gag reel, alternate lines, bonus race footage, interviews