Some covers are more equal than others. Good, Better, Best looks at three covers and decides who takes home the gold, the silver, and the bronze. Dolly Parton – the fourth of twelve children, a philanthropist, actor, and musician with 50+ studio albums to date – has been releasing and writing music since she was ten. On October 15th, 1973, she released the single, “Jolene,” from her upcoming album of the same name. It became her second number-one single as a solo artist on the country charts

When you hear a Johnny Thunders guitar riff, you know it’s Johnny Thunders. The sloppy Chuck Berry meets Dick Dale with a sprained wrist guitar solos combined with a Keith Richards meets Ray Davies rhythm – always punctuated with slides down the neck and hammer-ons – is as distinctly Thunders as is his voice – sarcastic, sweet, taunting, and offensive in one disheveled package.

Takashi Miike’s 100th film, “Blade of the Immortal,” keeps Miike’s reputation for the weird and violent in place. While it may not be as disturbing as his most famous film “Ichi the Killer” — which was banned in several countries and edited down extensively in others — it does drench its scenes in blood, fallen limbs, and villains from all walks of life.

Getting his start penning songs about teenage heartbreak in the ‘90s with Bethlehem pop-punk band Weston, James Alex continues to infuse his music with a youthful air that’s been his calling card ever since. Alex has been a staple in the Lehigh Valley for years, and after a stint in Philadelphia, he’s returned to the area where he’s raising his children and playing with his band Beach Slang.

Slingshot Dakota, the heavy-hitting, indie-pop duo from Bethlehem, are (unfortunately) no strangers to last-minute tour cancellations and learning to recoup. While this time around, the future is a bit more uncertain, the band maintains an upbeat and hopeful attitude — which is in line with their upbeat sound. We had a chance to chat with Carly Comando (keyboards and vocals) about the coronavirus and being a musician during these difficult times.

A lesson in film history for martial arts fanatics, “Iron Fists & Kung Fu Kicks” delves deep into the origins of kung fu movies from the early days of Shaw Brothers Studios to later Hollywood blockbusters. Interviews with actors, writers, producers, stunt performers, film editors, voice artists, film historians, fans, and martial artists provide insight into the complex art of creating a kung fu movie. The documentary explores the influence of kung fu movies on western culture (on hip-hop and breakdancing for example) and how it came to dominate the movie market.

Love him or hate him, Quentin Tarantino is undeniably a walking, talking human encyclopedia of film. The video store clerk turned award-winning director exhibits this not only in his interviews and top-movie lists, but in his movies themselves. He steals from the best, and pays homage through the cinematography, music, scripts and actors he selects. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, he’s flattering a lot of people. The “genre film” is his bread and butter, and Westerns – or maybe

Long gone are the days of Michael Knight trading quips with KITT (the precursor to Siri and Alexa? Kinda?) and Mitch Buchannon running down the beach wearing nothing but a pair of red shorts and a buoy. The most watched man in television history—a distinction given to David Hasselhoff by The Guinness Book of World Records—has hit us with something out of left field—an album of ‘80s punk, metal, and new wave covers titled Open Your Eyes. Lest you think this musical path is a detour for the actor,

The Ian Svenonius school of rock may seem a little strange. As lead singer of legendary DC punk band Nation Of Ulysses, he gave us the 13-Point Program to Destroy America. As frontman for the Make-Up he spread the gospel yeh-yeh sound–a combo of gospel and French pop, usually spelled “yé-yé”–with songs like “Free Arthur Lee” and “Here Comes The Judge.” And now, he brings us a how-to guide, Supernatural Strategies For Making a Rock ‘n’ Roll Group, published by Gowanus-based Akashic Books.