The Xbox 360 seems to be hopping on the user-friendly bandwagon lately. My problem with Microsoft’s recent moves is not that adding Wii-like features makes the system less "hardcore," but that it makes it less "Xbox-y," for lack of a better (or any) term.

Detractors who dislike frontman John Popper’s virtuosic harmonica skills will be glad to hear that there isn’t really that a lot of it on "North Hollywood Shootout." For much of the record, the band's jammy tendencies are curbed in favor of quirky instrumentation and a sunny, summertime pop-rock vibe.

I’m an idiot because, though I’ve had HBO since the mid-1990s, I’ve never watched an episode of “The Wire.” And that’s only part of it. Not only did I ignore the show’s entire five-season run on HBO (which, remember, I was paying for), but I also got each season on DVD from the cable channel’s publicity department. And guess what? I didn’t watch those either. One of the most acclaimed shows ever, just sitting on my shelf.

LCL Blogger Chris Houren continues his Media Tour column about technology, gaming, and geek culture right here, exclusively on the Linn County Leader's website.

Soccer match just a backdrop for heartfelt coming-of-age story.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a funnier, smarter film all year, and you don’t even need to be familiar with Shakespeare to enjoy it.

Condescending filmmakers like Courtney Hunt paint the destitute as noble and heroic, even when they’re breaking the law.

The upside to being Beyonce Knowles’ sister is that it’s a lot easier to get a record deal. The downside? You’re Beyonce Knowles’ sister, so the bar has been set pretty high. But there’s no denying that her sophomore effort, "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams," is a near-perfect blend of Motown soul pedigree and modern pop.

Last year, Britney Spears’ opening number of “Gimme More” had fans wanting less at the MTV Video Music Awards.

If, in 1952, Adlai Stevenson supporters used Benny Goodman’s 1921 song “There’ll Be Some Changes Made” without permission in a regional TV ad against Dwight D. Eisenhower, they may have gotten away with it.

Japanese dancehall? Yeah, I said it. It's a testament to the power of the Internet that dancehall, the offshoot cousin of reggae, has made it all the way to the Far East.

"American Idol" winner says he's on target for late fall release of his first post-Idol CD.

The trouble with modern R&B is that there’s so much of it, so making a splash is difficult. Add to that a high-school junior making her major-label debut, and it’s not tough to see why much of Karina's "First Love" sticks to relatively-formulaic melodies and familiar territory.

Casual fans would probably find Jeffrey B. Symynkywicz’s album-by-album evaluation of Springsteen’s work from a spiritual perspective to be almost maddeningly comprehensive. But for those of us who do think this much about this stuff, “The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen” is a welcome and thought-provoking look at the words of an important artist whose work has and continues to resonate.