Book: "Skinny Legs and All," by Tom Robbins
Challenge: write a book whose protagonists include a dirty sock, a can o' beans and dancer whose naked form can change the world as we know it. Make it include 3,000 years of religious history and end up with the most fcked up, rock and roll, provocative sht you've read in years.Tom Robbins did it. Blitz me yours when you're finished. - John Beardsley
Music:"Staring at the Sun," by TV on the Radio
I've had this one stuck in my head since they used it to end an "Entourage" episode. Supposedly its lyrics are based on the words of a centuries-old Daoist poem. I don't know if I buy that, but their guitar player looks like the African-American Alan Ginsburg, which is good enough for me. Oh and they hate on Bush, too, which is supersweet. - John Beardsley
Movie: "The Science of Sleep," directed by Michel Gondry (2006)
Playing at the Nugg this week is a surefire visual delicacy from the director of "Eternal Sunshine" and various Bjork and White Stripes music videos. The film's plot concerns Stephane (Gael Garcia Burnal), who tries to win his neighbor's heart but can't seem to separate reality from his dream world. Gondry's aesthetic, however, is the biggest draw to the film -- the director avoids computer special effects and thus Stephane's world has a handmade and magical quality. - Bailey Massey
TV: "Weeds," Showtime, Mondays at 10 p.m.
Funny, smart and completely outrageous are all perfect ways to describe "Weeds." Mary-Louise Parker stars as a widow who deals pot to her rich, suburban community in order to keep her family afloat after her husband's death. Parker gives some of the best performances of her career and the supporting cast, including Kevin Nealon and Elizabeth Perkins, is uniformly hilarious. The outrageous storylines are too good to miss. - Louisa McCarthy
