CULTURE JAMMING — MAY 5, 2010

TOP PICK

The Sticky & Sweet Tour

(Warner Bros.)

This DVD/CD combo compiles four shows from Madonna’s globe-spanning 2008-09 tour. Filmed in Buenos Aires — where there are more gay men per capita than anywhere else, or so it seems by the hyperventilating fans in the audience – the DVD reworks several classics (“Vogue,” “Into the Groove”) in a set that’s part greatest hits, part club party, and all butt-shakin’ cougar.

DVD

The British Invasion

(Reelin’ in the Years)

The best parts of this five-disc box (also available separately) gather vintage TV clips and interviews from the Small Faces and Dusty Springfield, who’s decked out in a huge bouffant and armed with an even bigger voice, singing some of the era’s best blue-eyed soul songs. But here’s some advice: Keep far, far away from Herman’s Hermits, who should have stayed in England.

DVD

Crazy Heart

(Twentieth Century Fox)

Jeff Bridges won a well-deserved Oscar for his role as a drunk-ass country singer living the rough life that he often sings about. The music – which also snagged an Academy Award – is really good too, especially Ryan Bingham’s “The Weary Kind.” Blu-ray bonuses include deleted scenes, additional music, and commentary by Bridges. The Dude presides!

VIDEO GAME

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City

(Rockstar)

This Grand Theft Auto IV expansion (which came out last year on the Xbox 360 and is now available for the PlayStation 3) finds brand new ways for you to slap around whores and jack some cars. There are two games here: The Lost and the Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. The first one is about motorcycle gangs; the second is about some gay dude named Tony.

BOOK

Taking Aim: Unforgettable Rock ‘n’ Roll Photographs Selected by Graham Nash

(Chronicle)

Nash is the second most annoying guy in Crosby, Stills and Nash. He’s also a photographer. His photos in this hefty book aren’t bad, but the best work belongs to pros like Daniel Kramer and Annie Leibovitz, who contribute iconic shots of Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, and Johnny Cash. There are also pics of people who aren’t dead, like Elvis Costello and Michael Stipe.