It's time for another installment of "OMC Recommends," a periodic look at cool things that we like and think you should know about.
Use the Talkback feature to let us know what you think of our picks and if you'd like to add some of your own, e-mail them to omcrecommends@staff.onmilwaukee.com.
"Arrested Development" on DVD -- The best non-cable sitcom in years, the DVD version of "AD" is the perfect way to kill several hours. It's one of those rare shows that improves with repeat viewings because you catch a lot of things you miss the first time. If you've never seen the show, you will become a fan immediately. The four words I never thought I would utter in my life are "Jason Bateman is brilliant," and he is in his role as Michael Bluth. Portia DiRossi plays Michael's sleazy sister, which -- coupled with the fact that she is a lesbian in real life -- makes her even hotter. And David Cross is amazing. The show is damn near perfect, unless you are stupid, in which case you can wait for Season One of "What About Jim" to be released. -- Kevin Brandt.
LifeWays Child Development Center -- My youngest son, Levi, attends Waldorf-inspired LifeWays two mornings a week and I could not be happier with it. It's inside the scenic and serene Quaker Meeting House, located on the bank of the Milwaukee River in Riverwest. I love the Waldorf philosophies that have my son gardening, pretending, baking, making art and going on nature walks in any weather as long as it's at least one degree. All of the toys at LifeWays are made from wood or cloth, and overall, the environment is very simple, peaceful and back-to-basics.-- Molly Snyder Edler.
The Monitor iDeck -- If you've finally burned all your CDs into your iPod, but wondered what to do with that gigantic receiver and speakers you still have sitting around, you need the iDeck. Until this diamond in the rough came along, audiophiles basically had two expensive solutions for compact stereos to play their MP3s: The Bose SoundDock and the Apple iPod Hi-Fi. The problem is the Bose is $299 and the iFi is $350. But, quietly floating around out there is Monitor's iDeck. Get this: it's made by a high-end British audio company. It's compact and comes with lots of different sleeves for your various iPods. It sounds awesome - Hi-Fi Magazine called it their "Product of the Year." And reviewed at $300, audiophiles said it was a steal. But now it's for sale for $150 from audioadvisor.com. It might be discontinued (there's a new one-piece version out there for $200), but trust me: buy this little and powerful stereo, and buy it now. -- Andy Tarnoff.
"The Boxing Mirror" by Alejandro Escovedo -- In the tradition of unheralded singer-songwriters like Joe Ely and John Hiatt and countless others, Escovedo has garnered critical acclaim without fortune and fame.That's a shame. I caught him performing songs from this disc on "Austin City Limits" last fall and looked into his background. He was in the Nuns (who opened for the Sex Pistols last show), he played in Rank and File and True Believers and has put out a few compelling solo albums. Rolling Stone critic David Fricke once said "Musically, Alejandro is in his own genre." That's pretty accurate when you consider how the guy can shift from gritty punk, to dusty Tex-Mex to aching ballads to glam-rock raveups and lush string arrangements. Though songs like "Arizona" and "Died a Little Today," case a somewhat dark lyrical tone, Escovedo and producer John Cale let the sun shine through the clouds on songs like "Break This Time" and "Take Your Place / One True Love." This disc doesn't disappoint. -- Drew Olson.
Travel guides -- Planning a trip overseas or any where other than a place I know can be a bit hellish. I grabbed a few travel books (Fodor's is always a good choice) and used up more than enough Post-its to plan my destinations. -- Heather Leszczewicz.
Novophone Retro Mobile Phone Handset -- Everything old is new again, right? So check this out -- the Novophone is a genuine old-school handset wired to work with any mobile phone. It plugs right into any standard 2.5mm headphone jack. It's big, black and pretty heavy, and you'll turn heads walking down the street using it. But in addition to the kitsch factor, it sports one rather feature: You can actually lean this phone on your shoulder while you type, drive or write. That's hands-free, baby. It's $23.95 at novophone.com or slightly more locally at Modern-aire in Walker's Point. -- A.T.
Mo's Irish Pub, Wauwatosa -- It's a Guinness-soaked oasis for West Side residents looking for a place to slake their thirst without traveling Downtown. It offers great pub fare for those seeking a quick meal or a casual dinner with friends. Sure it's crowded, but when the Smithwick's is flowing like the River Shannon what difference does it make? Add bartenders right off the boat from the Emerald Isle and you've got an Irish pub that is truly and Irish pub. The media has had a field day with the parking issues, but if you're too cheap to pay for the $3 valet and a $2 tip, please stay home and nurse your Milwaukee's Best Light. Great live music Tuesday through Saturday. Come early. Stay late. Call a cab.-- K.B.
"The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth from 9/11 to Katrina" -- New York Times columnist Frank Rich pulls no punches in describing how the Bush Administration, an incompetent and compliant media (he repeatedly calls out his own paper) and a celebrity-obsessed culture combined to create the mess in Iraq. Rich doesn't break new ground with this work, but his writing is well-researched and laced with the same cutting-edge humor that makes his work a must-read by Beltway spinners of all stripes. A passage on Page 187 sums up the arguments: "...the prewar intelligence was not uniformly dead wrong at all. It was merely the intelligence that the administration chose to overstate, leak to willing journalists, and repeatedly broadcast to the public that consistently proved to be dead wrong. There was an assembly line for producing and publicizing much of this erroneous evidence about Saddam's capabilities and plans." -- D.O.
