By Emily Finkel, News correspondent
Katy Perry at House of Blues:’ April 1
The world cannot get enough of Katy Perry. She can’t dance and her singing ability is questionable, but the modern day pin-up girl seems to woo everyone with her charms whenever she pops up somewhere ‘- even when she’s wearing gaudy fruit garb while performing at The Grammy Awards. Perry is on tour in support of her debut album, One of the Boys, playing intimate shows around the country uncharacteristic for most pop stars of her ilk. She makes a local stop Wednesday.
Jim Gaffigan, King Baby:’ March 31
The follow-up to comedian Jim Gaffigan’s 2006 release, Beyond the Pale, will probably be hilarious. The comedian is perhaps best-known for his stand-up routines centered around food ‘- from bacon to cake to bologna and of course, Hot Pockets. In fact, Comedy Central says ‘no other comedian working today can romanticize laziness and indulgence like Jim Gaffigan.’ He has also acted in numerous television sitcoms, including ‘Ellen,” ‘That ’70s Show’ and ‘Ed.’ If you’re unfamiliar with Gaffigan, just type ‘Hot Pockets’ into YouTube and brace yourself. You’ll still be laughing on your way to the store to pick up a copy of his latest release, King Baby, out Tuesday on CD and DVD.
‘Fast & Furious’:’ April 3
‘The Fast and the Furious’ saga continues this week with the much-anticipated follow-up to ‘The Fast and the Furious:’ Tokyo Drift.’ The original cast, including Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, returns for the fourth movie in this series about fast cars and hot babes. Appropriately, the tagline reads, ‘New model. Original parts.’ And just in case you’re worried the latest installment will be a boldfaced replica of part one ‘- ‘The Fast and the Furious’ ‘- all articles have been removed from the title. We, however, cannot speak for the plot.
Bishop Allen at the Middle East Downstairs:’ April 3
You could say that Bishop Allen’s core members, Christian Rudder and Justin Rice, are modern-day Renaissance men. In addition to releasing three delightful indie-pop albums and touring extensively as Bishop Allen, the duo also dabbles in Internet entrepreneurship, acting and various scholarly pursuits. The two met while studying at Harvard University, and have both played lead roles in films ‘- Rudder in ‘Funny Ha Ha’ and Rice in ‘Mutual Appreciation.’ And Rudder, formerly the creative director at SparkNotes, helped start OkCupid.com, one of the world’s largest online dating websites. Add to that list their cameo, as themselves, in ‘Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist,’ and it’s a wonder these guys have time to tour at all.
