Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce the human cartoon character. A guy who's experiment with fireworks goes off not quite the way he planned. Got to be careful with them explosives Wilber.

It may be a fake but I don't care, it made me laugh, in a schadenfreude kinda way.

It's my favorite time of year again.

Time to celebrate the land of the freedom fries and home of the Atlanta Braves. Here's a slew of links to July 4th happenings around this great nation.

DC: The National Mall fireworks/symphony show is awesome. You can no longer bring booze to the Mall and your stuff will be searched, but the fireworks still kick ass. I totally recommend this one.

Chicago: The US Navy is ready to party again after a few years off after 9/11. They're putting on a big display at the Navy Pier and to prove it they've got Night Ranger headlining the main stage. Can Grucci choreograph explosions to Sister Christian?

Pittsburgh: It's the last day of the Three Rivers Regatta. Head on down to see fast boats, sailboats, pleasure boats, boat races, a fireworks and laser light show plus a whole runaway train full of patriotism with Soul Asylum.

Much more after the jump.

"Hancock" **1/2 (out of four): Even Will Smith's jerky superhero (and another winning supporting turn from Jason Bateman) can't save the latter half of this film's messy script.

In "Hancock", Will Smith plays a superhero - the kind that can fly, has super-strength and is impervious to bullets. So, y'know, Superman. But the difference between Mr. Smith's character and the Man of Steel is: Hancock's kind of a jerk. In fact for much of the script, by Vincent Ngo ("Hostage") & Vince Gilligan (of "The X-Files"), the cast has a lot of fun labeling Hancock an a--hole. On the surface, this conceit is a pretty fair premise for a superhero parody: what if Superman were a real jackass. But as "Hancock" progresses, and the plot starts to unravel when it should be coming together, not even Will Smith - Mr. Fourth of July himself - can save it.

Read more on BigPictureBigSound...

Do you enjoy cardio-based workouts? Do you rush to the Japanese sake bars to karaoke "Baby Got Back" or The Backstreet Boys? (Really, it's not funny when you do that.)

Well, if that is the case, it's time to ... Cardioke?



Wow. What appears to be an SNL Digital Short is actually Billy Blanks Jr.'s new "workout sensation." It's cool! It's hip! You know how I know it's hip? Billy is exercising in cargo pants!

Cardioke makes Sweatin' to the Oldies look like Sweatin' to the Oldies 3.

Special thanks to my cousin A-Bells for the heads up on this gem.

(Please excuse the self-indulgence here. This will only take a minute, I promise.) Eight years ago, my boss at the time told me he and a friend had kayaked across Long Island Sound based on a $50 bet. I didn't believe him. I'd spent 21 years staring at Long Island from Connecticut, wondering if it were possible, and he (with admittedly little kayaking experience) did it on a whim. And so, he told me that he'd do it again. We should get some buddies together, maybe raise some money for local charities, and enjoy some cold beers on the other side.

I never thought it would turn into this.

This week is New American Music Union week at YesButNoButYes. In conjunction with American Eagle Outfitters, we have TWO pairs of free tickets to give away to YBNBY readers for this brand new, two-day music festival taking place in Pittsburgh, PA on August 8th & 9th.

Each morning this week we'll be running a YouTube clip from one of the bands playing at the festival, including Bob Dylan, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, The Roots, The Black Keys and many more. There's also a second stage where 19 of the country's top college bands duke it out for free recording time in LA.

Full details of the festival can be found on the NAMU site. Note, this competition is for TICKETS ONLY. You'll need to make your own travel arrangements, so it's going to be ideal for someone who lives in or near Pittsburgh. Oh, and everyone who goes to the concert also gets a free limited edition T Shirt, so that's a pretty good deal.

To enter, all you have to do is send your name and mailing address to us at namutickets@yesbutnobutyes.com, and we'll pick two winners after July 4th, who will each receive two tickets.

Good luck, and meanwhile, enjoy the clip of The Roots playing a live on Letterman.

I make no secret of my admiration for Hunter S. Thompson. None.

Dr. Thompson is firmly entrenched on my list of literary heroes.

A feature length documentary entitled "Gonzo" is coming to a handful of cinemas this Independence Day in the good ole' of the U. S. of A.

Johnny Depp - one of Hunter's close friends and who financed the funeral - narrates the film.

The trailer:



More about the film and Hunter after the jump.