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Rowling knows better than to fix what ain't broke, and Phoenix begins as the previous books have: the long, hot summer, the hopelessly unmagical, unforgivably bourgeois Dursleys, the longed-for magical summons, the hasty packing and finally--bliss--Platform 9 3/4 and on to another year at Hogwarts. But a lot has changed. Death, which was always part of the subtext of Rowling's story, burst out into the open in the previous novel, and the atmosphere in Phoenix has darkened accordingly. Voldemort is back, and Hogwarts' sage headmaster Aldus Dumbledore has organized some of the wizarding world...
...creatures: a menacing anglerfish, some not entirely trustworthy members of Sharks Anonymous, a school of shocking jellyfish and a family of surfer-dude sea turtles. In captivity, Nemo finds his own friends: Peach, the starfish (Allison Janney), and the tank commander Gill (Willem Dafoe), a tough who mutters, "Fish ain't meant...
...Ruben and Clay each belted out a signature song ("Just the Way You Are" and "Unchained Melody," respectively), then joined last year's final two, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, who appeared live on stage, for "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Nice tunes, guys, but - live on satellite? The point of reality TV, Fox, is that you *own* the contestants' asses. Tired, schmired - they can damn well fly out and dance *in person* for the moneymen...
...their hats. Iraqis, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said recently, will "figure out a way to manage their affairs" that will be "consistent with the principles that we set out." (Those principles, just so you know, don't extend to an "Iranian-type government," which, quoth the good Secretary, "ain't gonna happen...
...involvement of Norman Cook (Fat Boy Slim) and remix-master William Orbit was an inspired stroke, but their hand is light, quelling fears that this would be Blur's dance album. The opening track, Ambulance - which would sit easily on David Bowie's Low - begins with a declaration: "I ain't got nothing to be scared of." And Albarn does seem musically fearless. Think Tank is often experimental but never jarring, mixing synth and acoustic picking. You can hear bassist Alex James enjoying the new-found space in the mix; unidentified "world" instruments are used sparingly...