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ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Jamie Lidell

You get the feeling Lidell could keep pumping out these perfectly-minted soul songs forever like he does on his latest CD, "Jim." That's fine with me, he's great at it. And 10 songs at just under 40 minutes is the perfect dose of neo-soul for anyone who's been pummeled by a bit too much depressive tight-jeaned guitar music over the winter. _ Dan Raper

PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK: Tanna Frederick in "Hollywood Dreams"

In "Hollywood Dreams," Tanna Frederick gives a mesmerizing performance reminiscent (and I don't say this lightly) of Harvey Keitel's in "Bad Lieutenant." Inhabiting Margie Chizek in all of her wobbly contradictions, Frederick shifts between pathetic, endearing and contemptible _ often within the same scene. Frederick's acting contains the same breathtaking promise of detonation and inevitable scatter of shrapnel that is difficult to watch yet impossible to ignore. _ Jesse McClean

LISTEN

Portishead: "Third" 1/8CD3/8

On their third studio album, Portishead have succeeded in striking the careful balance between progressing their sound to where it should be 11 years later, and retaining the esoteric creepiness that makes them tick. "Third" is a complete work of art to fully immerse yourself in, listened to start to finish. History will eventually see it rank on par with the rest of their legendary works. _ Filmore Mescalito Holmes

WATCH

"Black White + Gray" 1DVD

This intriguing documentary seeks to restore Sam Wagstaff – an enigmatic, enthralling figure by any reckoning – to his rightful place at the centre of New York's art world in the '70s and '80s.

Wagstaff was a collector – of art, of experience, of sex, of danger – but he was also, in every way, involved in these activities. He collected his own life; through fragments, pieces of art, installation and anthologies, he told the world the story of himself. This film is a cerebral and complicated way to present a human being – as a heap of broken images – but it works. _ Stuart Henderson

READ

"Coal Black Horse" by Robert Olmstead

Spare, poetic lines render ghostly a world where death is too commonplace to haunt, but too pervasive to ignore. This is the story of a boy learning a man's lessons _ full of decisions with a slippery morality, a built-in sacrifice. Olmstead crafts a world and its people from a careful and economic use of detail, and gives us a hopeful gift: the bittersweet Robey, who comes to chillingly accept the bloody world around him, while still striving for survival and, maybe, redemption. _ Matthew Fiander

PLAY

"Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds" (PlayStation 3)

"Hot Shots Golf" has always emphasized casual fun over realistic simulation, but "Out of Bounds" accomplishes a feat few sports games seem able to achieve: it hits that perfect sweet spot between hardcore sim and pick-up-and-play arcade game. At first glance, "Out of Bounds" may look like a saccharine sweet kids game, but it plays a mean round of golf. _ Michael Abbott

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