Daily Loaf

Don’t forget about your homework for the weekend — keeping up on the latest music news.

Jay-Z announced the second leg of his tour for his new album, Blueprint 3. (No Florida stops are included.) The record may just be a “blueprint,” but no doubt it’s a plan to lay the foundation of yet another successful project for Jigga.

Truth in 24 at Gasparilla International Film Festival Truth in 24 is a thrillingly inside look at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fabled sports-car endurance race in Le Mans, France. The focus is on the Audi Sport team, with so many caressing shots of Audi’s logo and its vehicles that the film sometimes feels like a feature-length ad. But the multi-accented cast of drivers and technicians, the suspense of the race narrative and the abundance of “oh my god” racing footage add up to a terrific ride (and a nice warmup for those of you who can’t wait for St. Pete’s Grand Prix). Audi’s R10 Race Car makes a personal appearance at both showings of the film. Thurs., Mar. 5, 8 p.m., Beach Theatre, St. Pete Beach; Fri. Mar. 6, 9 p.m., Channelside 6, Tampa, gasparillafilmfestival.com.Billy Joel & Elton John These venerable superstars, singers and piano men, have plenty in common: a knack for writing and performing a wide range of material that falls within the general realm of mainstream pop, an overall likeability, recognizable but unspectacular singing voices, and solid but unspectacular piano skills. Both experienced their artistic pinnacles in the 1970s, but have maintained their status as beloved musical figures. They’ll perform separate sets and together at two pianos. Mar. 5, 7:30 p.m., St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, stpetetimesforum.com.

I had a dream the other night that I was on a transatlantic flight on its way to Africa. I was sitting next to a man in a brown jacket, clown pants and Jesus sandals who kept repeating, “Down we go.” That should have given me a clue to the unfortunate end to my dream, or nightmare, but it didn’t. Suddenly, the no-smoking sign started flashing a blood-red color and the pilot got on the intercom and said something along the lines of, “We are going down, hold on to your fucking hats.” I couldn’t really make out what he said, but I’ve always thought that would be the best way to break the news to the passengers. If we’re going to die, I don’t want to hear, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to bring an unfortunate situation to your attention. Blah, blah, blah.” Cut to the chase, man! Anyway, to make a long story short, we plummeted thousands of feet into an island and, magically, I was the only survivor. That is the point when I woke up. And for some batshit crazy reason, the first thing I thought of was an episode of The Office when the employees play Desert Island. This taught me something about myself: Apparently, if I were the sole survivor of a plane crash on a deserted island, the most important thing to me would be what movies I was carrying on me and how I could watch them. So, if that were to happen, and if there were a television and DVD player on this said island, these are the movies I would take… Read the rest of this entry »