Goldenfiddle reports that Dean & Britta (that’s Wareham & Phillips, ex-Luna), have been tapped to provide the soundtrack to the forthcoming film Just Like The Son, which will be directed by Morgan Freeman. They also currently have a couple songs on the soundtrack for The Squid & The Whale, which they also scored. I tried to see a couple weeks ago but was foiled by my inability to correctly read the show time. Curses. The AV Club has an interview with director Noah Baumbach, who has a history of being a Luna fan – the band contributed to the soundtrack for his last film, Mr Jealousy.

Dean and Britta are also working on their follow-up album to 2003’s lovely, languid L’Avventura and hope for a Spring ’06 release. Their freshly redesigned website also has a forum that Britta is hanging out in and will be nice compliment to the Full Of Wishes G500/Luna/D&B HQ as well as the G500 mailing list. If you’ve never heard any of the D&B stuff, it’s really nice. Certainly not light-years away from Luna, but still quite a distinct entity. Check out some tunes, and there’s videos on the media page of their website:

MP3: Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham – “Moonshot” (Buffy Sainte-Marie cover)
MP3: Britta Phillips & Dean Wareham – “Your Baby (Can’t Stand The Rain)” (Sonic Boom remix)

Tangentially – Poptones poses Questions of Doom to D&B collaborator and houseguest Sonic Boom.

December 14 will see the 2nd annual Holiday Jam benefit for the Hospital For Sick Kids take place at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. It’ll be a smorgasborg of rootsy singer-songwriters, with a bill featuring Sam Roberts, Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards, Danny Michel and Matt Mays. Anyone want to lay odds on a big, everyone-on-stage love-in finale? Tickets are $35 and go on sale Friday.

Also on December 14 – The Mendoza Line, whose Full Of Light And Full Of Fire just got a glowing review from Popmatters (and are doing pretty well overall) will be at the Rivoli with Great Lake Swimmers and Picastro. What a great bill. I thought my 2005 concert year was done, but not quite yet. And coincidentally, The AC Club has a combo review of the Mendoza and GLS albums (okay, not so coincidentally, they’re labelmates).

The Nada Surf show at Lee’s Palace on March 11 just got an extra boost in the bill – also along for the tour will be Rogue Wave, so if you don’t get to see them at the Horseshoe this Sunday (or if you’re so blown away you have to see them again), you’ll get another shot in three months or so. The Toronto show will be last one of the monht-long tour, so they’ll either have a little extra to give or nothing at all. Rogue Wave are also featured in the Torontoist week in ever-decreasing number of shows and are interviewed in NOW, Pulse Of The Twin Cities and The Georgia Straight.

I will have my review of the Hidden Cameras/Toronto Dance Theatre show up tomorrow. Sneak preview? AWESOME. In the meantime, you can read The Toronto Star‘s and The Globe & Mail‘s take on the opening night show.

It’s a freaking nationlism epidemic. Take Your Medicine presents the 47 hottest bands in the UK. I wait with bated breath for the inevitable “hottest bands in Uganda” post.

Catbirdseat is the first on my blogroll to make with the best-of 2005 list, My Old Kentucky Blog and Gorilla Vs Bear a close second. and third. And since I’m not burned out on peoples’ lists yest, I will make with the linkage.

Dear America: Happy Thanksgiving.

np – The Mendoza Line / Fortune