Bits and Pieces

I used to think I was the only one.
Who never knew what it was like to fall.
But you came along, changed all the rules that day.
And just for a moment I had it all.
You are the dream I live with, you are the wish I'd made:
The name I always whisper in every prayer I pray.
Now that you left me; while you forget me.
I'll hold you in my dreams.

Now I go on here in my lonely world.
But there's still a bridge I cannot cross.
I can't let go so please forgive me, girl.
'Cause God only knows all that I've lost.

You are the dream I live with, you are the wish I'd made:
The name I always whisper in every prayer I pray.
Now that you left me; while you forget me.

You are the dream I live with, you are the wish I'd made:
The name I always whisper in every prayer I pray.
Now that you left me; while you forget me.
I'll hold you, I'll hold you, in my dreams.

Carell plays Andy, an unassuming clerk in an electronic equipment store who gets drawn into a poker game with a trio of his co-workers. As the guys swap sex stories, it becomes painfully evident that Andy doesn't have any of his own, having given up on women after a couple of painful (and painfully funny) early miscues.

That's right, as hard as it is to believe, a fellow who collects superhero action figures that fill his apartment and still rides a bike to work has managed to reach 40 without getting laid. So after subjecting Andy to some schoolyard humiliation, his newfound pals -- salesmen David (Paul Rudd) and Jay (Romany Malco) and stock worker Cal (Seth Rogen) -- make it their business to remove the scarlet "V" from Andy's resume.

They begin with the easy stuff, coaching Andy on how to pick up "drunk *****es" in bars or prodding him to chat up customers, which leads to Andy's relationship with Trish (Catherine Keener), who runs a "store" that sells people's stuff via eBay. (It's one of several prominent product placements in the movie.)

Trish wants to take things slowly, which is just fine by Andy, whose lack of experience has him dreading the moment perhaps more than anticipating it.

Written by Carell and producer Judd Apatow, "Virgin" derives much of its humor from the non-virgins trying to lead Andy to the promised land -- three stooges who, each in his own way, are far more dysfunctional than he is. David, for example, hasn't gotten over a girlfriend he's borderline stalking, Jay chronically cheats on his soul-mate, and Cal is a roly-poly goofball full of moronic dating advice.

"Be David Caruso in 'Jade,'" he says in one of the better obscure non-sequiturs in recent memory.

Following his starring role in NBC's adaptation of "The Office" as well as first-class stints in "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" (which Apatow produced) and "Bruce Almighty," Carell is established as a possible addition to the ranks of comedy headliners, while pic wisely lightens his burden with an able supporting cast. Beyond the guys, that includes Jane Lynch -- a veteran of Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy's "Best in Show"troupe -- as Andy's boss and Elizabeth Banks as another potential conquest who he chats up, with surprising success, using Cal's seduction tips.

Although there are a few big sight gags -- highlighted by the hirsute Andy's extremely painful body wax -- most of the comedy comes from the quirky characters and their decidedly unenlightened views regarding sexual conquests. Rudd, the scene-stealing Malco (currently seen in Showtime's "Weeds") and Rogen (a veteran of Apatow's TV shows "Undeclared"and "Freaks and Geeks"are all dead-on, making the most of high school put-downs of the "You know why you're gay?" variety.

As with "Wedding Crashers," "Virgin" is occasionally guilty of trying too hard, and there are a few dry spells that probably could have been cured by judicious editing. For all the cleverness displayed here, there's not quite enough gas in the tank to sustain what's nearly a two-hour running time.

Still, there's an ample supply of inspired irreverence to amuse a younger audience, and pic closes with a catchy sequence that should stir even a slightly older demo into humming an especially appropriate song from the '80s -- "Just Got Lucky" -- as they head up the aisles.

Pink Floyd Founder Dies

By Josh Grossberg Tue Jul 11, 3:45 PM ET

Pink Floyd has lost its "crazy diamond."

Syd Barrett, the brilliant, erratic catalyst for Floyd's early success, "died peacefully at home" last Friday at 60, according to his brother. The musician had been in ill health for years, battling type 2 diabetes, as well as stomach ulcers.

A singer and guitarist, and originally the band's principal songwriter, Barrett masterminded Pink Floyd's breakthrough album, Pipers at the Gates of Dawn, before being sidelined in the late 1960s by LSD-induced behavioral problems.

In a statement, the surviving members of the seminal band, said they "are naturally very upset and sad" at the news of Barrett's passing. "Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire."

Barrett teamed with bassist

Roger Waters, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright to launch Floyd in 1965, deriving the name from two bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

Barrett fronted the band during its initial rise to fame, culminating with the 1967 classic The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which mixed jazz, rock and R&B with psychedelia--a template for the prog-rock sound the band refined in its 1970s heyday--and propelled Floyd to stardom.

But Barrett couldn't enjoy the band's triumphs. He began to suffer from increasingly severe mental problems brought on by his heavy use of LSD and mood-altering drugs, frequently faltering during concerts.

In January 1968, his Floyd mates invited friend and fellow guitarist-vocalist

David Gilmour to take over playing Barrett's parts during live shows, but with the understanding that Barrett would continue writing and recording songs.

Ultimately though, as Barrett grew increasingly unpredictable and his musical output dwindled, he was booted from the band. Only one track he wrote, "Jugband Blues," made it onto Floyd's second album, 1968's A Saucerful of Secrets.

With Waters assuming band leadership, Floyd cemented its legendary status with a string of masterpieces, including 1973's Dark Side of the Moon, the 1975 tribute to Barrett, Wish You Were Here, which featured the epic track "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," and 1979's The Wall.

The post-Barrett Pink Floyd sold over 200 million albums and became one of the most mesmerizing live acts in music history. The band, Barrett included, was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

On his Website Tuesdsay,

David Bowie recounted how he was influenced by Barrett. "The few times I saw him perform in London at UFO and the Marquee clubs during the '60s will forever be etched in my mind. He was so charismatic and such a startlingly original songwriter. Also...he was the first guy I'd heard to sing pop or rock with a British accent," said Bowie, who recorded a cover of the Barrett-penned Floyd song "See Emily Play" for his 1973 album, Pin Ups.

"I can't tell you how sad I feel...His impact on my thinking was enormous. A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."

He was born Roger Keith Barrett, on Jan. 6, 1946 in Cambridge, England, the youngest of five children of a pathologist and his wife. Barrett studied music when he was a boy at the behest of his parents and acquired the nicknam, "Syd" as a nod to a local Cambridge musician named Sid Barrett.

After joining together, Barrett, Waters, Mason and Wright began by playing mainly R&B covers as did their contemporaries in the Beatles, Rolling Stones and the Who.

Eventually, Barrett and company began to improvise more and incorporate feedback and echoes into their live shows, drawing a passionate following at London's UFO club. The band secured its record deal based on the Barrett composition "Arnold Layne," and he wrote eight tracks on Piper, the most successful being the Top 10 U.K. single "See Emily Play."

After leaving Pink Floyd, Barrett recorded two solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, both of which failed commercially. He subsequently exited the music industry altogether and became a recluse, spending the rest of his life living with his mother.

Barrett shocked his former band mates by paying them a surprise visit during recording sessions for Wish You Were Here.

According to Nick Mason's book, Inside Out; A Personal History of Pink Floyd, it was a sad reunion--Barrett had become virtually unrecognizable to the band, having gained weight and shaved his head and eyebrows. Barrett had also taken to randomly brushing his teeth and jumping up and down in place. The sight so upset Waters that he nearly broke down.

"Roger was in tears, I think I was; we were both in tears," Wright once told VH1. "It was very shocking...seven years of no contact and then to walk in while we're actually doing that particular track ["Shine on You Crazy Diamond"]. I don't know--coincidence, karma, fate, who knows? But it was very, very, very powerful."

That image of Barrett was later recalled in a scene in Pink Floyd's The Wall, Alan Parker's 1981 feature, when

Bob Geldof also had his eyebrows shaved.

No immediate word on a public memorial, but Barrett's brother Alan tells the British music site NME.com that there will be a private family funeral in the next few days.