Pop Culture Buzz

The Killers sophomore album was initially hit hard with bad reviews and negative backlash. Some call it the “sophomore slump” or “curse”. After I hearing the disc a few times I think “Sam’s Town” is under appreciated music listening experience. Sure there are Bruce Springsteen, Queen and Eagles riff rip-offs galore, but I think this c.d. will grow on people and one day critics will say this c.d. was a towering achievement. Brandon Flowers is the hottest guy in rock n’ roll at the moment and his vocals are perfectly soothing and crisp. The best example of this is the song “Why Do I Keep Counting”. Give the disc “Sam’s Town” a try, you will be mildly surprised.

*** STARS

I watched Clint Eastwood’s “Letters From Iwo Jima” on the big screen before this years Academy Awards aired and I loved everything about it. Eastwood scores big time with this sweeping, moving moody war time classic. The cinematography and direction are exquisite and worthy of the praise bestowed upon it at this years Oscar ceremony. This film is far more superior than Eastwood’s companion piece “Flags of our Fathers” which was released in September. “Letters” shares the same backdrop as “Flags” which is about the landing at Iwo Jima in WWII.

The characters in “Iwo Jima” are more three dimensional than the main characters in “Flags”. The emotional turmoil and angst of the soldiers is more palpable and heart wrenching. We are slowly introduced to each character with care and ease. Each soldier has a story that moves them to the actions that will lead to their deaths. We get caught up in the stress of knowing these men will not survive and that this is their last stand for their country on Japanese soil. We know the impending doom of the well known Japanese soldier suicide pacts from “Flags of our Fathers” and we watch in agony as they make these decisions.

What Eastwood does with “Iwo Jima” is show us the human, emotional side of the enemy. These soldiers are no different than the American soldiers who are thrown into a war as teenagers, newly married men and fathers. The generals and leaders are not depicted as evil master minds but as humans who have forgotten why they are fighting in the first place. The range and depth of the acting is phenomenal, Ken Wantanabe and the supporting cast were shunned at this years Academy Awards which is a shame. How they were over looked is beyond me.

One of the best key elements of this film is the claustrophobic, intense feel of the caves the soldiers are held up in. Eastwood weaves in out of the tightest spaces giving this film a dark and eery feel. The long winding action shots through the tunnels and caves is mind boggling. The way Eastwood created these sets and maneuvered his camera angles in such a fluid way is incredible. Some of the best scenes in the film take place in the darkest and dirtiest parts of the bunkers. The expansive shots of the storming of the beach are horrific and fantastic. All in all I connected with these Japanese soldiers in a way I wasn’t expecting to. Their story and the images from this film will stick with me for a long while.

#1 - Chris Richardson

This week Chris pulled off a more entertaining pop star performance than any other boy. Compared to Blake this week, his look was less contrived and his song choice was more unique than any other contestant. Chris is adorable and he will go far, but don’t count out Blake who is not far behind

#2 - Blake Lewis

Something about Blake this night turned me off. His look was all over the map and it felt really “effected”. I did love the fact that he brought his beat boxing back and with such creativity. He is a true talent and Chris should be worried about Blake and his other talents for sure. And how much did you love that song choice, “Geek In The Pink”?….Perfect!

# 3 - Chris Sligh

Chris has been picking some strange music choices but his voice has been a breath of fresh air. I do not get why people prefer the bald douche bag Phil over Chris Sligh. I don’t get Phil’s cheesy ballad choices and the whole military thing, it’s just too corny. Chris Sligh has charisma and a sense of humor, that should be worth more votes.

# 4 - A.J. Tabaldo

A.J. is this years surprise male vocalist. He has a great sense of fashion and he has a terrific range. His song selection so far is perfectly on target with what the audience likes. I stand by my first comment that he is a bit nelly, as am I, but will America vote for him in droves? I doubt it. Yeah, I made it a gay issue….get over it.

#5 - Jared Cotter

Does this line up look familiar? This is the same top 5 boys as last week and only the top 2 have changed. Once again Jared impressed me with his sexy, sultry deeep voice. His performance was a little over the top and smarmy but his voice was pitch perfect. Jared just might make the top 12 after all.

Damn, this video is longer than Michael Jackson’s “thriller” video. Clocking in at almost 10 minutes, this video is more like a short film. And if you haven’t heard the rumors lately Miss Scarlett Johansson has taken the place of Cameron Diaz in real life as Justin’s arm candy. Yep, it is true Justin and Scarlett have been secretly dating since the conception of this video. This reportedly has Miss Diaz pissed off beyond belief. It must be rough to be dumped for a younger lady for sure, but Scarlett is way hotter than Cameron Diaz. Miss Johansson already dated Diaz’s ex Jared Leto, and Hollywood gossip columnist have reported Diaz is pissed as hell! And with Scarlett recording her own c.d. which will be out this year, you can see her starting the publicity tour already…..with Justin in tow.

I love a good old fashion guitar heavy, power pop, all chick group like The Pipettes. These gals are super fun pop, creating innovative sounds and fusing many genres to give us this video for “Pull Shapes”. I also love the “Valley of the Dolls 2″ (written by Roger Ebert) references with all the look alike sets and costumes. The characters and scenes are spot on from the original. I like this new infectious little pop gem. I will most likely buy the whole c.d. after enjoying this music video clip.

WEEKEND GROSS / TOTAL GROSS

1.) Ghost Rider $20,067,443 / $79,027,540

2.) The Number $14,602,867 / $14,602,867

3.) Bridge to Terabithia $14,157,645 / $46,805,679

4.) Reno 911!: Miami $10,273,477 / $10,273,477

5.) Norbit $9,825,021 / $74,763,394

6) Music and Lyrics $7,652,433 / $31,715,552

7.) Breach $5,994,950 / $20,304,675

8.) Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls $4,815,337 / $25,132,757

9.) The Astronaut Farmer $4,454,319 / $4,454,319

10.) Amazing Grace $4,054,542 / $12,834,854

A good friend of mine who I will call “the fairy godmother” saw “Fido” at the San Francisco International Independent Film Festival recently and had terrific reviews for this 50’s era, zombie, horror, comedy. She also knows I love dark comedy, spoofs and zombie flicks…so as you may tell by this video clip below I get to see all three in this delicious film. This a movie nerds’s total dream project, just like “Shaun of the Dead” and “Series 7: The Contenders”. If you haven’t seen “Series 7″ rent it, and then see this movie and you will know what I mean.

SURPRISES:

- Last week if you told me Eddie Murphy didn’t win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, I would have been pissed. But last night I realized why I love Alan Arkin’s moving performance in “Little Miss Sunshine” so much, he is so endearing.

- Al Gore was funny! Why couldn’t he have been just like this when we needed it! Please run again Mr. Gore!

- “The Departed” won Best Picture? I love this movie I do, but I don’t think it has anything important to say. “Goodfellas” was a more superior film and had senseless violence potrayed in the same manner as
“The Departed” but the academy has always shunned these kinds of films. The subject matter may be entertaining but does it say anything about culture and society on a large scale like last years winner “Crash” did? If this movie could win, why didn’t “Pulp Fiction”?

- Why was Beyonce singing with Jennifer Hudson? Why did we have to hear Beyonce sing a duet with Jennifer Hudson when all of America just wanted to see why Miss Hudson had just earned her Oscar? Oops Beyonce, I smell a diva tantrum!

- No Anna Nicole Smith in the “death montage”. Hey, she was in “The Naked Gun” movies!

- “Pan’s Labyrinth” loses best foreign language film. Damn them “naughty, dirty little Germans” who won for “The Lives of Others” (thank you for the quote Sharon Stone).

- Melissa Etheridge wins an Oscar! Her dedication to her wife will be remembered as a historical moment.

- “Happy Feet” beats “Cars”. Pixar loses to the guy that made “Babe” and “Mad Max”. Take that Disney!

Performance by an actor in a leading role:

Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland�?

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:

Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine�?

Performance by an actress in a leading role:

Helen Mirren in “The Queen�?

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:

Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls�?

Best animated feature film of the year:

“Happy Feet�? George Miller

Achievement in cinematography:

“Pan’s Labyrinth�?

Achievement in costume design:

“Marie Antoinette�? Milena Canonero

Achievement in directing:

“The Departed�? Martin Scorsese

Best documentary feature:

“An Inconvenient Truth�?

Achievement in film editing:

“The Departed�?

Best foreign language film of the year:

“The Lives of Others�? Germany

Achievement in makeup:

“Pan’s Labyrinth�?

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score):

“Babel�?

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song):

“I Need to Wake Up�? from “An Inconvenient Truth�? Music and Lyric by Melissa Etheridge

Best motion picture of the year:

“The Departed�?

Best animated short film:

“The Danish Poet�?

Achievement in visual effects:

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest�?

Adapted screenplay:

“The Departed�?

Original screenplay:

“Little Miss Sunshine�?

Razorlight is already making a huge splash in the U.K. right now, and for good reasons. The group has perfect mellow guitar driven melodies that can make you melt as well as rock out. These videos are pretty creative as also for newbies. These guys have the potential to become very succesful here in the states and I have already become a fan of theirs. I just purchased my tickets to their San Francisco concert at the historical Bimbo’s venue. And what better a place to see such a thriving underground band of this calibre than at Bimbo’s?

“IN THE MORNING”

“AMERICA”:

I saw the trailer for this movie on this weekends edition of “Saturday Night Live” and was tripped out. Where did this movie come from? And how come I like this teaser so much? With “A Bridge To Tarabithia” making great money and garnishing excellent reviews, this movie could be a sleeper hit of the season. You be the judge yourself here is “The Last Mimzy” fantasy, time travelling family film clip for you to enjoy.

Last year Zero 7 released one of the best electronic albums of the year. “The Garden” is a rare find, full of 70’s sounding chill out music. This c.d. is perfect for the trippy afternoon or a mellow night at home with friends. “Futures” has a familiar, haunting sound that is calming. This year “The Garden” was nominated for best electronic album but lost. I even put this c.d. in my top 15 c.d.’s of the 2006, check it out if you can.

#1 - Lakisha Jones

As soon as I heard the first bars of “And I Am Telling You, I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls” I knew this girl had some guts and raw vocal power. Her performance made me tear up and gave me chills. This performance was in a whole other league than that of any other contestant.

#2 - Melinda Doolittle

Melinda is a blessing in this contest. She is sweet, shy and real. She has the vocal chops of a young Aretha or Mary J. Blige. Her quiet charming personality only cements her place in this contest. She will go very far if America knows what is right.

#3 - Sabrina Sloan

I had no idea who Sabrina Sloan was, but didn’t care when she started to sing. She sounded just like Christina Aguillera and her energy was infectious. Her loud, powerful voice will get her far in the beginning but will it be able to compete with #1 & #2? I cannot wait to see this battle!

#4 - Stephanie Edwards

Stephanie put the boys to shame as the first girl to perform. The men looked like karaoke chumps after seeing Kimberly walk on stage and fall to her knees. I love the theatrics and dramatic flair she adds to her performace. I wonder what she will do next!

#5 - Jordin Sparks

Once again my number 5 pick is so-so. Jordin did well, but didn’t do much to boost her popularity with a boring song and look. I could care less if she goes far, as far as I concerned this show belongs to these other girls on this list.

The Scissor Sisters new c.d. “Ta-Dah” continues to pump out the hits. The disc is full of catchy dance tunes that remind you of early Elton John. The “Sisters” also have shown they are music video innovators with this clip. I always enjoy a good dance re-mix of oneof their songs also, so I hope they release a maxi single for this song. After seeing them live 3 times last year I have cemented my status as an uber fan. If you havenot had a chance to listen to Ta-Dah then I suggest you go buy a copy A.S.A.P.

Scarlett Johansson is one of my favorite actresses so I am glad to see she has chosen some lighter material for her next movie. “The Nanny Diaries” may not be Oscar material, but I love a silly feel good girlie comedy every now and then. Women will flock to see this in droves much like they did for “Bridget Jones’s Diary”. With not many female driven roles or movies out there on the horizon this could do very well.

I am going to put Morrissey’s delicious 2006 c.d. “Ringleader of the Tormentors” back into my iPod. The c.d. as well as this song are classic Morrissey ripe with witty, dry lyrics touched with raw emotion. Here is Moz’s awesome “In the Future When All Is Well” music video for your pleasure. I love this song and think the band looks just as hot as ever!