Pop Culture Buzz

FROM ROLLINGSTONE.COM

The organizers of the first big festival of 2009, California’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, have finally announced the lineup for their epic desert fest: Paul McCartney, the Killers and the Cure will headline on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively (the fest runs April 17th, 18th and 19th at the Empire Polo Club in Indio). The date will mark the U.S. festival debut of Sir Paul, who says in a statement, “I have heard that Coachella is one of the greatest festivals in the world. I’m really excited to get out there and rock!” The April 17th lineup will also include Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leonard Cohen, Franz Ferdinand and Morrissey (not the Smiths, as many had hoped). Joining the Killers on the April 18th are TV on the Radio and the return of Amy Winehouse.

Robert Smith and Co. are headlining on April 19th, but the real draw may be My Bloody Valentine, who will finally make their Coachella debut after being at the forefront of most booking rumors last year. Sunday night is ’80s Night at the Indio festival, with bands like X, Throbbing Gristle, Public Enemy and Paul Weller all performing. Plus, there will be sets from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Lupe Fiasco.

On the smaller stages, each day is dotted with top shelf indie acts, ranging from the Black Keys, Girl Talk and the Hold Steady on Friday to Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and Liars on Saturday and Okkervil River, Antony & The Johnsons and No Age on Sunday. And that’s just naming a few.

If there’s one night that maybe looks weaker on paper, it’s probably the Saturday, April 18th lineup. Coachella had a cure to improve their slow-selling Saturday bill last year: adding Prince at the last minute. This year, there’s a star by the name of Bruce Springsteen who happens to be available during Coachella because of a six-day gap in his tour schedule that leaves him in Los Angeles with nothing to do starting on April 15th. Coincidence? We’ll find out soon.

Keep in mind, today’s announcement doesn’t include all those specialty dance tents that Coachella features. Britney Spears is among those rumored to be playing a dance tent in a move similar to Madonna’s appearance at the festival in 2006. Tickets for this year’s festival go on sale today at noon at the Coachella site, and interested buyers may want to take advantage of a layaway payment plan: today through February 28th, fans can pay 50 percent of the cost of a weekend pass now and the rest in either two installments or one final payment in March and April.

Scottish dance rock band Franz Ferdinand released their new single “Ulysses” on January 19th. The single is featured on the band’s third studio album titled “Tonight” which features 12 new tracks. I have seen these guys live in concert and they throw quite the show, so I am very excited to hear this new material.

The single is the first release from FF’s third album called “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand” out later this month. “Ulysses” was produced by the band and Dan Carey during the album sessions at FF’s HQ in Glasgow and Carey’s south London studio.

Franz Ferdinand are about to embark on a series of U.K. and European dates. The group has also announced two more live dates as part of their tour this Spring as a part of their “Tonight: Franz Ferdinand” jaunt. The tour supports the art-rocker’s third album of the same name for which the group have scheduled additional gigs.

Watch the new music video from Franz Ferdinand bleow:

This action packed sci-fi thriller involves a group of young American ex-pats with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities, hiding from a clandestine U.S. government agency. They must utilize their different talents and band together for a final job enabling them to escape the agency forever. This sleak looking film stars Dakota Fanning and the always sexy Chris Evans and Djimon Hounsou. Check out the trailer below:

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF 50 NEW SONGS FOR WINTER 2009!

(SONG PLAYLIST IS SET ON RANDOM SHUFFLE AND ARE IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)

Paul Rudd is coming off a hot year of top notch comedies (”Role Models” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) and it looks like he is riding his hot streak of hits into 2009 with “I Love You, Man”. As if you needed another reason to love Rudd’s sweet comedic timing and dry wit!

The same could be said for Jason Segel who is a Hollywood darling at the moment, his addition to this comedy is a perfect match. I am also a huge fan of the gorgeous Rashida Jones from her brief turn on “The Office”. Something tells me that the word “man-date” will be huge in 2009.

MOVIE SUMMARY:

In “I Love You, Man”, Paul Rudd plays a successful real estate agent who, upon getting engaged to the woman of his dreams, Zooey, (”The Offices” Rashida Jones), discovers, to his dismay and chagrin, that he has no male friend close enough to serve as his Best Man.

Peter immediately sets out to rectify the situation, embarking on a series of bizarre and awkward man-dates, before meeting Sydney Fife (Jason Segel, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), a charming, opinionated man with whom he instantly bonds. But the closer the two men get, the more Peters relationship with Zooey suffers, ultimately forcing him to choose between his fiancée and his new found bro, in a story that comically explores what it truly means to be a friend.

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER BELOW:

Worst Picture
Disaster Movie
The Happening
The Hottie And The Nottie
In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
The Love Guru
Meet The Spartans

Worst Actor
Larry the Cable Guy - Witless Protection
Eddie Murphy - Meet Dave
Mike Myers - The Love Guru
Al Pacino - 88 Minutes and Righteous Kill
Mark Wahlberg - The Happening and Max Payne

Worst Actress
Jessica Alba - The Eye and The Love Guru
Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Meg Ryan - The cast of The Women
Cameron Diaz - What Happens in Vegas
Paris Hilton - The Hottie And The Nottie
Kate Hudson - Fools Gold and My Best Friend’s Wedding

Worst Supporting Actor
Uwe Boll (as Himself) - Postal
Pierce Brosnan - Mamma Mia!
Ben Kingsley - The Love Guru, War Inc. and The Wackness
Burt Reynolds - Deal and In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
Verne Troyer - The Love Guru and Postal

Worst Supporting Actress
Carmen Electra - Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans
Paris Hilton - Repo: The Genetic Opera
Kim Kardashian - Disaster Movie
Jenny McCarthy - The Witless Protection
Leelee Sobieski - 88 Minutes and In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Worst Screen Couple
Uwe Boll and ANY Actor, Camera or Screenplay
Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher - What Happens in Vegas
Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore - Hottie and the Nottie
Larry the Cable Guy & Jenny McCarthy - Witless Protection
Eddie Murphy IN Eddie Murphy - Meet Dave

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Disaster Movie and Meet The Spartans
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull
Speed Racer
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Worst Director
Uwe Boll - 1968: Tunnel Rats, In The Name Of The King and Postal
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer - Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans
Tom Putnam - The Hottie and the Nottie
Marco Schnabel - The Love Guru
M. Night Shyamalan - The Happening

Worst Screenplay
Disaster Movie and Meet The Spartans - Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
The Happening - M. Night Shyamalan
The Hottie And The Nottie - Heidi Ferrer
In The Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale - Doug Taylor
The Love Guru - Mike Myers and Graham Gordy

Worst Career Acheivement
Uwe Boll

1. Best Picture: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire.”

2. Actor: Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”; Frank Langella, “Frost/Nixon”; Sean Penn, “Milk”; Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”

3. Actress: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”; Melissa Leo, “Frozen River”; Meryl Streep, “Doubt”; Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”

4. Supporting Actor: Josh Brolin, “Milk”; Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”; Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”; Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”; Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road.”

5. Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, “Doubt”; Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”; Viola Davis, “Doubt”; Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler.”

6. Director: David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”; Gus Van Sant, “Milk”; Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”; Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

7. Foreign Film: “The Baader Meinhof Complex,” Germany; “The Class,” France; “Departures,” Japan; “Revanche,” Austria; “Waltz With Bashir,” Israel.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”; John Patrick Shanley, “Doubt”; Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon”; David Hare, “The Reader”; Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire.”

9. Original Screenplay: Courtney Hunt, “Frozen River”; Mike Leigh, “Happy-Go-Lucky”; Martin McDonagh, “In Bruges”; Dustin Lance Black, “Milk”; Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter, “WALL-E.”

10. Animated Feature Film: “Bolt”; “Kung Fu Panda”; “WALL-E.”

11. Art Direction: “Changeling,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Duchess,” “Revolutionary Road.”

12. Cinematography: “Changeling,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “The Reader,” “Slumdog Millionaire.”

13. Sound Mixing: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “WALL-E,” “Wanted.”

14. Sound Editing: “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “WALL-E,” “Wanted.”

15. Original Score: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Alexandre Desplat; “Defiance,” James Newton Howard; “Milk,” Danny Elfman; “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman; “WALL-E,” Thomas Newman.

16. Original Song: “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E,” Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; “Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; “O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire,” A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam.

17. Costume: “Australia,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Duchess,” “Milk,” “Revolutionary Road.”

18. Documentary Feature: “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon),” “Encounters at the End of the World,” “The Garden,” “Man on Wire,” “Trouble the Water.”

19. Documentary (short subject): “The Conscience of Nhem En,” “The Final Inch,” “Smile Pinki,” “The Witness — From the Balcony of Room 306.”

20. Film Editing: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “Slumdog Millionaire.”

21. Makeup: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Hellboy II: The Golden Army.”

22. Animated Short Film: “La Maison en Petits Cubes,” “Lavatory — Lovestory,” “Oktapodi,” “Presto,” “This Way Up.”

23. Live Action Short Film: “Auf der Strecke (On the Line),” “Manon on the Asphalt,” “New Boy,” “The Pig,” “Spielzeugland (Toyland).”

24. Visual Effects: “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man.”

PLOT SUMMARY:

It came from another galaxy a creeping, crawling, nightmare of terror! Set in 1957, “Alien Trespass” chronicles a fiery object from space that crashes into a mountaintop in the California desert, bringing the threat of disaster to Earth. Out of the flying saucer escapes a murderous creature – the Ghota, which is bent on destroying all life forms on the planet.

The film follows a benevolent alien from the spaceship, Urp, who inhabits the body of Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack) – a local astronomer –and with the help of Tammy, (Jenni Baird) a waitress from the local diner, they set out to save mankind.

Good silly fun, “Alien Trespass” is a dead-on spoof of cheapo ’50s sci-fi programmers done with plenty of self-deprecating humor. Set to begin its gradual theatrical launch April 3, this Roadshow Attractions pickup holds appeal to several audience niches, including fanboys, kids and families looking for some laughs, but could ultimately be just too tame and devotedly retro to break out beyond specialty release.

Phillipa “Pip” Brown better known by her stage name Ladyhawke, is a New Zealand solo singer-songwriter, playing all the instruments in studio and touring with a band. Ladyhawke named herself after the 80’s cult film starring Matthew Broderick and Michelle Pfeiffer of the same name. Ladyhawke is best known for the 2008 single “Paris Is Burning”, which she wrote after a visit to Paris.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, and well Ladyhawke’s album cover sums up exactly what she is about. Nostalgia from the 80’s plays a huge part of her songwriting (note the headband, synth, and video game), citing ladies like Kim Wilde and Pat Benetar as influences. But Ladyhawke also relates to more current female performers such as Annie and Peaches (with whom she has worked on the remix project for her single “Paris Is Burning”).

Don’t confuse Ladyhawke with other electroclash bands that are more dark and gloomy - Ladyhawke is more upbeat and pop oriented, like if Kylie Minogue were cool and played rock music. Check out her bad ass video collection below:

BACK OF THE VAN

PARIS IS BURNING

MY DELIRIUM

DUSK ‘TIL DAWN

2008 TURNED OUT TO BE A GREAT YEAR FOR POP CULTURE. THIS WAS A YEAR OF BIG LET DOWNS AND QUIRKY SURPRISES. READ MY PICKS, NUMBERED IN ORDER, FOR MY FAVORITE MOVIES, TELEVISION, MUSIC AND CONCERTS BELOW. LET ME KNOW IF YOUR FAVORITES MADE THE CUT AND MAKE A COMMENT!

THE BEST MOVIES OF 2008

1.) “Wall-E”
2.) “Milk”
3.) “The Wrestler”
4.) “Slumdog Millionaire”
5.) “Pineapple Express”
6.) “Hamlet 2″
7.) “Religulous”
8.) “Let the Right One In”
9.) “Kung-Fu Panda”
10.) “The Dark Knight”
11.) “Baby Mama”
12.) “Man on Wire”
13.) “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”
14.) “Revolutionary Road”
15.) “Horton Hears A Who”
16.) “Frost/Nixon”
17.) “Role Models”
18.) “Tropic Thunder”
19.) “Bolt”
20.) “Iron Man”
21.) “The House Bunny”
22.) “Be Kind, Rewind”
23.) “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army”
24.) “Snow Angels”,
25.) “Bigger, Stronger, Faster”

THE BEST HORROR FILMS OF 2008

1.) “Cloverfield”
2.) “Splinter”
3.) “Quarantine”
4.) “The Ruins”
5.) “The Strangers”

THE BEST TELEVISION OF 2008

1.) “True Blood”
2.) “30 Rock”
3.) “Mad Men”
4.) “The Soup”
5.) “Lost”
6.) “Summer Heights High”
7.) “Big Brother”
8.) “Judge Judy”
9.) “So You Think You Can Dance”
10.) “The Office”
11.) “Wipeout”
12.) “Reality Bites Back”
13.) “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List”
14.) “The First 48″
15.) “Little Britain USA”

(MY MUSIC CHOICES ARE BASED ON ALBUMS AND SINGLES THAT WERE RELEASED WORLDWIDE IN THE YEAR 2008 - ROBYN, M.I.A., RIHANNA AND KYLIE MINOGUE HAD ALBUMS THAT CAME OUT IN 2007! THE SINGLES FROM THOSE ALBUMS DON’T COUNT, THEY MADE MY LIST LAST YEAR!)

THE BEST SONGS OF 2008

1.) Sam Sparro - “Black & Gold”
2.) Hercules & Love Affair - “Blind”
3.) Duffy - “Mercy”
4.) Estelle - “American Boy”
5.) Alphabeat - “10,000 Nights of Thunder”/”Fascination”
6.) Robin Thicke feat. Mary J. Blige - “Magic”
7.) The Ting Ting’s - “That’s Not My Name”
8.) Beyonce - “All the Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It)”
9.) Adele - “Chasing Pavements”
10.) MGMT - “Time to Pretend”
11.) Goldfrapp - “Happiness”
12.) Lilly Allen - “Guess Who Batman (Fuck You)”
13.) Cyndi Lauper - “Into the Nightlife”
14.) Death Cab For Cutie - “I Will Posess Your Heart”
15.) Of Montreal - “St. Exquisites Confession”
16.) Hot Chip - “Ready For The Floor”
17.) The Freemasons - “When You Touch Me”
18.) M83 - “Kim & Jessie”
19.) Natasha Bedingfield - “Love Like This”/”Pocket Full of Sunshine”
20.) She & Him - “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”
21.) Morgan Page feat. Lissie - “The Longest Road”
22.) Pink - “So What”
23.) Gnarls Barkley - “Run”
24.) Neyo - “Closer”
25.) Ben DJ - “Me & Myself”
26.) Portishead - “The Rip”
27.) Gabriella Cilmi - “Sweet About Me”/Sarah Bereillis - “Love Song”
28.) Annie - “I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me”
29.) Mutya Buena feat. Amy Winehouse - “B-Boy Baby”
30.) The Raconteurs - “Old Enough”

THE BEST ALBUMS OF 2008

1.) My Morning Jacket - “Evil Urges”
2.) Jenny Lewis - “Acid Tongue”
3.) Alphabeat - “Alphabeat”
4.) Robin Thicke - “Something Else”
5.) Hercules & Love Affair - “Hercules & Love Affair”
6.) Kaskade - “Strobelight Seduction”
7.) Santogold - “Santogold”
8.) Vampire Weekend - “Vampire Weekend”
9.) Adele - “19″
10.) Duffy - “Rockferry”
11.) Goldfrapp - “Seventh Tree”
12.) The Ting Tings - “We Started Nothing”
13.) MGMT - “Oracular Spectacular”
14.) Ashlee Simpson - “Bittersweet World”
15.) Sia - “Some People Have Bigger Problems”
16.) Lykke Li - “Youth Novels”
17.) Midnight Juggernauts - “Dystopia”
18.) Moby - “Last Night”
19.) She & Him - “Volume One”
20.) Madonna - “Hard Candy”
21.) Kate Nash - “Made of Bricks”
22.) Ladyhawke - “Ladyhawke”
23.) Cyndi Lauper - “Bring Ya to the Brink”
24.) Coldplay - “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends”
25.) Erykah Badu - “New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)”
26.) Sam Sparro - “Sam Sparro”
27.) Ray Lamontagne - “Gossip in the Grain”
28.) Bon Iver - “For Emma, Forever Ago”
29.) Crystal Castles - “Crystal Castles”
30.) Beck - “Modern Guilt”
31.) Fleet Foxes - “Fleet Foxes”
32.) Death Cab For Cutie - “Narrow Stairs”
33.) Cat Power - “Jukebox”
34.) The Killers - “Day & Age”
35.) Lucinda Williams - “Little Honey”

THE BEST LIVE SHOWS OF 2009

1.) Mark Ronson - Coachella 2008
2.) My Morning Jacket - Greek Theater
3.) Calvin Harris - Cochella 2008
4.) Madonna - “Sticky & Sweet Tour” Oakland, CA
5.) Mika - The Warfield
6.) Rilo Kiley - Coachella 2008
6.) Robyn - Popscene S.F.
7.) Justice - Treasure Island Music Festival
8.) Hot Chip - Cochella 2008
9.) My Morning Jacket - Coachella 2008
10.) Vampire Weekend - Coachella 2008
11.) Kaskade - Coachella 2008
12.) Goldfrapp - Coachella 2008
13.) Robyn - Bimbo’s S.F.
14.) Roger Waters - Coachella 2008
15.) Duffy - Coachella 2008
16.) Dimitri From Paris - Coachella 2008
17.) Chris Isaak - The Filmore S.F.
18.) DJ Mehdi - Coachella 2008
19.) She & Him - Bimbo’s S.F.
20.) Prince - Coachella 2008

DISAPPOINTING LIVE PERFORMANCES

1.) Hercules & Love Affair
2.) Chromeo
3.) TV on the Radio
4.) Midnight Juggernauts
5.) Death Cab for Cutie
6.) The Racontuers
7.) Sia
8.) Kate Nash
9.) The Verve
10.) Gogol Bordello

THE WORST MUSIC OF 2008

Metro Station - “Shake It”
Lady Gaga - “Just Dance”
Britney - “Womanizer”
David Archuletta - “David Archuletta”
David Cook - “David Cook”
Nickleback - “Dark Horse”
Janet Jackson - “Discipline”
Jonas Brothers - “Burning Up”
Miley Cyrus - “Break Out”
Basshunter - “Now You’re Gone”
Dido - “Safe Trip Home”
Kanye West - “808’s and Heartbreak”
Terrence Howard - “Shine Through It”
Jessica Simpson - “Do You Know”

THE WORST MOVIES OF 2008

“Meet The Spartans”
“Vantage Point”
“Star Wars: The Clone Wars”
“What Happens in Vegas”
“The Love Guru”
“Hancock”
“Fred Clause”
“Meet Dave”
“10,000 B.C.”
“The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor”
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

THE WORST TV OF 2008

“American Idol 7″
“Three and a Half Men”
“The Hills”
“The Real World Hollywood”
“Living Lohan”
“Denise Richards: It’s Complicated”
“The Mole”
“The Moment of Truth”
“The Tyra Banks Show”
“Paris Hilton’s New BFF”
“A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila”
“Hole in the Wall”
“I Love Money”
“Top Design”

Are you starving for a story as good as “nipping from aglass of brandy in the eventide?” I have the perfect book in me grasp that will sate your hunger for a swash buckling adventure: SILVER: MY OWN TALE AS WRITTEN BY ME WITH A GOODLY AMOUNT OF MURDER, a novel by Edward Chupack.

Held captive in a cabin on his own ship, the notorious pirate Long John Silver, fever-ridden and almost blind, is on his way towards England and the hangman’s noose. Before he hangs, Long John writes SILVER, as a record of his life andtimes. “SILVER” is not the revised story of “Treasure Island” , but a parallel tale fromthe villain’s point of view and even includes new characters and buccaneers. It is the “true” and complete history of Long John Silver’s life.

“SILVER” is a great read, the perfect gift for that pirate-lover in your life, or for anyone who always wanted to hear more from Long John in “Treasure Island”.

I am a huge fan of this new progressive pop sound coming from Sweden and other countries in Europe. Robyn, Annie, Kleerup and The Sounds all have a catchy underlined sound with layers of dark throbbing beats. Lykke Li is another Swedish pop tart with sassy lyrics and classic dance hooks. Her debut album “Youth Novel” is a 4 star pop classic that is ahead of its time and worthy of any music snobs iPod rotation. Watch Lykke Li’s music videos below:

“I’M GOOD, I’M GONE”

“BREAKING IT UP”

*** STARS

“Revolutionary Road” is one of the most intense and traumatizing films I have seen in a long time. After leaving the theater I felt completely drained and emotionally wrecked. This film is so good it is devastating. The subject matter of this film is not only compelling but it is exhaustingly all too real. If you go into this film looking for the romantic chemistry of “Titanic”, then you will be in for quite a shock.

Set in 1955, the film focuses on the hopes and aspirations of Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April Wheeler (Kate Winslet), self-assured Connecticut suburbanites who see themselves as very different from their neighbors in the Revolutionary Hill Estates. Seeking to break out of their suburban rut, April convinces Frank they should move to Paris. As they start to plan the move and share their ideas with friends, their marriage begins to crumble exposing the ugly side of their private lives.

Watching these two extremely talented actors square off in explosive fits of anger reminded me of Liz Taylor and Richard Burton’s electrifying abusive performances in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolf?”. It was hard to tell how much of these scenes were improvised and how much of it was actually scripted, it felt so real. Just like the brilliant basic cable show “Mad Men” set in the late 50’s, this film makes you wonder about the ideals and morals that this time in our History has instilled into society and how it eventually conflicts with true happiness.

Viewers in the mood for a gut wrenching drama with two of the best actors around should go ahead and partake, but be prepared to leave the theatre in a state of profound depression. “Revolutionary Road” is a mesmerizing look at marriage, personal mistakes and spoiled dreams that hits hard right from the beginning and never lets up. Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio both deserve Best Acting Nominations at this years Academy Awards. This may even be the role that Kate Winslet needs to score her first ever gold statue; it would be rightfully deserved if so!

“Killshot” is a 2009 thriller film based on the 1989 novel of the same name by Elmore Leonard. The film is directed by John Madden and stars Diane Lane and Thomas Jane as a couple who, despite being in a witness protection program, are discovered by the criminal they outed, portrayed by Mickey Rourke.

Rourke is on a roll lately and these types of complex roles will continue to keep him employed. I for one am a huge Thomas Jane and Joseph Gordon-Levitt and I look forward to seeing this movie next fall. All of the right signs say this could be an intense thriller, lets hope it’s a sleeper hit that will blow our socks off!

“I’m Throwing My Arms Around Paris” is the title of the new song written by Morrissey along with Boz Boorer, the two being responsible for lyrics and music respectively. The song is to be the first single released from Morrissey’s 2009 album “Years of Refusal”. It was recorded in Los Angeles and produced by Jerry Finn, the man behind 2004’s brilliant album “You Are the Quarry”. The single is to be officially released on February 9, 2009. For other Moz fans like myself, here is the new video for his first single below that was released yesterday! Enjoy!