Pop Culture Buzz

“Ponyo” (titled “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea” in it’s native Japan when it was release in 2008) is a 2009 animated film by the Japanese anime studio Studio Ghibli, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. The film did well in Japan grossing over $150 million. It is Miyazaki’s tenth film for Ghibli, his others being the Academy Award winning animated classic “Spirited Away”, “Princess Mononoke” and “Howl’s Moving Castle” among others.

The plot centers on a juvenile fish named Ponyo who wants to become a human girl. In pursuing her goal, she befriends a five-year-old human boy, Sosuke. The film releases in theaters in the US on August 14, 2009. The movie is Produced by Frank Marshall, Hayao Miyazaki & John Lasseter.

Miley Cyrus’s younger sister, Noah Cyrus, will voice Ponyo, while The Jonas Brothers little brother, Frankie Jonas will voice Sosuke. The film is rated G by the MPAA, being Hayao Miyazaki’s first film to be rated G by the MPAA since the 1998 direct-to-video release “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.

“The Box” is an upcoming horror film based on the 1970 short story “Button, Button” by author Richard Matheson. The film is written and directed by Richard Kelly (”Donnie Darko”) and stars Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as a couple who receive a box with a mysterious power. Kelly described his intent for the film, “My hope is to make a film that is incredibly suspenseful and broadly commercial, while still retaining my artistic sensibility”. “The Box” is scheduled for release on October 30, 2009 just in time to creep you out this Halloween.

(ARTICLE FROM COMINGSOON.NET)

USA Today has published new images from Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” featuring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen, and Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. Also included are three more pieces of concept art.

The traditional tale has been freshened with a blast of girl power, courtesy of writer Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast). Alice, 17, attends a party at a Victorian estate only to find she is about to be proposed to in front of hundreds of snooty society types. Off she runs, following a white rabbit into a hole and ending up in Wonderland, a place she visited 10 years before yet doesn’t remember.

Pixie Lott is a 18-year-old British singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. “Mama Do” is the lead single from her highly anticipated debut album “Turn It Up”. The single is also known as “Mama Do (Uh Oh, Uh Oh)”, which is the full title, but frequently abbreviated. The strikingly attractive blond 18-year-old who is not only beautiful, but has an impressive and rich voice that makes her emergence on the music scene so exciting. Watch her fun video below:

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF OVER 100 OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE TV SHOW THEME SONGS!!!

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

MARTIKA - “I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE” (1988)

THE BANGLES - “ETERNAL FLAME” (1989)

TAYLOR DAYNE - “I’LL BE YOUR SHELTER” (1990)

TRACY SPENCER - “THIS HOUSE” (1991)

“Zombieland,” a zombie comedy, has a release date of October 9th of this year and stars Woody Harrelson as “Tallahassee,” a man who looks to be quite skilled at killing zombies. The film revolves around a mismatched pair of survivors who find friendship and redemption in a world overrun by zombies. Judging from the trailer, it looks like it’s going to be loads of fun! It also stars super-cute Emma Stone, and … Bill Murray as a zombie??? Check out the kick ass trailer below!

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF 35 NEW SONGS BY MOBY, DAVE MATTHEWS BAND, MANDY MOORE, GRIZZLY BEAR, MAXWELL & MORE!!

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

David Lynch directed the video for the latest Moby track, “Shot In Back Of The Head”, from his upcoming album, “Wait For Me” (his 9th studio album). This track didn’t excite me too much, primarily because Moby’s already composed music that sounds very similar to it. I like David Lynch’s funny-crude sketches, but expected to see something more memorable. Moby called in his friends to help record the album, doodled the album art with sharpie on some copy paper and did the whole thing from the comfort of his own home. What do you think of the song and music video below?

The Juan Maclean have released their new single “One Day”, off the American electronic group’s second album titled “The Future Will Come”, which is out now on DFA Records. I love the 80’s throw back music video below, even though I do acknowledge it is very similar to every Human League song ever recorded. The Juan Maclean has been described as disco + electro + indie + funk and with Nancy Whang (of LCD Soundsystem) back on vocal duty this album is sure to rock.

Victoria Hesketh, known professionally as Little Boots, is a British electropop musician. She sings, plays keyboards, Japanese electronic instrument the Tenori-on, piano and the stylophone. Little Boots tours with a live drummer and keyboardist, and says she’s not a fan of playing to pre-recorded tracks. The official video for Little Boots single “New In Town” posted below reminds me of early Goldfrapp meets current Swedish pop diva Lykke Li. I am a huge fan of electro-pop and Little Boots already has me humming her tunes.

LISTEN TO A NON-STOP MIX OF OVER 100 SONGS FOR YOUR SUMMER VACATION BY THE GO-GO’S, THE BEACH BOYS, JIMMY BUFFET, BOB MARLEY, JACK JOHNSON, BANANARAMA, THE BEATLES AND MORE!!

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

*** STARS

“The Hangover” is the guilty pleasure comedy hit of the summer. It’s just funny, pretty much from start to finish. If you don’t see this film as soon as possible you’re likely to hear all about it as friends and co-workers endlessly quote lines or re-create scenes. One of the movie’s greatest strengths is the way in which the story is told; the audience is kept in suspense as the mystery unravels essentially in real-time. The movie has a great sense of pacing for the most part, and manages to keep upping the ante and increasing the energy level along the way.

“The Hangover” is, in essence, a creative twist on the “one crazy night” and “road trip” comedy genres. All you need to know about the plot is that a groom and his three groomsmen head out for a night of debauchery, and then wake up in the morning to find that their hotel room has been completely trashed and the groom has vanished. They have no recollection of what happened the night before, but as they try to retrace their steps, things get more and more out of hand.

“The Hangover” is the best comedy of the year and one that should improve on repeat viewings. Stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zack Galifinakis are in the best form of their respectivly fresh careers. There’s already talk of a sequel and there is no doubt this movie deserves one. Every summer needs at least one silly, dirty comedy, and “The Hangover” is this year’s hilarious sleeper hit. I highly recommend this movie if you enjoy R rated comedies that try to push the envelope and make you squirm a little.

“The Princess and the Frog” will be the 49th animated feature film by Walt Disney Animated Classics and the first 2D-animated film by Disney since 2004’s “Home on the Range”. The film, which began production under the working title “The Frog Princess”, will be an American fairy tale, Broadway-style musical set in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Disney executives said the company wanted to show its support for New Orleans by setting its newest animated film in the city.

“The Princess and the Frog” will feature the Walt Disney Studio’s first black princess named “Maddy”. Disney introduced its first non-white animated heroine in 1992’s “Aladdin”: a Middle Eastern character named Jasmine. Three years later an American Indian princess appeared in “Pocahontas” and then in 1998 a Chinese heroine starred in “Mulan”. Maddy joins eight other Disney princess characters, who have generated $3 billion in global retail sales since 1999.

“The Princess and the Frog” is set to be released on December 11th of this year, just in time for the holidays with plenty of merchandise tie ins. I love classic Disney animated films and even though the last few “Princess” animated movies have been financially succesful, none have had the same impact as “The Little Mermaid” or “Beauty & the Beast”. The trailer for this new film gives me hope that the studio still has some life in them yet! Watch it below:

*** 1/2 STARS

From Disney-Pixar comes “Up,” a comedy adventure about 78-year-old widowed balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to “Paradise Falls” in South America. What he doesn’t know is that an overly optimistic eight-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell has accidently hitched a ride while hiding on his porch. The pair ends up going on the adventure of a lifetime encountering wild terrain, unexpected villains and jungle creatures.

Pixar’s 10th animated film is a near masterpiece, a beautiful film in every sense of the word. This whimsical and touching film is superb in setting up its characters with well timed physical comedy and sincere human emotions. At its core “Up” is a poignantly romantic film that lingers in your memory long after seeing it. The 3D presentation gives this movie a surprisingly real boost, but the real special effect is how Pixar is able to combine complex adult emotions with imaginative storytelling.

“Up” is a throwback to old-school Disney storytelling, which I think is great. It is that rare cartoon that makes audiences howl with laughter one minute and wipe away tears the next. Besides it’s emotional depth this movie has some of the best animated landscapes I have ever seen on the big screen. I’m going to go a little over the top and say that I think “Up” will get a nomination for Best Picture and also Best Screenplay. Yes, it will probably be nominated for Best Animated Feature, and like every other Pixar movie, it will win.

“Up” tells a story that is both funny and tender; conveying a sentiment that our connection with others is what makes life meaningful. As with many of the Pixar films, the story of “Up” can be interpreted on different levels. Little children will enjoy the talking animals and vibrant colors but most adults and slightly older kids will go through a wave of emotions. “Up” is a perfect family film that makes you feel like you are floating on helium with pure joy as you leave the theater. I have tremendous respect for what the makers of this movie have done in creating something so exciting to watch and something that also beats with a real heart. “Up” pulls you through practically every emotion available and it will leave you in sweet contentment long after you have seen it.