Written by Kyle Slagley
FEENY! HEY, FEENY!
If you don’t know which ‘90s TV series I’m referencing, then
you missed out on one of that decade’s best shows – hands down. For children of
the ‘90s, Boy
Meets World was one of those shows that profoundly impacted the way you
looked at life.
Corey Matthews ( Ben
Savage) and Topanga Lawrence ( Danielle
Fishel) provided real-time guidance on issues like school, dating, jobs,
and even death; and as the characters grew up, so did their audience. Beginning
in 8 th grade, the show follows the two kids and their friends
through seven seasons of high school, the transition to college, and finally
into marriage.
We haven’t heard much from Corey and Topanga since they
signed off in 2000, but it seems only fitting that the children of the children
of the ‘90s may have their own chance to grow up with Clan Matthews. After
weeks of teasers about the new spinoff series Girl Meets World, it has finally been announced that Rowan
Blanchard ( Spy Kids 4 – All The Time In The World, The Back-Up
Plan) will play Riley Matthews, the 13-year-old daughter of Corey and
Topanga.
The pilot episode will likely begin production in February,
and speculations are that it will easily be green-lighted to series on the
Disney Channel. Don’t rush for your DVR just yet, though; the series wouldn’t
make it to TV screens until the 2013-2014 season.
Now for the question I know you’re asking yourself: Will we
get to see Mr. Feeny? The short answer: don’t count on it. William
Daniels, who played the history-teacher-slash-life-coach to both Corey and
his brother Eric, has yet to comment on the new spinoff despite requests from
the media, leading speculators to believe he has declined any offer to
participate. Rider
Strong, who played Shawn Hunter, has stated that he also has no official
participation.
While you may pass the time hoping for guest spots from the
likes of Feeny, Shawn, Angela, and Jack, I will be wondering what Riley’s
personality is going to be like. With the dual influences of Corey’s geek and
Topanga’s hippie-chic, it should be interesting, to say the least.
Looper holds onto the top DVD spot once again, holding off a challenge from the R-rated teddy bear comedy Ted. A$AP Rocky's debut takes the top position on the CD chart, followed by the latest Kidz Bop release. The Wheel of Time finale holds fiction's top spot for a second week, with Brad Meltzer's latest being the top newcomer. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's memoir knocks Killing Kennedy from non-fiction's prime spot.
DVD
- Looper
- Ted
- The Bourne Legacy
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Total Recall
- Trouble with the Curve
- Ice Age: Continental Drift
- The Watch
- Dredd
- Men in Black 3
CD
- A$AP Rocky, Long.Live.A$AP
- Kidz Bop 23
- Pitch Perfect Soundtrack
- Taylor Swift, Red
- Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox
- Les Miserables Soundtrack
- The Lumineers, The Lumineers
- Phillip Phillips, The World from the Side of the Moon
- Mumford & Sons, Babel
- One Direction, Take Me Home
Fiction
- A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
- Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
- The Fifth Assassin, Brad Meltzer
- Tenth of December, George Saunders
- The Third Bullet, Stephen Hunter
- The Racketeer, John Grisham
- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis
- Kinsey and Me, Sue Grafton
- The Forgotten, David Baldacci
- Cross Roads, William Paul Young
Non-Fiction
- My Beloved World, Sonia Sotomayor
- Killing Kennedy, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- Going Clear, Lawrence Wright
- No Easy Day, Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer
- Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- A Higher Call, Adam Makos
- The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond
- Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Jon Meacham
- To Sell Is Human, Daniel H. Pink
- Ten Years Later, Hoda Kotb
Written by Kyle Slagley
If you were a girl between the ages of 11 and 20 anytime
between 1988 and 2002, there’s about a 67.3% chance you proudly displayed
posters, cassettes, CDs, t-shirts, or other assorted swag that sported the
faces of Nick Carter, Brian Littrell, or Shawn Stockman. Guys who had
highlighted or frosted hair anytime before 2005 should bow down and thank Lance
Bass for making it “cool.”
The ‘90s were, by and large, the decade of the Boy Bands; together
they formed an unofficial cartel that ruled the Billboard charts and teen
girls’ hearts. Of course, this was back in the days when MTV actually played
music videos still, so I’m sure that had something to do with it.
Much to the chagrin of teenage garage bands everywhere,
earlier this week New Kids on the Block (aka NKOTB), Boys II Men, and 98
Degrees announced their “Package Tour” that will begin in Uncasville, CT, on
May 31 and conclude in Minneapolis on July 13. It’s a heck of a lot harder to
get a girl’s attention when you’re competing against the likes of Nick Lachey
and Donnie Wahlberg, not that I’m bitter or anything.
In honor of this summer’s Grand Boy Band Comeback (Attempt),
let’s take a look at the biggest groups of the movement. You’ll want to make
sure your collections are complete before the tour triggers the inevitable
stampede of fangirls.
The
Beatles – Those of you thinking, “Wait a minute!” can rest easy. I am fully
aware that the Beatles were truly the fathers of the boy band – as well as a
slew of other pop music trends. Combine fashionable clothes, youthful faces, a
lot of actual musical talent, and the sheer magnitude of their fan base and you
have the formula that is still the industry standard. Much more could be said,
but we all know how influential the group has been.
New
Kids on the Block – Widely considered the first group in the “modern” boy
band age, these five guys epitomized the ‘80s. Heavy synthesizer beats, break-dancing,
ripped jeans, and pompadours can all be found in their family album. Their
first big hit, “Hangin’ Tough,” put them on the map in 1988 and they would
eventually break up in 1994. They reunited in 2008 and have been working ever
since; meanwhile, there are those among us who can still sing you the chorus to
“You Got It (The Right Stuff).”
Backstreet
Boys (aka BSB)– Kevin is the quiet one, Nick is the heartthrob, Brian is
the boy-next-door, AJ is the bad boy, and Howie is the fun-loving jokester. BSB
quite literally became the definition of “boy band” in the late ‘90s. They hit
it big with “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)” in 1997 and have been working
together in some form ever since. Their spiked hair, meticulously groomed
goatees, and pensive looks into the distance would be emulated in millions of
senior pictures for years.
‘N
Sync – The second quintet to appear in the ‘90s, the group was formed after
band member Chris Kirkpatrick auditioned for the Backstreet Boys and failed to
make the cut. The group blew up overnight after the Disney Channel aired a
concert special in July of 1998 – a concert originally offered to BSB. ‘N
Sync’s single “Tearin’ Up My Heart” became one of the biggest songs of the
decade and by the time they released “Bye Bye Bye” they were fully out of the
shadow of BSB. The group lasted a handful of years before breaking up in 2002
after member Justin
Timberlake decided to go solo.
98
Degrees – Rounding out the boy band trio of the late ‘90s, 98 Degrees broke
the five-man rule and comprised four guys from Ohio. The group’s story is
similar to that of ‘N Sync in that they made it big in 1998. It’s interesting
though that unlike BSB or ‘N Sync, 98 Degrees had some help in their early
days. In 1997, they collaborated with label-mate Stevie Wonder to record “True
to Your Heart,” the theme song to the animated Disney movie Mulan.
They stayed together until 2002, and following Nick Lachey’s brief solo career
and marriage to Jessica
Simpson, reunited in 2008.
Boyz
II Men – I hesitated to include Boyz II Men in this column, because I don’t
consider them a typical boy band. After hours of contemplation, I (obviously)
decided to include them because they are what a boy band should be: light on glitz and kitsch, heavy on quality and talent. They
easily have the most staying power of any other modern boy band, and their tight
harmonies are the envy of a capella groups worldwide. Having sold over 60
million copies of their 11 albums over more than 25 years, they are the
standard for vocal R&B everywhere. Quite simply, these guys deserve every
bit of praise they get because their ability speaks for itself.
Written by Jon Williams
Super Bowl XLVII takes place on Sunday, February 3, and the matchup has been set. This
past Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Atlanta Falcons to earn the
NFC berth to the game, while the Baltimore Ravens took out the New England
Patriots on the AFC side.
If you pay
any attention to sports (or even if you don’t, most likely), you’re going to
hear a lot about this game in the coming week and a half. The NFL championship
game is always a huge media event, usually turning out to be the most-watched
television event of the year in the United States (hence all those amusing
commercials that people who don’t even care about football will watch to see).
I won’t
bother mentioning the “interesting” storylines you’ll be hearing about ad
nauseam leading into the game. I will, however, list a few titles that will
help your football-crazy patrons get through the coming football-free weekend,
as well as whet their appetites for the big game the following Sunday.
Four new titles make this week's CD chart, headed by Chris Tomlin and Hollywood Undead taking the top two spots. It was an even bigger week for debut titles on the fiction list, with only three returnees from last week; the final installment of the Wheel of Time series comes in at #1. The non-fiction list, on the other hand, sees only one new title, centering on a battle of the Hundred Years' War.
DVD
- Looper
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Total Recall
- Trouble with the Curve
- The Watch
- Men in Black 3
- Resident Evil: Retribution
- Premium Rush
- ParaNorman
- Hope Springs
CD
- Chris Tomlin, Burning Lights
- Hollywood Undead, Notes from the Underground
- Les Miserables Soundtrack
- Taylor Swift, Red
- Pitch Perfect Soundtrack
- Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox
- Black Veil Brides, Wretched and Divine
- The Lumineers, The Lumineers
- Dropkick Murphys, Signed and Sealed in Blood
- One Direction, Take Me Home
Fiction
- A Memory of Light, Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
- Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
- Tenth of December, George Saunders
- Kinsey and Me, Sue Grafton
- Collateral Damage, Stuart Woods
- The Husband List, Janet Evanovich
- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis
- The Blood Gospel, James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell
- The Racketeer, John Grisham
- Dream Eyes, Jayne Ann Krentz
Non-Fiction
- Killing Kennedy, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- No Easy Day, Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer
- Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Jon Meacham
- The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond
- Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
- The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg
- Wild, Cheryl Strayed
- 1356, Bernard Cornwell
Written by Jon Williams
On Sunday night, as the show was winning a couple of Golden
Globes on ABC, the hit show Girls
returned to HBO with its Season 2 premiere. The show centers on
twenty-something Hannah Horvath and three friends as they feel their way
through their extended college-to-real-life transitions in Brooklyn. Hannah is
played by the series’ head writer, Lena Dunham, who based many of the show’s
situations on her own real-life experiences after graduating from Ohio’s
Oberlin College in 2008.
Dunham’s first break came when her film Tiny
Furniture premiered at the 2010 South by Southwest Festival, where it
won Best Narrative Feature. She parlayed this exposure into an opportunity to
collaborate with Judd Apatow on the Girls
pilot (Apatow is the show’s executive producer). It premiered on HBO on April
15, 2012, and immediately took off, sending Dunham’s star into the
stratosphere. In October she signed a deal with Random House to publish her
first book; in December she was named Time
Magazine’s Coolest Person of the Year. The two Golden Globes she won for
the show on Sunday were icing on the cake.
Now Girls is back
as a staple of HBO’s formidable Sunday night lineup. Premiering along with it
was the second season of Enlightened,
a series starring Laura Dern as an executive go-getter determined to bring
tranquility to her life after a breakdown. Like Girls, Enlightened was
nominated for two Golden Globes in its first season, winning Best Comedy
Actress for Dern. That was at the 2012 Golden Globes, however; the show was on
break for over a year before returning this past weekend.
The next series with a firm premiere date for HBO is Game of Thrones, with the third season
beginning on March 31. Based on George R.R. Martin’s A
Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the show follows various
members and associates of the powerful Baratheon, Lannister, Stark, and
Targaryen families as they vie for control of the Seven Kingdoms while facing a
nebulous but growing threat from the untamed North. As an avid fan, I can
attest that this meager description doesn’t begin to do the show justice; it’s
worth watching for its action and intrigue, as well as its well-written
characters. Peter Dinklage won an Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister in
the show’s first
season, and was nominated again for the
second.
In April, Veep’s second season will premiere, once
again starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the U.S. Vice President Selina Meyer, who
heads up a dysfunctional staff that helps her navigate her way through any
number of political pitfalls. Dreyfus won an Emmy for the role in the first
season, and the series was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. Then, June
sees the return of The Newsroom, the
Aaron Sorkin-created series that stars Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, host of a
national news show committed to serious journalism in an industry increasingly
concerned with money and ratings. Although it didn’t win any awards on Sunday,
it was nominated for the Best Drama Series Golden Globe, and Daniels was
nominated for Best Drama Actor.
Finally, at some point this summer, hit series True
Blood will return for its sixth season. Beginning in 2008, the series
has capitalized on the vampire craze that followed the Twilight phenomenon, dealing with vampires and a number of other
supernatural creatures as they attempt to live side-by-side with humans in the
small town of Bon Temps, Louisiana. It’s based on Charlaine Harris’s Southern
Vampires novel series, the last volume of which will be published in May.
Although it has only a handful of wins, the series has been nominated for a
slew of Emmys and Golden Globes (as well as many other awards) throughout its
long run.
Make sure you have previous seasons of these shows on your
shelves for patrons who want to catch up for these series’ premieres, as well
as for patrons who don’t have HBO and want to experience these shows for the
first time.
Written by Kirk Baird
The distinct elements to the Master of Suspense’s filmmaking
career were always there, but our first full exposure to his genius in bloom is
with 1934’s The Man Who Knew Too Much,
just released on Blu-ray through Criterion Collection. The story of rather
ordinary people who find themselves in a rather extraordinary situation, The Man Who Knew Too Much is the
blueprint to many of the Alfred Hitchcock films to follow, including Rear Window, North by Northwest, and Vertigo.
Leslie Banks and Edna Best star as Bob and Jill Lawrence, a
British couple on holiday in Switzerland with their teenage daughter Betty
(Nova Pilbeam). Their vacation takes a macabre twist with the murder of a
family friend who happens to be a British agent, who left an important note –
and thus a clue to those responsible for his death – hidden in his hotel room.
Bob recovers the note and thus becomes the titular namesake who must deal with
a nefarious gang of spies who want the information. The story wraps around the
assassination plot of an important foreign dignitary, though we know little
else; Hitchcock’s films are often cloaked in mystery when it comes to the
incidentals. The group kidnaps Betty to force Bob to give them the note, but he
and Jill do not prove so easily pushed around, and Bob and family friend Clive
(Hugh Wakefield) go undercover to learn more about the gang and to rescue his
daughter.
The Man Who Knew Too
Much is primitive by today’s slick standards of Hollywood moviemaking –
perhaps even on the level of a well-produced student film. But the execution of
this suspenseful thriller is more fully realized and gutsier than almost any
movies opening in theaters today. Peter Lorre as the chief spy and criminal
mastermind dramatically undersells his performance – an acting feat from which many
actors-as-villains could learn – and is all the more effective because of it.
There’s a substantially more menacing air to someone not unhinged but with his
wits about him, and in complete control of himself and everyone – and nearly
everything – around him. Lorre is chilling in his matter-of-fact and almost
likable delivery and all the more memorable.
Banks and Best make for a believable couple who show amazing
resolve when pushed. Yes, there’s the occasional histrionics, but this was the acting
style of the time. And Hitchcock loved melodrama. Also note the restrained emotions Bob and Jill
display when they learn Betty has been kidnapped. It’s British “keep a stiff
upper lip” stoicism at its finest.
While much of the drama unfolds in the plot twists and
dialogue, The Man Who Knew Too Much
has its share of gripping action. The violent shootout in a London street
between London police and the spies who are holding up in an apartment building
was undeniably edgy for its time, yet the bloodless carnage still resonates as
rather shocking given the amount of deaths, especially to innocent men of law
and order.
Criterion Collection, as it always does, went to great lengths
to clean up The Man Who Knew Too Much’s
video and audio presentation; it’s doubtful the 75-minute film has ever looked as
good as it does in this Blu-ray version. And as a precursor to the greatness to
come from Hitchcock, The Man Who Knew Too
Much is an important film that any of the filmmaker’s fans should
experience…or experience again.
The single Blu-ray also features new audio commentary from
film historian Philip Kemp and a new interview with filmmaker Guillermo del
Toro, as well as a 1972 interview with Hitchcock conducted by journalist Pia
Lindstrom and film historian William Everson.
Written by Kyle Slagley
The publishing industry was given a huge boost yesterday
when it was announced that Dan
Brown’s sixth novel, Inferno, would hit shelves May 14.
The novel features Harvard professor Robert
Langdon, and involves a harrowing story revolving around Dante’s Inferno.
Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.
Brown has had his critics over the years, but his fans are
fiercely loyal. Now that Inferno has
been announced, those fans are going to be anxiously awaiting that Tuesday
release.
Inferno hits
shelves on the same date as The King’s Deception – the new Cotton
Malone thriller by author Steve
Berry, one of my very favorite authors – so historical conspiracy/thriller
fans will get a twofer that day. The problem is that May 14 is four months away.
What in the world will we do for four months?! Don’t worry; I’ve got a few
suggestions to help you pass the time.
The Amber Room by Steve Berry – Berry’s
debut novel deals with one of the most tragic losses to the art world during
World War II. The Amber Room was stolen by the Nazis on October 14, 1941, from
Saint Petersburg and moved to Königsberg in East Prussia. Amid the chaos at the
end of the war, it disappeared and has never been seen again. Berry’s novel
follows Paul and Rachel Cutler as they follow the dying clues of Rachel’s
father. It’s got art, conspiracy, murder, and mystery. Berry’s novels only get
better from here.
Raising Atlantis
by Thomas
Greanias – Another debut thriller, this one follows Dr. Conrad Yeats, a
rogue TV personality with a knack for getting in trouble, and Serena Serghetti,
a nun entrusted by the Pope with a terrifying secret. Although not what I
expected, this is still a highly entertaining read for fans of the Atlantis
legend. Greanias also has two more novels in this series: The Atlantis Prophecy and The
Atlantis Revelation.
The Last Templar by Raymond
Khoury – This thriller should be at the top of the reading list for anyone
who even remotely enjoyed any of Brown’s past three novels. The novel begins
with a team of men dressed as Templar Knights riding their horses into the Metropolitan Museum during a gala with
all Manhattan’s high society in attendance. They ride their horses through the museum, stealing a very valuable
relic on display from the Vatican. Did I mention these “Templar knights” were riding horses in the museum? Not as fast
as a car, but horses certainly have more of an impact. It’s a fantastic book,
and there are two more books to follow this one.
The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry – Did
I mention I’m a Steve Berry fan? Berry’s fourth novel kicks off his Cotton
Malone series and was really the one that got me hooked. Cotton Malone is a
former agent of the Magellan Billet, a secret agency within the United States
Justice Department. Despite being retired from the Magellan Billet, Cotton
seems to find himself alongside his former boss, Stephanie Nelle, fighting a
fight that scholars have been battling for centuries. Cotton is strong,
intelligent, and just broken enough to make the character real.
The Last Dickens by Matthew
Pearl – It’s 1870, and Charles Dickens has just died, leaving behind his
unfinished novel. His publisher, James Osgood, along with Rebecca Sand, must dive
into the depths of Boston’s opium cartels, thugs-for-hire, and publishing gangs
to find the ending to the now famously unfinished Mystery of Edwin Drood. Although
this novel is far from perfect, Dickens and Victorian era fans will enjoy it,
and how cool would it be if there really were a Victorian Book Mafia?
It's a good week to be Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as Looper, The Dark Knight Rises, and Premium Rush all make the DVD list. In CDs, Les Miserables and Mumford & Sons finally knock Taylor Swift from her perch at the top. Gone Girl stays atop this week's fiction list, while the latest from W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV debuts at #2. In non-fiction, the author of Guns, Germs & Steel comes in at #3 with an examination of societies through time.
DVD
- Looper
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Total Recall
- Trouble with the Curve
- The Watch
- Men in Black 3
- Resident Evil: Retribution
- Premium Rush
- ParaNorman
- Hope Springs
CD
- Les Miserables Soundtrack
- Mumford & Sons, Babel
- Taylor Swift, Red
- Phillip Phillips, The World from the Side of the Moon
- One Direction, Take Me Home
- Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox
- Pitch Perfect Soundtrack
- The Lumineers, The Lumineers
- Alicia Keys, Girl on Fire
- P!nk, The Truth About Love
Fiction
- Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
- Empire and Honor, W.E.B. Griffin and William E. Butterworth IV
- The Racketeer, John Grisham
- The Forgotten, David Baldacci
- Threat Vector, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney
- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis
- Cross Roads, William P. Young
- Shadow Woman, Linda Howard
- Notorious Nineteen, Janet Evanovich
- The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling
Non-Fiction
- Killing Kennedy, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Jon Meacham
- The World Until Yesterday, Jared Diamond
- No Easy Day, Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer
- Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
- America Again, Stephen Colbert
- Wild, Cheryl Strayed
- Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
- The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg
Written by Kirk Baird
Even as Lincoln’s
12 Academy Award nominations made the Civil War drama the prohibitive favorite
for the Feb. 24 Oscars, Sunday night’s 70th Annual Golden Globe
presentation might have shaken things up.
The Iran hostage drama Argo
took the Golden Globe for best motion picture as well a trophy for the film’s
director, Ben
Affleck, who was not nominated for an Oscar. Lincoln and director Steven
Spielberg were Golden Globe nominees in both categories.
Daniel
Day-Lewis, as expected, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama for
his powerful and moving performance as Lincoln.
Overall, Lincoln
was nominated for 7 Golden Globes but won only one.
While Spielberg’s film stumbled at the awards show, the
lavish musical Les Miserables triumphed.
In addition to Hathaway’s expected win, the adaptation of the stage musical
based on Victor
Hugo’s 1862 French historical novel won for best musical or comedy and best
actor in a comedy or musical (Hugh Jackman).
Jessica
Chastain won the best actress in a drama for Zero Dark Thirty. And Jennifer
Lawrence won the best actress in a comedy or musical for Silver Linings Playbook.
Rounding out the film winners as voted by the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association, Brave
won for best animated feature, Amour won best foreign language film, and Adele’s
“Skyfall” won for best original song in a film.
For television, Showtime’s espionage drama Homeland
was the big winner, winning best television series drama, best performance by
an actress in a TV series drama ( Claire
Danes), and best performance by an actor in a TV series drama ( Damian
Lewis). HBO’s new series Girls
took trophies for best television series comedy or musical, and best
performance by an actress in a TV series comedy or musical ( Lena
Dunham), while Don
Cheadle from Showtime’s House
of Lies won best performance by an actor in a TV series comedy or
musical.
Best miniseries or motion picture made for television went
to HBO’s comedy-drama Game
Change, about the 2008 GOP presidential campaign, and to the film’s
star Julianne
Moore as Sarah Palin for best performance by an actress in a miniseries or
motion picture made for television, and to co-star Ed
Harris as John McCain for best performance by an actor in a supporting role
in a series, miniseries or motion picture made for television.
Written by Jon Williams
With 2012 behind us, it’s time to take a look at what 2013
will have to offer. In both music and audiobooks, it looks to be a big year,
with big name musicians and authors releasing titles that your patrons will be
excited to get their hands on.
Audiobooks
Also in May, Charlaine
Harris waves goodbye to Sookie Stackhouse and friends in Bon Temps with Dead Ever After, the final novel in the Southern Vampires series that
spawned the popular HBO show True Blood. Horror master Stephen
King has two novels coming out in 2013. The first, in June, is Joyland, about an amusement park
serial killer. Then, in September, comes Doctor Sleep, the long-awaited sequel
to The Shining. King’s son Joe
Hill, a bestselling author in his own right, releases his third novel, NOS4A2, in April. And if you enjoy the
macabre, look for Neil
Gaiman’s latest, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, in
June.
June will also bring a new novel from Colum McCann, who
follows up his National Book Award-winning Let
the Great World Spin with Transatlantic. Literary heavyweight Thomas
Pynchon will also deliver a new novel in 2013, Bleeding Edge, although a publication date has not yet been set.
And of course, what would a year be without a handful of
posthumous releases? In February, look for one from Maurice
Sendak, My Brother’s Book. In
March comes The Tragedy of Mr. Morn,
a play written by Vladimir
Nabokov in 1923. With a movie based on his work staying strong at the box
office right now, a new release from J.R.R.
Tolkien comes in May. Leaving behind the world of Middle-earth, The Fall of Arthur deals with Arthurian
legends and was edited for publication by the author’s son, Christopher.
Music
There are plenty of new releases to look forward to in the
music world as well. In the world of pop, Miley
Cyrus, Katy
Perry, and Justin
Bieber all have new albums coming out sometime in 2013, as does Beyonce,
who will also be performing for the Super Bowl halftime show. The current queen
of pop music, Lady
Gaga, will release ARTPOP this
year as well. Paws up, little monsters!
Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z,
will have some new tunes coming this year as well, as he works on Watch the Throne 2 with Kanye
West. Staying in the rap game, Eminem
will release an album to follow up 2010’s Recovery. His protégé, 50
Cent, drops his latest, Street King
Immortal, on February 26.
Two current American
Idol judges have releases coming in 2013. Nicki
Minaj says Pink Friday: The Pinkprint
will have its basis in rap more than pop. Mariah
Carey will also have a new CD out this year, which will feature her most
recent single, “Triumphant.” No word on a new release from Keith Urban,
although he will appear (as will Taylor Swift) on fellow country music
superstar Tim
McGraw’s album Two Lanes of Freedom, which comes
out February 5.
Look also for new releases from a few music legends. In
late March, Cher
will release her first new album since 2001’s Living Proof. On his 66 th birthday earlier this week, David
Bowie released a new track (complete with video), “Where Are We Now?” His
first album since 2003, The Next Day,
comes out in March as well. In April, look for a new release from Black
Sabbath, complete, believe it or not, with Ozzy Osbourne back on vocals for
the first time since 1978. Another stunner, an album of new material from Jimi
Hendrix, drops on March 5.
Also, Justin Timberlake announced today that he is in the studio recording some new tunes of his own. The first track, featuring an appearance from the aforementioned Jay-Z and produced by Timbaland, could be available as soon as next week. That being the case, the likelihood of the album being available sometime this year is pretty decent. This would be JT's first new album since 2006, as he's spent the past few years focusing on the acting side of his career.
This is just a very small sampling of all the great
audiobook and music titles we’ll see in 2013. What are you looking forward to
in the year to come?
Written by Kirk Baird
David Ellis, a longtime stuntman turned director best known
for his work behind the camera on Snakes on a Plane and The Final Destination,
died Monday in South Africa, where he was in pre-production for a new film. The
cause of death is unknown, his agent David Boxerbaum told the Los Angeles
Times. Ellis was 60.
Written by Kyle Slagley
On the way to work yesterday I heard a news story about
Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC. If you just re-read that sentence while
simultaneously thinking or saying “Huh?” trust me, you’re not alone. Though not
much was heard about this gadget when it was being developed, it’s basically a
tablet computer that can be laid down on a tabletop and used by up to five
people at the same time.
At 27 inches and a larger version on the way, the tablet is
about the same size as a small flatscreen television. Since it’s able to handle
multiple users at once, some bloggers are speculating that it may bring back
the golden days when a family actually gathers around a table to interact
together like real people, instead of texting “Plz pass the potatoes kthx :)”
As I listened to this news story, I realized it was yet
another classic example of fictional-futuristic technology made real. I was
reminded of a scene in the James
Bond movie Quantum
of Solace, when M, James, and M’s assistant Tanner use a large touchscreen
table to discuss… well, spy stuff. While Quantum
of Solace isn’t an old movie, it
got me thinking about all the technology introduced in “old” sci-fi that has
since become real, normal, everyday technology. Let’s explore some of these
no-longer-futurist technologies, shall we?
The Internet – Let’s face it, you are addicted to the Internet.
I, too, am addicted to the Internet. I Internet when I wake up, at work, at
home, and in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep. You’re Internetting
right now! Believe it or not, this simultaneously sinister yet magical
connective web of computing devices was once an idea that originated in science
fiction. The novel that really detailed the Internet the way we know it today
was Neuromancer
by William
Gibson. Gibson’s novel put the ‘cyberpunk’ sci-fi subgenre on the map in
1984 and was the first book to win the sci-fi “Triple Crown”: the Hugo Award, the
Nebula Award, and the Philip K. Dick Award. Remember what computers were like
in 1984? The Internet was a freaky-futurist idea back then.
Android robots – “Droids” have been a staple in sci-fi since
before sci-fi was even a genre. Lost
in Space, Star
Wars, Star
Trek, Fahrenheit
451, The
Jetsons – droids in every single one of them. The book commonly credited
with coining the word ‘android’ was published in 1886! Fast-forward to today,
and the Defense Department is creating robots that can catch their balance and
decide on their own whether to step on or around something. First, the decision
whether to step over or around Mr. Whiskers; tomorrow, the world…
Indestructable metal (aka Adamantium) – X-Men
is futurist in a lot of ways - mainly that whole mutated-genes-that-equal-superpowers
thing. If you thought Wolverine’s
indestructible claws were impossible, though, better think again. Modumetal,
made by a company of the same name, is lighter and stronger than steel and as
close to indestructible as we’ve got. I’ve read the explanation on the company website.
It’s got a lot of big science-y words that I don’t understand, but let’s just
say these guys are closer to Adamantium than ever. The weird thing about
Modumetal? Parts aren’t manufactured, they’re “grown.”
Auto-drive cars – We saw this back in 2002 with Minority
Report, and we saw it again in I,
Robot: cars that drive themselves at high speeds on the freeway and take
you exactly where you want to go. While we’re not exactly there yet, we do have
cars that can parallel park themselves, cars that beep at you when you’re about
to back into something, and cars that yell at you to wake up if you’re falling
asleep at the wheel. Cars that actually do drive themselves are currently in
testing. Cars that develop road rage are presumably the next step.
The soundtrack to the hot theatrical release Les Miserables is the big debut on this week's music chart, although it can't derail Taylor Swift. Gone Girl returns to the top of the fiction list, as the top titles just reshuffle their positions this week. The non-fiction list changed even less, with the top six titles remaining exactly the same and no new titles making the list.
DVD
- Total Recall
- The Watch
- Men in Black 3
- Savages
- Lawless
- Hope Springs
- Brave
- The Expendables 2
- The Campaign
- Trouble with the Curve
CD
- Taylor Swift, Red
- Les Miserables Soundtrack
- One Direction, Take Me Home
- Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox
- T.I., Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head
- Imagine Dragons, Night Visions
- Rihanna, Unapologetic
- Mumford & Sons, Babel
- The Lumineers, The Lumineers
- Pitch Perfect Soundtrack
Fiction
- Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
- The Racketeer, John Grisham
- Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, James Patterson
- The Casual Vacancy, J.K. Rowling
- Threat Vector, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney
- Cross Roads, William P. Young
- The Forgotten, David Baldacci
- Notorious Nineteen, Janet Evanovich
- The Twelve Tribes of Hattie, Ayana Mathis
- The Black Box, Michael Connelly
Non-Fiction
- Killing Kennedy, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Jon Meacham
- Killing Lincoln, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
- No Easy Day, Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer
- America Again, Stephen Colbert
- Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
- Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
- Wild, Cheryl Strayed
- Waging Heavy Peace, Neil Young
- The Last Lion, William Manchester and Paul Reid (Vol. 1 | Vol. 2 | Vol. 3)
Written by Jon Williams
On January 3, legendary record producer George Martin celebrated his 87th birthday. He began his career recording classical music before moving on to produce comedy and novelty albums. In 1962, he began looking to capitalize on the rock n’ roll craze sweeping Great Britain. He struck gold on May 9 of that year when he signed the Beatles to his Parlophone label. He would go on to produce all of their albums (with the somewhat complicated exception of Let It Be). Later in his career, he would oversee production of their Anthology project in the mid-‘90s, as well as remixing songs for Cirque du Soleil’s Love performance in 2006.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Martin has been, understandably, best known for his work with the Beatles. He is even one of several people often referred to as the “fifth Beatle.” However, he worked with a number of musicians and produced many successful albums (yes, including solo albums from both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney). Here is a look at just a few of the albums Martin produced.
Ringo Starr – Sentimental Journey
America – Holiday
Cheap Trick – All Shook Up
Little River Band – Time Exposure
Paul McCartney – Tug of War*
Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace*
Tommy Original Cast Recording
Celine Dion – Let’s Talk About Love
*These McCartney albums are currently unavailable, but are set to be reissued as part of the McCartney archive collection.
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