Hot This Week: June 30

The Kevin Costner action flick 3 Days to Kill jumps onto this week's DVD list at #2. The summer music scene is heating up and the music chart reflects it with six debut titles, ranging from newcomer Sam Smith to country legend Willie Nelson. It's a similar story in the fiction world, which sees four new titles on the list, including the latest from Robert Galbraith, aka J.K. Rowling, and a sci-fi/fantasy anthology edited by and including an entry from Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin.

DVD

1. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
2. 3 Days to Kill
3. The Monuments Men
4. Ride Along
5. Her
6. Non-Stop
7. The Nut Job
8. Pompeii
9. That Awkward Moment
10. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

CD

1. Lana Del Rey, Ultraviolence
2. Sam Smith, In the Lonely Hour
3. Linkin Park, The Hunting Party
4. Frozen Soundtrack
5. Willie Nelson, Band of Brothers
6. Miranda Lambert, Platinum
7. Jack White, Lazaretto
8. Jennifer Lopez, A.K.A.
9. Deadmau5, while(1<2)
10. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am

Fiction

1. Top Secret Twenty-One, Janet Evanovich
   
2. The Silkworm, Robert Galbraith
3. Written in My Own Heart's Blood, Diana Gabaldon
4. Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King
5. All Fall Down, Jennifer Weiner
6. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
7. Rogues, George R.R. Martin (ed.)
8. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
9. The Hurricane Sisters, Dorothea Benton Frank
10. The Matchmaker, Elin Hilderbrand

Non-Fiction

1. Hard Choices, Hillary Rodham Clinton
2. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
3. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
4. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
5. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
6. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
7. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
8. Carsick, John Waters
9. A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren
10. I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai

Hot This Week: June 23

A couple of action thrillers debut on this week's movie list, along with the acclaimed drama Her starring Joaquin Phoenix. Jack White tops the music chart, while last week's #1 from Miranda Lambert stays strong at #2. Diana Gabaldon wrests the top fiction spot away from Stephen King, while former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's memoir debuts atop the non-fiction list.

DVD

1. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
2. The Monuments Men
3. Ride Along
4. Non-Stop
5. Her
6. Pompeii
7. That Awkward Moment
8. Lone Survivor
9. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
10. I, Frankenstein

CD

1. Jack White, Lazaretto
2. Miranda Lambert, Platinum
3. Frozen Soundtrack
4. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
5. The Fault in Our Stars Soundtrack
6. NOW That's What I Call Music 50
7. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
8. The Black Keys, Turn Blue
9. Michael Jackson, Xscape
10. NOW That's What I Call Country: Volume 7

Fiction

1. Written in My Own Heart's Blood, Diana Gabaldon
2. Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King
3. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
4. The Target, David Badacci
5. The Matchmaker, Elin Hilderbrand
6. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
7. Unlucky 13, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
8. Skin Game, Jim Butcher
9. The Hurricane Sisters, Dorothea Benton Frank
10. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr

Non-Fiction

1. Hard Choices, Hillary Rodham Clinton
2. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
3. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
4. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
5. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
6. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
7. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
8. Carsick, John Waters
9. Killing Jesus, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard 
10. Good Talk, Dad, Bill and Willie Geist

In Memoriam: Casey Kasem

Written by Jon Williams

The legendary disc jockey passed away over the weekend at the age of 82. Most remember him as the longtime host of the American Top 40 radio program that counted down the most popular pop and rock radio hits each week. Kasem co-created the show in 1970 and hosted it through 1988, then returned in 1998 and remained as host until passing those duties on to Ryan Seacrest, who continues in that role today. In addition to the best and most popular songs, the show became known for music trivia and stories behind the songs, and, perhaps most of all, the “Long-Distance Dedication” that allowed listeners to request and dedicate a song to a far-away loved one.

However, it’s not just die-hard music fans that are familiar with Kasem’s golden voice. Cartoon watchers, primarily of the 1970s and ‘80s but spanning clear into the 2000s, have no doubt heard it as well. His most well-known role, of course, was as the title canine’s beloved sidekick Shaggy on the various incarnations of Scooby-Doo throughout the years. He first voiced the role in 1969 and held onto it for 40 years, finally retiring in 2009 after Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword. Over the years, he voiced a number of other characters in many popular animated shows. He provided the voice of Robin, the Boy Wonder, first in The Batman/Superman Hour, and later on the Super Friends series. He also played the Autobot Cliffjumper and provided a number of other voices in the original Transformers animated series. And these are just the shows in which he had recurring roles—there were plenty of cameos and one-offs as well.

You can SmartBrowse Casey Kasem on our website for plenty more, including a number of compilation CDs curated by this musical icon. In the meantime, his signature sign-off seems particularly appropriate: “Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.”

Hot This Week: June 16

For a second week in a row, there is little movement on the list of hot movies, with Lone Survivor being the only new title. Miranda Lambert tops the week's music chart, while fresh remasters from Jimmy Page bring three classic Led Zeppelin albums back to the forefront. A whopping seven new titles debut on the fiction list, led by the latest from Stephen King. The non-fiction list, on the other hand, sees just one new title this week, the story of a Fox News anchor coping with his son's pediatric heart disease.

DVD

1. The Monuments Men
2. Ride Along
3. Lone Survivor
4. Pompeii
5. That Awkward Moment
6. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
7. I, Frankenstein 
8. About Last Night
9. The Nut Job
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

CD

1. Miranda Lambert, Platinum
2. Frozen Soundtrack
3. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
4. 50 Cent, Animal Ambition: An Untamed Desire to Win
5. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
6. NOW That's What I Call Music 50
7. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin
8. The Fault in Our Stars Soundtrack
9. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II
10. Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin III

Fiction

1. Mr. Mercedes, Stephen King
2. Skin Game, Jim Butcher
3. The Hurricane Sisters, Dorothea Benton Frank
4. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
5. A Shiver of Light, Laurell K. Hamilton
6. Midnight in Europe, Alan Furst
7. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
8. The Smoke at Dawn, Jeff Shaara
9. Save the Date, Mary Kay Andrews
10. China Dolls, Lisa See

Non-Fiction

1. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
2. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
3. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
4. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
5. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand
6. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
7. Finding Me, Michelle Knight and Michelle Burford
8. Special Heart, Bret Baier and Jim Mills
9. David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell
10. Stress Test, Timothy F. Geithner

Perrotta’s Leftovers Coming to HBO

Written by Jon Williams

HBO recently announced that its hit series Game of Thrones has surpassed The Sopranos to rank as the most popular show in their history. At its peak, The Sopranos averaged 18.2 million viewers per episode; Game of Thrones is now averaging 18.4 million. This number comes on the heels of Season 4’s eighth episode, “The Mountain and the Viper,” which affirmed the show’s reputation for compelling, shocking twists. The season finale, which airs this Sunday, could push those already stellar numbers to even greater heights.

Those searching for something to fill the void in their Sunday night TV schedule caused by the absence of Thrones won’t have far to look. Its timeslot will be filled the following week, June 22, with the return of another very popular HBO series. The vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, and humans of Bon Temps will begin to wrap up their story with the premiere of True Blood’s seventh and final season. The week after that, on June 29, True Blood will be followed by the premiere of a brand new series called The Leftovers.

The Leftovers is based on a 2011 novel of the same name by Tom Perrotta. Co-created by Damon Lindelof, known for his work on Lost, the series centers on a mysterious event that sees 2% of the world’s population simply vanish. Three years down the line, The Leftovers explores how those who remain have moved on with their lives—and how they haven’t. It will feature such stars as Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, and Liv Tyler; the pilot episode is directed by Peter Berg.

This isn’t Perrotta’s first go-round with having his work adapted. His 1998 novel Election was turned into the big-screen comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick, and Little Children became an acclaimed drama that was nominated for three Academy Awards and three Golden Globes in 2007. Perrotta’s most recent book, last year’s Nine Inches, is a collection of short stories sure to satisfy fans of his longer work. Judging from the popularity of those books, The Leftovers seems poised to be HBO’s next breakout hit.

Hot This Week: June 9

In a fairly static week, the remake of the 1986 romcom About Last Night is the only newcomer to the DVD list. Pop hitmaker Mariah Carey's new disc debuts at #3 in music, with last week's top two remaining the same. New thrillers from fan favorite authors Jim Butcher and Clive Cussler reign over the fiction list, while author Tom Robbins's memoir is the only new title to crack the non-fiction top ten.

DVD

1. The Monuments Men
2. Ride Along
3. Pompeii
4. I, Frankenstein 
5. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
6. About Last Night
7. That Awkward Moment
8. The Nut Job
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
10. The Wolf of Wall Street

CD

1. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
2. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
3. Mariah Carey, Me. I Am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse
4. Frozen Soundtrack
5. Austin Mahone, The Secret (EP)
6. NOW That's What I Call Music 50
7. Michael Jackson, Xscape
8. The Black Keys, Turn Blue
9. Crowder, Neon Steeple
10. Iggy Azalea, The New Classic

Fiction

1. Skin Game, Jim Butcher
2. Ghost Ship, Clive Cussler and Graham Brown
3. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
4. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
5. Unlucky 13, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
6. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
7. The Target, David Baldacci
8. Field of Prey, John Sandford
9. Natchez Burning, Greg Iles
10. The Lincoln Myth, Steve Berry

Non-Fiction

1. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
2. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
3. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
4. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner 
5. Stress Test, Timothy F. Geithner
6. Finding Me, Michelle Knight and Michelle Burford
7. Tibetan Peach Pie, Tom Robbins
8. A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren
9. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
10. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand 

More Star Wars News

Written by Jon Williams

We’re now a month removed from Star Wars Day on May 4, and there has been no shortage of news on the highly anticipated upcoming films. Since patrons will be excited to check out work from these individuals taking their first steps into a larger world, here’s the latest.

First, two actresses have joined the cast for Episode VII and, presumably, the entire sequel trilogy. One is simply confirming a rumor that was going around even as the first round of announcements were made, and that is Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o. Her Oscar came for her work in 12 Years a Slave, but she can also be seen in the Liam Neeson action thriller Non-Stop. The second newcomer will be a familiar face to some sci-fi/fantasy fans. Gwendoline Christie is currently starring in HBO’s massive hit series Game of Thrones as the formidable warrior Brienne of Tarth. She will also be in the upcoming third and fourth installments of the Hunger Games series. It isn’t known yet what roles these ladies will play (nor is it for any of the new cast members).

So that’s the news for the sequel trilogy, which will consist of three films released in alternating years beginning in 2015. In between those films, a number of standalone films are planned to fill the void. The specific content of these films has not yet been disclosed, but they are expected to explore the origin stories of familiar characters. While major details regarding these films are still forthcoming, a few tidbits have come out. One, presumably the first, is to be directed by Gareth Edwards based on a script written by Gary Whitta. Edwards is best known for the new Godzilla movie that’s in theaters now, and he also directed the 2010 alien-invasion film Monsters. Whitta wrote the screenplay for 2010’s The Book of Eli, as well as 2013’s After Earth.

Just today, it was announced that another standalone Star Wars film (presumably the second) would be directed by Josh Trank. Trank directed the 2012 sci-fi film Chronicle, and is helming the 2015 reboot of the Fantastic Four franchise. No writer was announced for this film, so it seems likely that the script will be handled by writers previously announced to be attached to new Star Wars films, Lawrence Kasdan (who wrote original trilogy films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, along with many other films) and Simon Kinberg (Sherlock Holmes).

So be sure to have these films on your shelves so patrons can satisfy their Star Wars appetites in anticipation for the new films, and don’t forget about the original films, the Clone Wars animated series, music from the movies, and story-expanding audiobooks.

Hot This Week: June 2

Two very different historical flicks jump onto this week's DVD listing, as The Monuments Men takes over at the top and Pompeii makes an appearance as well. New titles from Coldplay and Brantley Gilbert top the music chart, while Michael Jackson's posthumous release remains strong just behind them. Emily Giffin, Steve Berry, and Stephen Hunter place new titles on the fiction list, while in non-fiction, a new book of political musings from Ben Carson debuts at #1.

DVD

1. The Monuments Men
2. Ride Along
3. I, Frankenstein 
4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 
5. The Nut Job
6. That Awkward Moment
7. Pompeii
8. The Wolf of Wall Street
9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
10. The Legend of Hercules

CD

1. Coldplay, Ghost Stories
2. Brantley Gilbert, Just As I Am
3. Michael Jackson, Xscape
4. Frozen Soundtrack
5. The Black Keys, Turn Blue
6. NOW That's What I Call Music 50 
7. Phillip Phillips, Behind the Light
8. The Fault in Our Stars Soundtrack
9. Iggy Azalea, The New Classic
10. Rascal Flatts, Rewind

Fiction

1. The One & Only, Emily Giffin
2. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
3. Unlucky 13, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
4. The Lincoln Myth, Steve Berry
5. Field of Prey, John Sandford
6. The Target, David Baldacci
7. Sniper's Honor, Stephen Hunter
8. Natchez Burning, Greg Iles
9. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
10. The Skin Collector, Jeffery Deaver

Non-Fiction

1. One Nation, Ben and Candy Carson
2. Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty
3. Think Like a Freak, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
4. Finding Me, Michelle Knight and Michelle Burford
5. The Closer, Mariano Rivera and Wayne Coffey
6. Stress Test, Timothy F. Geithner
7. A Fighting Chance, Elizabeth Warren
8. Thrive, Arianna Huffington
9. Flash Boys, Michael Lewis
10. James Madison, Lynne Cheney