Cadillac Records

All of the new DVD releases hit stores (and Netflix) on Tuesdays. So each week in What to Netflix: New DVD Tuesday, I sort through the best of the batch and tell you what to add to your queue. In addition to my picks below, you can now watch Cadillac Records, Let the Right One In, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in the comfort of your own home.

Milk
If you still haven't seen Milk after all the months of accolades and awards, now's your chance to learn what all the fuss is about. In addition to being an incredibly moving story based on the real life of San Francisco gay activist Harvey Milk, it's wonderfully acted and directed. It's everything a biopic ought to be, right down to beautifully recreating the events of such an extraordinary life.

The cast is full of talented, adorable actors, like Sean Penn (who won the Oscar for his portrayal of Milk), James Franco, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, and Emile Hirsch. I am anxious to watch it again, even though it's so heartbreaking.

Special features include deleted scenes, a featurette about remembering Harvey, and another titled "Hollywood comes to San Francisco."

So much more to recommend, so read more

Reese and Vince proved a potent pair at the box office once again as Four Christmases came in at No. 1 for the second weekend in a row. The holiday comedy earned an estimated $18.2 million over the weekend, bringing its overall total since debuting to $70.8 million. Meanwhile, Twilight continues to plow full steam ahead, coming in at No. 2 and bringing its overall total to an impressive $138.6 million. The top five was rounded out by Bolt in third, Australia in fourth, and Quantum of Solace at No. 5.

There are a lot of "specialty" offerings at the moment, many of which are doing very well given how many theaters they're playing in. Cadillac Records had a decent debut at No. 9, and both Slumdog Millionaire and Milk continue to thrive thanks to great buzz.

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

There's plenty wrong with director Darnell Martin's biopic about Chicago's famous record label Chess Records, including the confusing title: Cadillac Records. What with the production quality that makes the film look like a sound stage, amateurish editing, and a script that bites off too many legends than it can chew, this movie's got issues.

But you know what? I forgive it these faults for two reasons: the performances are out-of-this-world good (Beyonce actually sets the screen on fire), and the awesome music is prominently on display with most of the actors doing most of the singing. The resulting experience is less a cerebral one (it is awfully formulaic) and more primal. The music moved me, and the performances are so powerful they got under my skin and stayed with me for days.

To see what else I so enjoyed about this ensemble cast (including what might be my favorite Mos Def performance ever), read more

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: Not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores, including iTunes. So I take a spin through each week's iTunes music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. Here are today's selections:

Comeback kid: Britney Spears's new album, Circus, is being described as "adequate" by most reviewers, and from what I've listened to so far, I'd agree. I've had "Womanizer," a song I really enjoy, on my jogging mix for a while now (and all I see is Chuck Bass). I'm not too sure what else from this odd collection of songs I will get into next, but Britney's tunes have a way of creeping up on me over time as I warm to their catchiness. One song, "Unusual You," is very pretty even though it hardly sounds like her, and "Kill the Lights" is cool. Also: What is going on with her accent on "Mmm Papi"?

The best of Chess: I caught an early screening of Cadillac Records last night (I'll share my thoughts on the movie later this week) and boy, am I in the mood for some blues from this era. Lucky for me, the original songs featured in the film have been neatly rounded up for an album available for download today. Classics like "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Forty Days and Forty Nights" by the legendary Muddy Waters sound great even on MP3. Oh man, and Etta James pouring her heart out on tracks like "Trust In Me" and "All I Could Do Is Cry" sounds amazing here too. The entire album is awesome — I downloaded it all.

One more still to come, so read more

The cast of Cadillac Records brought their movie to New York City last night, highlighted by Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z. The newlyweds and longtime loves hardly ever do the red carpet together, so it's such a treat to see him out to support his wife looking so happy. They're always having a blast somewhere around the world, but with her opening up a little about their marriage and seeing them together here might mean a new leaf for B and J. They weren't the only ones at the premiere, Adrien Brody had Elsa Pataky on his arm as always while Gabrielle Union and Emmanuelle Chriqui looked gorgeous solo. The movie hits theaters this Friday and between the cast there's more than enough beauty to go around, though Beyonce swears we won't be able to recognize any Sasha Fierce in her Etta James.

To see lots more from the premiere including Kelly Ripa, Ne-Yo, Diddy, Mos Def and more just read more

Hollywood got a little more old school last night for the premiere of Cadillac Records. Beyonce Knowles looked glamorous solo showing off her enormous diamond ring on the red carpet and posing with the legendary Etta James who B portrays in the film. As one half of the number one top earning celebrity couples, Beyonce didn't need her other half by her side to command attention. Adrien Brody cozied up with his girlfriend Elsa Pataky sticking with the all black dress code right down to Adrien's hair. Gabrielle Union also stars in the film, which hits theaters December 5.

To see more from the premiere including Etta James, Beyonce, Adrien and more just read more

Well, here it is, folks: A real look at Cadillac Records, the musical biopic people have been buzzing about lately — especially since we first caught a glimpse of Beyonce as Etta James. The movie focuses on several legendary greats, like Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Chuck Berry, and Leonard Chess, portrayed by the likes of Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, Mos Def and Adrien Brody.

The story chronicles the rise of Chess Records in 1950s Chicago when, as the voiceover explains, "Sex had a sound. Danger had a rhythm. And freedom had a music all its own." Cadillac Records opens Dec. 5. To check out the trailer, read more

• This incredibly creepy dude, Derek Mears, will reportedly play Jason in the new Friday the 13th, ComingSoon writes.
• Meanwhile, Mos Def has signed on to portray Chuck Berry in the movie Cadillac Records, Billboard reports.
• Zap2it reports that ABC is shuffling its Spring schedule, moving Women's Murder Club to Tuesdays and taking Men in Trees off the air for a few weeks.
• Uh-oh: The LA Times has an update on a possible actors' strike.
• According to the AP, Heather Mills will judge the next Miss USA pageant.
• Kathie Lee Gifford will host the fourth hour of The Today Show, the New York Times reports.
• Zany soap opera Passions no longer has a home at NBC, Variety reports.
• If you want to see Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's band play live, She & Him are going on a very, very brief tour, and Pitchfork has the details.

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• According to Variety, a celebrity-studded version of Family Feud will be coming to primetime.
• The Hollywood Reporter writes that Shekhar Kapur will direct the late Anthony Minghella's last project, a short film for the anthology New York, I Love You.
• Hugh Jackman and TV writer/producer Marc Guggenheim are co-creating an original comic book series titled Nowhere Man, ComingSoon reports.
• Zap2It has news that Jaime King will star in a 3-D remake of the 1981 horror flick My Bloody Valentine.
• Variety reports that TV judges are getting their own Daytime Emmy Awards category.
• VH1's Rock Honors will only honor The Who this year, the Associated Press reports.
• Gabrielle Union is set to star in Cadillac Records, playing Muddy Waters' girlfriend Geneva Wade, writes ComingSoon.
• A Broadway musical version of A Tale of Two Cities will head to New York this summer, Variety reports.

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