Soundtrack

Even though it's all MP3s all the time these days, I still have tons of old CDs from the prehistoric era of music and I can't bear to toss them out. I was flipping through them the other day and stumbled across all the awesome soundtracks I happen to own.

Do you remember the animated Anastasia, voiced by Meg Ryan and John Cusack? Yeah, I have that soundtrack. And for whatever reason, the soulful Waiting to Exhale soundtrack (featuring artists like Brandy and Whitney Houston) will never get old for me. I pulled that puppy out the other day and gave it a listen. Sent me back in time . . .

So what funny/wonderful/potentially embarrassing soundtracks do you have in your collection?

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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. In addition to these picks, you can download new singles from Taylor Swift, Kanye West, and the Smashing Pumpkins. Here's what's on my list this week:

Holiday spirit: Sure, it's a little on the early side to bust out the tinsel and candy canes, but this is one holiday album that seems like it would be good all year. I've long been a fan of Rosie Thomas's sweet, folky voice, and on A Very Rosie Christmas, she presents her take on Christmas songs both new and old, from ballads like "River" to jazzier, up-tempo tunes like "Why Can't It Be Christmastime All Year." There's also a brief comedy sketch from "Sheila," Thomas's stand-up comedy alter ego.

Come on, Elaine. "Days of Elaine" is the latest song in The Decemberists' singles series, Always the Bridesmaid. The second volume in the series is out today and contains two versions of "Elaine," the regular one and a long one that clocks in at more than six minutes. The EP also includes a cute and somewhat old-timey cover of the Velvet Underground's "I'm Sticking With You."

One more pick for the week, so just read more

My question is: What took them so long? I kid, but honestly, you knew a Gossip Girl soundtrack had to be coming because a) that's what good teen dramas do, and b) the show is as good at music as it is at one-liners.

So, the first Gossip Girl soundtrack has been compiled by The O.C.'s former music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas (you know how I feel about her). OMFGG — Original Music Featured on Gossip Girl No. 1's 13 tracks will hit record store shelves near you on Oct. 28, and the album's also available online right now. It's generally a pretty good overview of the show's music, though it doesn't have the memorable "U.R.A. Fever," the song that's playing when Serena admits to murder.

The good folks of GG are also launching an entire site devoted to music on the show. I'm pretty excited for that site myself, because I rarely watch an episode without doing some searching for lyrics I heard.

Are you on your way to download the soundtrack? Are you excited for the new music site? I've got the track list after the jump — and super bonus Buzz respect and admiration goes to anyone who can figure out which song was played in which OMG moment last season. To check it out, just read more

From scoring an entire episode with songs from New York band The Virgins to featuring an a capella version of Fergie's "Glamorous," Gossip Girl has certainly done its part to bring good music to television this year. That's probably not a huge surprise, though: Its music supervisor, Alexandra Patsavas, has brought memorable songs to shows like The OC and Grey's Anatomy as well.

As I was reading a recent interview with Patsavas, I started thinking about what makes a good TV soundtrack. The shows Patsavas has worked on seem to have that secret down when it comes to catchy indie and rock songs — but Cold Case uses music in a completely different way that's still very cool, and the instrumental songs Explosions in the Sky contribute to the Friday Night Lights soundtrack do a lot to establish that show's mood.

Which TV shows do you think use music in the best ways? And which shows that haven't released soundtracks do you wish would?

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The sweet, quirky Juno soundtrack was — much like the movie that spawned it — one of those little indies that could. Filled with songs by the relatively little-known Moldy Peaches and their spinoff projects, the soundtrack shot to the top of the Billboard charts in January. And now, it's getting a sequel!

Juno B-Sides: Almost Adopted Songs will be available April 8 via iTunes (it's already available for pre-order) and will include 15 more songs that just barely didn't make the cut for the film. As director Jason Reitman wrote in the liner notes: "None of these songs made the movie, but they are all essential members of the Junoverse."

The roster of artists looks a lot like the first soundtrack, with songs from Belle and Sebastian, Kimya Dawson, and Buddy Holly. There are two new songs by Mateo Messina, who composed music for the film, called "Meet the MacGuffs" and "Meet the Lorings." And there's also another track from Ellen Page, whose song — "Zub Zub" — was written by screenwriter Diablo Cody herself. Apparently, the song comes from a scene where Juno was just fooling around on the guitar, singing lyrics like "he filled me with baby batter, then we ate some orange Tic Tacs after." Heh. The scene got cut for time, but luckily, now the song's preserved for posterity.

Are you interested in more Juno-related tunes? To check out the full track list, just read more

Yesterday I told you about The Hottest State, the movie written and directed by Ethan Hawke that opens later this month. What I didn't mention was the movie's awesome soundtrack, which consists of 18 songs by some of my favorite artists, including Bright Eyes, Feist, M. Ward and more.

All of the songs are written by singer-songwriter Jesse Harris, who won a Song of the Year Grammy in 2003 for the Norah Jones hit "Don't Know Why." I'm not familiar with his solo work, but I'm really liking "Big Old House," the song of his that Bright Eyes performs on the soundtrack. The bells and electric guitars in the background give it the epic feel of a soundtrack song, and Conor Oberst's voice is perfectly suited for nostalgia-fueled lyrics such as "I'll love you if you've changed." I've listened to a few of the soundtrack's other tracks on the soundtrack's MySpace page, but this one is my favorite so far. To listen for yourself, read more

I've been looking forward to seeing Dreamgirls—the girl-group musical starring Beyonce—for months, but the release date is still a couple of weeks away. If you need something to hold you over, Pop already posted the video for the movie's first single, and if you still want more, you can now stream the soundtrack in its entirety here. I'm a bit hot and cold on this music, though; some of it sounds like great Phil Spector-esque girl band magic, but other tracks just sound like a bad movie musical. What do you guys think?