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Link Time! 9/11

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:30:42 -0700

Please don't panic about Dollhouse yet. - TV with MeeVee
Kevin Smith has seen JJ Abrams's Star Trek movie (even though we haven't even seen a full-length trailer!) and is blown away with Chris Pine's performance as Kirk. - MTV Movies Blog
If not Stephen Colbert, what other pop culture icon would you send into space to represent us? - Popwatch
Elvis Costello's new variety show looks to be pretty bizarre. - Vulture
The full studio version of Kanye's "Love Lockdown": Love it or leave it? - PopSugar
Travel back in time with this homage to Meg Ryan's earlier - perhaps better - roles. - FilmExperience
Top Design: Whose bomb shelter was best? - CasaSugar
I'm intrigued by this review from the Toronto Film Festival of the movie Me and Orson Welles, starring Zac Efron and Claire Danes, mostly because I had no idea that movie was completed already. - Cinematical
See the difference between HD and standard iTunes downloads. - TV Squad

Photo courtesy of Fox

Album Review: Jenny Lewis's Acid Tongue

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 14:38:53 -0700

When Jenny Lewis first went solo from Rilo Kiley, she had the Watson Twins to help her let us into her most soulful, folksy thoughts with each song. That debut was excellent and, like Death Cab's Ben Gibbard, I've been excitedly awaiting her next solo project, Acid Tongue. Today we can hear the whole thing for the first time on her MySpace page.

I've read that she was interested in rocking out this time, and that's definitely the case on this new album which is full of (non-twin) collaborators. There's M. Ward, Zooey Deschanel, Chris Robinson and even Elvis Costello! At times the vibe is psychedelic and trippy, but mostly I'd describe the album as eclectic. There's still twang there - even in her rock - which is smart because that's what suits her voice best, I think. But she also brings in the gospel ballads, along with tunes that sound exactly like some good ol' Rilo Kiley stuff.

What I appreciate most after taking a first listen is how ambitious it all is, and overall I like the way her tracks transported me to another hazy time. This is definitely an album that will be awesome to hear live. I've jotted down a few thoughts on each of the songs for your consideration, so read more.

"Black Sand": Starts softly with deep bass and a melody that sounds almost Abbey Road-ish. Her voice is high up in a soft falsetto. It's bluesy, there are strings, and I believe that atmospheric guitar is M. Ward.
"The Next Messiah": This song is long, almost nine minutes, and has three distinct parts to it. There's a pulsing rock 'n' roll vibe to start, then it turns into an uptempo toe-tapper, and descends into a duet between Lewis and a male voice. Unexpected and cool.
"Badman's World": She darkly sings "It's a bad man's world" over and over again. This song is slow and trippy. There are sparse strings, and the whole thing just makes me think "wasteland."
"Acid Tongue": I like this song a lot. The pretty harmonies with male voices in the background during the chorus are just lovely. It's a melancholy country tune. She's so effective at making me really feel her lyrics, like "Now I am tired/ It just made me tired." Gorgeous stuff.
"Fernando": Kind of expected, least surprising track of the bunch. I could see Rilo Kiley rocking this song. I like the fun lady singers in the background.
"Godspeed": Effecting piano ballad, it's a song about getting away from a no-good kind of guy. And she's been there before.
"Carpetbaggers": This is her duet with Elvis Costello. A super country rock song with a lot of "Whoa, yeah"s Not sure how I feel about their sound together. . . going to need a couple more listens.
"Trying My Best to Love You": Oh, man. Oh, goodness, this song is lovely. The strings, the piano. It almost sounds like gospel singing behind her. I feel like Aretha Franklin would have enjoyed belting the crap out of this song. Love it.
"Jack Killed Mom": Another gospel, down-home piano song. Tells a somewhat twisted story about Jack and his mom.
"Sing a Song for Them": Sad little song with pretty harmonies. A song for the outcasts and the forgotten. Nice ending.

Source

Buzz News Roundup, 7/7

BuzzSugar — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:30:03 -0700

The Wire's David Simon has told Broadcasting & Cable that he wants to make a movie about Donnie Andrews, the real-life Omar who robbed drug dealers.
Reuters reports that Bill Clinton will be among the first guests on Elvis Costello's talk/music show.
The Osbournes are headed to Fox for a new variety show that might be paired with American Idol next year, TV Week reports.
According to Billboard, the Flaming Lips are showing their Christmas movie, Christmas on Mars, at the festivals they're playing up until the movie is released on DVD later this year.
E! reports that Jamie-Lynn Sigler will join the cast of Entourage for a few episodes, playing herself.
The Hollywood Reporter has the news that the Sundance Institute has established a submission deadline for the 2009 festival: September 8, 2008.
Spike Lee is on board to film performances of the Broadway show Passing Strange, writes Variety.
90210 has added two new members to its cast, Zap2it reports - including the actress currently best known for modeling Case 24 on Deal or No Deal.

Source

What to Download: New Music on iTunes

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:31:36 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainment-ville: Not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores, including iTunes. So starting today, I'll be taking a spin through each week's iTunes music releases and picking out some albums and tracks worthy of a download. Some inaugural selections:

Calling all cool cats: The Last Shadow Puppets is a side project band of Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane from The Rascals. Their album is smooth and reminded one iTunes commenter of James Bond, which I think is right on. Their album topped British charts and I personally will be downloading the entire thing.

Elvis! No, the other Elvis.: Elvis Costello and the Imposters have a new album out called Momofuku, and it's already a hit with his fans and critics alike. Check out the single No Hiding Place if you want a taste of why people love the guy.

The guy who sang that One Tree Hill song: Gavin DeGraw is back with a self-titled album full of songs in the same style that made him somewhat of a hit-maker a couple of years ago. His sound falls somewhere between easy listening and contemporary rock, and if you're looking for something mellow, this new album's for you.

For a couple more suggestions, read more

For the kids: We knew the Barenaked Ladies were really good at making cute and fun pop songs for adults. Now they're doing it for the kids on their new album, Snacktime. The song about ninjas is hands down my favorite, and even though I'm childless, I might not be above listening to these tunes myself!

Do you feel the need for speed?: I bet you thought the musical score for the Speed Racer movie was going to be an over-produced, techno-sounding mash with lots of "toot toot"s in there, didn't you? I sure did. To my surprise, the theme song for the movie is a swinging tune with a brass section to boot. I think it would be right at home on a cocktail party mix CD. Check it out here.

Free Downloads! Six Covers by the Cold War Kids

BuzzSugar — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 06:56:37 -0800

Cold War Kids already won me over with a stellar debut album, Robbers & Cowards, and the awesome interview the band did for BuzzSugar. But now, the boys from Long Beach have done something even cooler: They've posted free MP3s of six cover songs that the band played at a recent breast-cancer benefit show.

The very eclectic set includes CWK's version of songs by Fiona Apple, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, and more. You can download the songs on the Cold Ward Kids web site.