Rihanna - The Wait Is Ova - NOV.23.09

Sending music lovers into a tizzy, pop-icon Rihanna released new information about her upcoming album, entitled "Rated R. This morning at 11:23, her new single called "Russian Roulette" debuted and after listening to it a couple of times, I decided that I wouldn't ever listen to it again. It's not that it's an awful song, but I had extremely high expectations that Rihanna's song did NOT meet. She had been hyping the release of the single with a promo video touting a snippet of her second single "The Wait is Ova" (good promotion, Def Jam) that actually had me excited. "Roulette" is a ballad, not the typical first-single off of albums, a slow burner that showcases Rihanna's more than adequate vocals but fails to excite. I, for one, can't wait until "Ova" drops. Until then, enjoy a both songs:

Santogold, You Go Hard

Damnit, Alexa Chung, I may despise you and your terrible show, It's On With Alexa Chung, but you do manage to snare some pretty awesome guests. Today Chung featured musical guest Santigold (previously Santogold) who is basically fantastic in every way. She's original and fresh, chirpy, and excellent live. She also made a pit stop at Jay-Z's 9/11 concert last Friday where they performed "Brooklyn Go Hard" together. Here's her performance of "Lights Out" on Chung's show:

Light Out Alexa Chung Live
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Jay Z, Kid Cudi, Ratatat, MGMT- What a Night

Last night, up and coming rapper Kid Cudi made a quick stop on David Letterman to perform his newest single, "Pursuit of Happiness" off of his new album "Man on the Moon" which comes out next week. The song features instrumental group Ratatat and the indie-electro band MGMT (one of my favorites. Their Prospect Park show this summer was incredible). It's an amazing song off of an amazing album (I'll review it later) but here is the performance from last night:


Later, he popped over to the Jay-Z benefit concert at Madison Square Garden (wish I was there...) where they performed "Already Gone." Jay-Z had so many guests (Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Cudi, John Mayer, Santigold, Rihanna, Kanye West, etc.) it should have been billed as "Jay-Z featuring..."

Stay Out Of It, Nick Lachey

This is one of the funniest moments from The Soup (hosted by the hilarious Joel McHale, Friday nights on E! at 10:00). Nick Lachey, formerly of 98 Degrees boyband fame (?), stops by One Tree Hill and McHale and his crew honor his performance:

The Soup: One Tree Hill/Stay Out Of It Nick Lachey 5/1/09
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Oasis-How Many Times is this Wonderwall Going to Fall?

In a brief statement on the Oasis' website, Noel Gallagher said: "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight." Isn't this something like the eighth time Oasis has "broken up"? Anyway, I expect to be posting soon that they've reconciled.

The First of What Will Surely Be Many "Glee" Posts

Last May, the Fox network aired the pilot episode of a groundbreaking new show, Glee. Critics and audiences alike loved it (unlike the last attempt by a major studio to resuscitate the musical/TV show, Viva Laughlin. Way to go CBS). I caught the last half of it while on vacation in San Francisco, but only recently was I able to watch the episode in its entirety.

Created by the minds behind Nip/Tuck, Glee is a breath of fresh air to an otherwise boring network. For one thing, I was engaged throughout the entire hour. I couldn't wait to hear what song would be sung next. Huge songs like Amy Winehouse's "Rehab", "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey, and "Respect" by Aretha Franklin are re imagined in such drastic but incredible renditions that I never ceased to be astonished. This show has the potential to be a phenomenon, and fans are already catching on. After just ONE episode, Glee launched it's very own tour this summer, featuring all the major cast members. The term "Gleek" has already been coined to describe the obsession with the show. New clips from upcoming episodes have been viewed millions of times by eager (rightfully so) fans.

Glee isn't entertaining only because of the songs, however. A large part of the show's success lies in the genius casting of the show. Choosing relatively unknown actors to helm the show was indeed a risk, but it truly pays off; theater nerds will recognize the supremely talented (though, apparently, VERY snippy) Lea Michele as the "leader" of the Glee Club, Rachel Berry. Equally talented is Matthew Morrison (previously in the great A Light in the Piazza) as Mr. Schuester, the leader of the club. Bringing her trademark with to the show is the great Jane Lynch who never ceases to be hilarious (even in Julie and Julia, Lynch pulls the rug right under the otherwise very-sturdy Meryl Streep). However, it is the real newcomers who pack the biggest punch: never before have I heard pipes the likes of the phenomenal Amber Riley, who plays the diva-esque Mercedes Jones. Bringing the sass in their first rehearsal, Riley crackles with the fire of a seasoned actress when she declares "Oh, HELL to the no! Look, I'm not down with this background singin' nonsense. I'm Beyoncé, I ain't no Kelly Rowland."

Keep in mind, this is all based on Episode #1. However, all evidence points to the show's first (of many, I hope) season following suit: iTunes has quietly been releasing full-length songs from the show (Michele's full audition, "On My Own", Riley's mind-bending vocals on "Bust the Windows" by Jazmine Sullivan, and the whole casts' bring-the-house-down "Gold Digger" by Kanye West). Please, Glee, please, stay the way you are, at least for this season. If you do, you're bound to blow the socks off of America's people who don't yet know the theater lovers that they really are.

Check Out: Amber Riley's amazing takeoff on R&B superstar Jazmine Sullivan's "Bust Your Windows" HERE.

500 Days of Summer

I saw this movie with a couple of friends last month, going in expecting another carbon copy of Little Miss Sunshine. However, I walked away truly surprised. The film was visually stunning, beautifully scored, and extremely well acted. Who would've thought that little Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I watched growing up on 3rd Rock from the Sun, would turn out to have some of the best comedic timing of his generation? What was more incredible than the humor, in my opinion, was the way that director Marc Webb was able to make such a seemingly cheesy concept (a love story told out of order) so likable. This was due in part to the charming Zooey Deschanel, an actress whose work I greatly admire (even her bit part in Bridge to Terabithia, an otherwise atypical sob fest of a Disney movie). She has the singing voice of an indie-folk goddess which makes her that much more elegant in my opinion. The movie showcases her light and airy song (a cover) with collaborator M. Ward Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (their band, She and Him, was THE band to listen to last summer).

What works so well about this movie is the way Deschanel and Gordon-Levitt portray an honest to God chemistry the likes of which have not been seen in a Rom-Com in years. In addition to the movie, the pair filmed a short film (set to She and Him's Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?) for USA Today portraying a bank robber (Gordon-Levitt) and teller (Deschanel) who wind up falling for each other. Clearly the two of them realize the chemistry that they have and use it to its fullest potential.

The one scene that is keeping me from labeling the movie an "instant-classic" is the one in which JGL's character bursts out into song, complete with tweeting animated birds and eloquently choreographed backup dancers who also happen to be everyday people on the street. It seemed way too strained, and instead of coming off as the typical Romantic-Comedy's attempt to one-up the ones that came before it, it falls flat. Apart from this minor qualm, I absolutely loved the movie and highly recommend it to people who are, by now, sick of the typical summer fare.

Begin at the Beginning

Well I'm honestly not sure who's going to be reading this, but I've been extremely bored the last couple of days so I decided to start up a blog. I used to have one that I used while taking summer classes at Columbia in 2008 but I never updated on a regular basis.\

My name is Brennan and I currently reside in a small suburb of New York City, the very city in which I attended high school.

I'm now headed off to Boston for school with a planned major in Journalism.

I love movies. I try to see a new movie, whether in theaters or not, one to two times a week. I prefer smaller, indie movies (for instance, I just saw 500 Days of Summer which I loved. Another one of my favorites is Eulogy, also starring the illustriously beautiful and talented Zooey Deschanel. Sensing a theme?).

I'm also a huge music fan. I have a pretty extensive collection that I constantly add to. I like almost every kind of music (except really country and metal. Sorry if I'm alienating anyone this early on but I just can't find a reason to care about them!). I'm a huge Alt. Rock fan, and I also like indie music of all kind, hip hop, and oldies. Living in New York allowed me access to the best concert venues in the country, and this summer I saw shows by MGMT, Jarvis Cocker, The B-52s, and The Dead Weather to name a few. I'm always open to new suggestions.

I also watch far too much TV. My favorite shows (at the moment) are Lost, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, The West Wing, The Office, and True Blood. I love discovering old shows and introducing them to people in my generation (as I've done with shows like Freaks and Geeks). I think Mad Men is overhyped.

I'm also a huge book reader. Amazon's Kindle is God's gift to mankind. Who else could've come up with the ingenious idea of a handheld computer that stores hundreds of books yet weighs less than 1/4 of any of the Harry Potter books? Lately I've been on a fiction kick, but I also love reading non-fiction (David Sedaris is an inspiration, loved all of Sarah Vowell's books, and both of Chelsea Handler's cracked me up). The last book I read was the recent release "Everything Matters!" by Ron Currie Jr. Highly reccomend it!

The one thing tearing me up about transplanting my life to Boston is the thought of being ripped away from New York's theater scene. I've seen a lot of shows over the years, my most recent having been the fun, pithy "9 to 5" with the phenomenally talented Alison Janney.

Overall, I hope this blog to be a means for me to share advice about the entertainment world with others (whoever may read this!). I'm hoping to do a daily review (Movie, Music, Books, TV, and Theater). I generally tune in to see new shows (and at least the first episode of returning shows), I see movies frequently, listen to TONS of music, and read a lot, so hopefully I have enough in my arsenal to keep me going for a while. In addition, I'll post info on celebrities, entertainment world gossip, and stuff about myself.

Hope everyone enjoys!
-Brennan