Song of the Week - August 31st - Lights by Nellie Veitenheimer

Hello everyone! I took last week off, but I'm back (a day late, sorry!) with the Song of the Week. If you followed my recaps of The Glee Project, then you know of my eternal love for Nellie Veitenheimer, this season's best vocalist who placed 8th this season. Luckily, the exposure she gained on The Glee Project caught the attention of fans who have been craving to see what has been next for Nellie's career. Last week, Nellie gave her fans what they had been craving: an original song! Hence, my pick for this week's Song of the Week...

Lights by Nellie Veitenheimer

This mid-tempo ballad has the classic elements of an "Evan approved" song. A sweeping production that builds to the very end, unique vocals, and meaningful lyrics. Starting soft, the song builds into a beautiful late-at-night-walking-down-the-street-contemplating melody that is sure to get stuck in your head. Nellie's fans love her because of her unbelievable voice, which is put on full display here. I wouldn't be surprised if it was revealed that there was no editing done to Nellie's voice in this song, because she sounds flawless and natural. On top of all of this, the lyrics are so well done. The chorus details regrettable mistakes made while living under pressure: "Bright, bright lights/Spotlight makes it hard to see the stars at night/Every day has become my stage and I feel I have made one, two, three many mistakes." The song just delivers everything Nellie fans could have hoped for and more. And, of course, this is just the beginning for everyone's favorite Milkshake fan: she recently revealed via Twitter than her and fellow Glee Project contestant Shanna Henderson had finished co-writing a song together (although it's unknown at this point if both Shanna and Nellie will sing on the track), and Nellie is currently working on getting resources together for a debut album. Certainly, I will be watching! Check out Nellie Veitenheimer's track above and let me know if you think she's the real deal!

Evan

Fall First Look: Pitch Perfect

I can remember distinctly the setting. I was at the midnight premiere of The Amazing Spiderman, in a row full of my best friends. Seriously. Fourteen of us piled on Spidey gear and took over an entire row of the movie theater. We loaded up on candy, popcorn, and drinks, and a few brave souls even left before the movie started and returned with Wawa sandwiches. Definitely one of the best parts of my summer, for sure. As the lights wound down and the previews began, everyone was on edge to see if Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone could deliver an exciting new start to the Spiderman series. But, of course, before we could start that adventure, we had to watch the previews. Now, do not get me wrong, I LOVE previews! I always wanna see what's coming next, especially if I haven't checked out the trailer ahead of time. This was the case with the first trailer shown at The Amazing Spiderman midnight premiere. I guess I should also preface this by saying that my friends and I, for the most part, are all musically inclined. Whether it's singing, playing, or creating, we love music. We share new bands, we do bonfire sing-a-longs, we worship a key change, and we aren't afraid to dance to our favorite song in public, even if no one else is dancing. And so, when the trailer for Pitch Perfect had finished, our group, widemouthed and amazed, cheered and screamed across the row "We have got to see that movie!"

Now I would venture to guess that that's the kind of reaction Universal Pictures was looking for from some kind of audience. In a time that has been saturated with Glee and Glee wannabes, Pitch Perfect looks to bring a new edge to acapella singing groups. Yep, that's what the film is about. It starts with the adventures of Beca (played by one of my favorite actresses, Anna Kendrick), a college freshman, who is recruited to join The Bellas, her school's female acapella group, despite her protestations. There, she brings new life to the group by injecting current flavor and new songs into the group's repertoire in an attempt to bring down the campus' rival male acapella group in a final showdown. It all sounds very cheesy, right? Well, that's the fun of it! In a script from Kay Cannon (an Emmy-nominated writer for 30 Rock), the girls sass and loudmouth their way to the top, keeping the dialogue witty and bitting. The all-star cast of twentysomethings includes young actors and actresses previously not known for their vocal work. Kendrick, for example, is actually the third youngest Tony Award nominee ever for her work in the Broadway musical High Society! Also starring is Brittany Snow (recognizable from John Tucker Must Die, Hairpsray, and Prom Night), Anna Camp (from The Help, a brief stint on The Good Wife and a series regular on this fall's new Fox comedy The Mindy Project), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from Superbad), Skylar Astin (original cast member of the Broadway smash Spring Awakening), Adam DeVine (from the popular TV series Workaholics), John Michael Higgins (who has really been in just about everything possible, but probably most recognizable from Fired Up!), Elizabeth Banks (fresh off her stint as Effie in The Hunger Games), and the film's breakout star, Rebel Wilson (she was Kristen Wiig's British roommate in Bridesmaids) as Fat Amy. For the most part, it is believed the cast did their own singing for the film. Early word is that the comedy looks to be the surprise hit of the fall. With comparisons to Bring It On and Easy A, the comedy could look to be the must-see event for teens this fall, especially those with musical backgrounds. My cousin recently got to attend a sneak peek viewing of the film and he said: "It's, in my opinion anyway, better than Mean Girls." That is high praise, considering the universal adoration of the Lindsay Lohan high school comedy that has had teens screaming "Fetch!" and "Why are you white?" for eight years now. Still, even if the film is half as good as the ones it has been compared to, there's no reason why Pitch Perfect's performance shouldn't be just that. Check out the trailer that started it all below and see the movie in theaters starting October 5th. Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!

Evan

Fall First Look: The New Normal

Surprise, surprise! Less than a day after Fox released the pilots for its new series The Mindy Project and Ben and Kate, NBC today put the first episode of it's hot new comedy The New Normal. After experiencing success with previewing Go On and Animal Practice during the Olympics, I guess NBC went ahead and decided to preview more of its new slate, so today they released The New Normal pilot online, and in a week, they'll be putting up the pilot for Revolution, their big new high-concept drama. For now, it's time to evaluate the first episode of this hot-topic comedy. While it has recently been shrouded in controversy for being dropped from an NBC Utah affiliate, it is still one of the hottest comedy projects this fall. The show stars Justin Bartha, Andrew Rannells, Georgia King, Ellen Barkin, NeNe Leakes, and Bebe Woods. Bartha and Rannells play David and Bryan, a committed gay couple, who are looking to expand their family to three. Enter King as Goldie, a young mother (Woods plays her young daughter Shania) looking to turn her life around and pursue her real dream of going to law school. As a result, King decides to become a surrogate for David and Bryan, much to the chagrin of her grandmother Jane, played by Barkin. Leakes plays David's assistant, Rocky. Co-written by Glee and American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy, the show definitely carries his vibe: lightning-fast pace, pop culture savvy dialogue, strong-willed characters, and nerve-pinching writing. It's got some laughs, definitely, but it's certainly not laugh-out-loud. The pilot moves very fast and it doesn't feel like it's been 25 minutes. The performances are all incredibly solid here. The immediate standouts are Rannells and Barkin, they both get pretty meaty performances here, but there are certainly hints that King and Bartha will be respectable players here as well. Woods is good, although her character's obsession with technology seems like a joke at least two years old, and Leakes is outrageous, but mostly kept in line, which is a good thing for sure. There are a couple of great zingers and awesome moments (a few come to mind: King's character's wish to be like "Julianna Margulies on The Good Wife but without the disgraced husband," the special cameo which I won't give away, most of Barkin's insults and Leake's comebacks, and Rannell's wish for "a skinny blonde baby who doesn't cry. Is that extra?'). For all of the heat about the controversial side to this show, it doesn't feel any more offensive than jokes seen on most primetime comedies. It's a very good pilot, and I'd rank it a little above The Mindy Project but lower than that other hot NBC comedy, Go On. It'll be interesting to see what path this show follows; Murphy shows always get good before they get bad, so at the very least, we should get a pretty good first season (and if the Golden Globes and Emmys shower Murphy with love like they have in the past, the series, Rannells, and Barkin could all be seeing some love this year). It's definitely worth checking out! Still not convinced? Check out the trailer below:

Evan

Billboard Hot 100 Update - Week of September 8th

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for a new Billboard Hot 100 chart. However, looking at the top 3, it would barely appear there is any difference. Yes, the top three spots from last week are exactly the same as they were last week. That means that after a first ever peak at #1, Taylor Swift is enjoying a second week atop the Billboard Hot 100. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together hits the summit for a second week, despite digital sales that were cut in half from last week. With record setting sales last week, it was no surprise that Swift's song would face a big drop this week. Luckily, the song's career at radio is just starting as it makes a 30% jump and a #14-#13 hop on the Radio Songs chart. Interestingly enough, while the song made improvements at pop radio, it actually fell on the Country Songs chart, probably due to the fact that the song is not really country...at all. Since its debut over two weeks ago, the song has topped the iTunes charts and is still garnering impressive radio airplay, so it's possible the song could stay on top for a little while longer. Of course, major threats stand in Taylor's way. After becoming only the second #1 song this year to spend only one week atop the Billboard Hot 100, Whistle seems to be stuck at #2 due to Getting Back Together's success. Even though the song climbed #8-#5 on Radio Songs, it fell #2-#3 on Digital Songs, and quite frankly, it just can't match the performance of Swift's song. Still, there is some reason for Flo Rida to be excited this week: his song passed the 2 million mark in sales this week. Poor Ellie Goulding's chances at an American #1 look further out of reach as Lights also retains it's position from last week's chart, at #3. As sales begin to fall and airplay has seemingly reached a peak, it looks like Ellie's next album holds her next best chance for a #1 American song.

Still, there is much to laud about this week's chart. After making a Hot 100 Top 10 debut at #9 last week, Maroon 5's latest, One More Night, zoomed up to #4 after jumping #4-#2 on Digital Songs and #25-#16 on Radio Songs. It's certainly looking like this song has the best chance of becoming the next #1 on the chart after Swift finishes her stay. Maybe. If not, bet that it will be fun.'s Some Nights that takes the peak position next. After a #6 finish last week, the band's second single is now a Top 5 hit, following a #19-#14 jump on Radio Songs, and despite a #3-#4 fall on Digital Songs (the song was back and forth with Flo Rida's Whistle all last week, but has stabilized and is now outselling the rapper. Following sales decreases and a drop at radio, Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe slides further down the Hot 100 from #4-#6, but she shouldn't be too sad (more on that later). Also falling two spots is Katy Perry's Wide Awake which, after decreases in sales and airplay, now stands at #7. Maroon 5's other hit song, Payphone, slides only one spot from last week to #8. Interestingly enough, One More Night looks like it has a better chance of hitting #1 than Payphone did, which I'm sure many did not see coming.

Jepsen makes a second Top 10 appearance as her duet with Owl City, Good Time, hits #9 this week. After a #13 finish last week, Jepsen and Owl City singer Adam Young were benefitted this week by TV exposure for their song, following performances on America's Got Talent and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The song jumps #8-#5 on Digital Songs and #17-#15 on Radio Songs. Could the song climb even higher? It's hard to say. But the #9 peak still set marks for the duo. For Jepsen, the one-two punch of Call Me Maybe and Good Time makes her the first solo woman artist to send her first two efforts into the top 10 since Ke$ha in 2009-2010. If featured artists are included, Sia also joins that list after she led the chorus to two of this year's catchiest hits, Flo Rida's Wild Ones and David Guetta's Titanium. For Owl City, Good Time marks his second appearance in the Top 10 after he sent his debut single Fireflies to #1 in November of 2009. Finally, sliding #8-#10, Jepsen's mentor Justin Bieber and his latest, As Long As You Love Me, took a hit on the charts this week. After a slip in sales (a 9% decrease, but no slip in rankings, where he matches last week's #6 mark), the song only leaped one spot from #18-#17 on Radio Songs. Could the song recover? It certainly looks to be in the next class of hits as the fall is now creeping upon us. Looking at the chart, it is interesting to discern the "old" hits from the "new" hits. In the coming weeks, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, One More Night, Some Nights, Good Time, and As Long As You Love Me should be among the chart's most successful songs, while titles like Whistle, Lights, Wide Awake, Payphone and (yes, believe it or not!) Call Me Maybe will be on their way down the charts. As the fall approaches, it should be interesting to see what crop of songs will take to the top spot. Maybe they'll appear further down the chart!

Neon Trees' Everybody Talks, lately experiencing a late rush up the charts, hits a new high at #11, up three spots from last week. After increases at radio and sales, the song has been enjoying success after being released in the dead of winter in 2011. With increasing sales and airplay this week, the song could enjoy a Top 10 finish next week. A song whose time is seemingly done in the Top 10 is the #12 song, Blow Me (One Last Kiss) from Pink. Unfortunately, while early buzz launched the song to a #9 peak, the song never climbed much higher and is seemingly stuck. Perhaps it is time for a new single, Pink? No worries, her new album hits stores September 18th. Falling out of the Top 10, David Guetta and Sia's first collaboration Titanium slides three spots from #10-#13, but fret not: Guetta recently announced his intentions to rerelease his year-old album Nothing But the Beat, and just released the first single from the rerelease, another collab with summer 2012 feature lady Sia, titled She Wolf (Falling to Pieces). The song is, expectedly, catchy as hell, and it could see success come this fall. Gotye's blockbuster number one Somebody That I Used to Know slipped three spots as well, from #11-#14. Surprisingly, Rihanna was able to maintain her steady decline from last week as she logs a second week at #15. However, don't expect a resurgence, unless Ri performs the song at the VMAs next week, but at this point, the song is kind of old news.

Also steady with last week is Cher Lloyd and her debut US single Want U Back. Although the song fell on Radio Songs, she actually increased on Digital Songs. After two weeks of drops, a sustain is good news right now, and after a performance on the Today show today on NBC, she could see a bump next week. Speaking of bumps, Demi Lovato rebounds one spot from last week #18-#17 as she hits a new high on Radio Songs. The bumps continue with Alex Clare's breakout hit Too Close which hits a new peak at #18, up two spots from last week. The song's digital sales are hotter than ever, and if he can gain some more support at radio, he could easily climb higher up this chart. Kanye West and Co. stay steady from last week with Mercy, even after a fall on Radio Songs. Rounding out the Top 20, Nicki Minaj's latest single Pound the Alarm reaches a new high after a week of steady sales and increased radio airplay. Expect the song to hit new highs throughout the month, as a trip to the Top 10 seems pretty likely at this point.

Elsewhere on the charts, two country songs hit new highs as Little Big Town's addictive hit Pontoon and Hunter Hayes' Wanted climb #22-#23 and #29-#26, respectively. Don't Wake Me Up, Chris Brown's newest single, continues to leap to the top as it makes a huge jump from #41-#29 this week after improved digital sales. If the song can get some radio airplay, it could be a big hit, but, after all, this is Chris Brown, and the mention of his name brings about serious debate. Taking a small misstep, Carrie Underwood's Blown Away falls one spot from #30-#31, after a tiny fall in sales. With the singer's fall tour about to start, it's certainly possible she could recover and hopefully so since the song is probably one of her best ever. Train's newest single, 50 Ways to Say Goodbye, hit a new high, up 18 spots from #52-#34 after a huge leap in sales this week. Still, the song doesn't have much success at radio yet, but Train songs normally take some time to get to the top at radio (although I'll point out that their newest is my personal favorite of theirs, better than Hey, Soul Sister and Drive By). Speaking of Drive By, it ranks just below 50 Ways at #35, actually increasing four spots. Aided by commercial placement, The Lumineers' Ho Hey reaches a new high at #42, up six spots from last week. It'll be interesting to see if the song can follow in the success of other alternative hits from this year. Still, it's fair to say that there is a long list of songs that can prove that this was definitely the year for alternative music. Another alt song gaining traction is Little Talks from Of Monsters and Men, as it climbs one spot from #50-#49. One song that isn't finding success is Dark Side, Kelly Clarkson's latest. After weeks of increases, two missteps have led to this week's crucial five slot fall from #45-#50. Kelly, you might wanna get that next single ready!

No Doubt's comeback single Settle Down continues to, well, not settle down in the top, as it falls three spots from #58-#61. Looks like the band sees the problem, though: today, they released the next single, Push and Shove. After a strong debut at #23, huge falls have followed Mumford and Sons' newest single, I Will Wait, which drops a huge 29 spots from #37-#66. Of course, the band has never really been radio-friendly, so it's more about album sales. Imagine Dragons' first single It's Time jumped two spots from #69-#67 after placement in commercials for The Perks of Being a Wallflower. British sensation Ed Sheeran also slides up two more spots, from #75-#73, with his first US single, The A Team. Ne-Yo, who hasn't really had a hit single since Miss Independent hit #7 in fall 2008, is looking to make a comeback with Let Me Love You, which jumps #88-#74 this week (not surprisingly, the song was co-written by one of summer 2012's biggest underdogs, Sia). Also jumping this week is David Guetta's final single from Nothing But the Beat (not the re-release), I Can Only Imagine, with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne. The song bounces #90-#75. This week's biggest debut comes from rock-alternative band Muse, whose first single, Madness, from their new album hit the charts at #84 in its first week. Three spots down, The Script's newest, Hall of Fame, also debuted this week. That's all for this week, but check back next week to see where your favorite songs land!

Evan

Fall First Look: The Mindy Project

In a year with no "must-see" comedy pilots, it would appear Fox gets to, once again, hold the title of Most Anticipated New Comedy. After launching New Girl, the network turned Zooey Deschanel and the rest of the cast (particularly Jake Johnson and Emmy-nominated Max Greenfield) into overnight stars and the comedy earned Fox some of its best ratings in years. This year, Fox is trying to make magic again with The Mindy Project. Created and co-produced by it's star Mindy Kaling (she was a co-executive producer, writer, and actress on NBC's The Office), The Mindy Project is hoping to find the same success as that other show about a grown woman finding her footing after the end of a relationship. After Fox previewed the New Girl pilot a month before it's actual debut last year, they decided to do the same with two of their new comedies, including The Mindy Project. Now that I have seen the episode, I can give you all the exclusive details on The Mindy Project pilot! First, I should clear the air about the comparisons to New Girl: the first episode of The Mindy Project is not as good as the first episode of New Girl, and Deschanel is better than Kaling. While that may seem discouraging, it should be recognized that New Girl's pilot is Emmy-nominated and is considered one of the best comedy pilots in years, in addition to the fact that the pilot for The Mindy Project is actually good, just not as good. Mindy Kaling is very good in the lead role, and I'm glad to see she looks to be able to pull it off, especially since her character on The Office, Kelly, was always very shrewd, bitter, and cranky. Still, Kaling does a good job here, and it should be recognized that she wrote this first episode, so she's got double the achievement in this episode. As for the rest of the cast, Chris Messina is the easy early standout. He is the better third of the series' obvious love triangle, even though he is snarky and sometimes just downright mean (there's a moment halfway through the episode that actually garnered a gasp from me). At the other end of the triangle, Ed Weeks plays Kaling's dream man, the sexy, British doctor who Kaling is secretly taking to the bedroom. Weeks is good, but he really doesn't get much to do in this first episode except flash a smile that sends Kaling to the moon. I've loved Anna Camp since she broke onto the scene with her supporting role in The Help (although she had a short blink-and-you-miss-it cameo on Glee once), and her role on The Good Wife only added to my adoration for her. While she had to cut her stint on that show short in order to star in this fall's musical comedy Pitch Perfect (more on that movie in the coming days), she is back on TV this fall as Kaling's trusty BFF. While she doesn't get a whole lot of screentime, she does a very good job, and it will be interesting to see her handle a truly comic role. Stephen Toblowsky barely makes it on screen in this first episode, but I don't believe he was originally supposed to be in the first episode anyway, so hopefully we'll see more from his character soon (I loved his brief role on Glee). Finally, Kaling's two office assistants, played by Zoe Jarman and Amanda Setton, get a little action in the first episode, with Jarman benefitting from the extra screentime. There was no real standout right away (unlike Schmidt in New Girl's first episode), but there's definitely room for growth. The episode's two big guest stars, Bill Hader and Ed Helms, were really funny, as usual, and their storylines are left open for their return. The writing was pretty solid, although the references to romantic comedies get a little stale about halfway through. The best line of the pilot: "Maybe I won't get married, you know? Maybe I'll do one of those 'Eat, Pray, Love' things. Ugh, no. I don't wanna pray. Forget it. I'll die alone." It's a pretty good first episode and as I've learned over the years, you can't judge a comedy based on its first episode alone (well, most comedies at least), so I'm definitely sticking with The Mindy Project to see it's all-but-guaranteed improvement as the season goes on. You should too! But first, check out this trailer for The Mindy Project and tell me your thoughts in the comments section below. If you've seen the episode too, lemme know what you think too!

Evan

I'm Back!

Hi everyone,

Hopefully you're still keeping up with the page or you've remembered that my little hiatus is almost finished, but I can finally tell you I'm back!!! It's been the longest, craziest, most exciting, fulfilling and inspiring weekend of my life. I moved into Penn State on Friday and it's been non-stop ever since. Between dining hall meals (yay college food!), meeting new friends, class-wide activities, and our first PSU pep rally, I cannot wait to share the next four years of my life with this incredible community. Still, I'm very excited to come back and post on the blog. My first day of classes is tomorrow, so I don't know how often I'll be posting until I get into the swing of things, but please keep checking for updates. I should at least have one new post up tomorrow night. I hope you're all excited for the future, I know I am :)

Evan

The Next Step

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to write to say thank you so much for reading, sharing, and enjoying the blog. It means a lot to mean that so many of you have visited the site, and the support is amazing. In recent days, I've hit pageview highs and it's been so excited and I love finding the next article to write for you guys. Unfortunately, I must inform you that I am taking a little break. It won't be long, just for the weekend, but I'm moving into Penn State tomorrow, preparing for the next phase of my life. I really want to dive right into the campus and get involved and meet people, so I won't be posting for the weekend, at least just the weekend for right now, but I hope to be back as soon as possible. I hope you can understand that taking this little vacation will provide me with some time to really become the best member of the Penn State community that I know I can be. I'll be back as soon as I can with everything you'll need to know about movies, television, and music, and I'll miss visiting the site, but I'm really excited about the next step of my life, and I hope you can all respect that. I'll be chatting you all up very soon :)

Evan :)

Fall First Look: Push and Shove by No Doubt

How exactly does a band return from an eleven-year hiatus after being on top of the alternative/rock world for most of the 90's and the early 00's? That's a good question for punk rock legends No Doubt. After releasing their fifth studio album Rock Steady in 2001, the band announced they were going on hiatus in order to start families and, in lead singer Gwen Stefani's case, explore solo opportunities. While the band was put on the back burner, Stefani made two highly successful solo albums, garnered six Grammy nominations, and had two children. In the summer of 2009, the band reunited for a much-hyped summer tour and went back to writing in 2010 and 2011 for the new album. Finally, earlier this year, the news fans had waited over a decade for finally arrived: No Doubt would be releasing a sixth studio album. Titled Push and Shove, the band's new album is due September 25th. To get fans pumped up, No Doubt released a series of "making-of" YouTube videos, all leading up to the release of their first original song in eleven years. Released in mid-July, Settle Down was embraced by fans who shot the song into the iTunes top ten in it's first week of availability. The song received positive feedback from fans and critics, but had a bit of difficulty launching toward the top tiers of the charts. After debuting at #34 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song has yet to recover and is lingering in the 40's-50's-60's, but this all comes with the pains of trying to come back after 11 years of darkness. Regardless, this sixth album really seems like a gift to the fans who waited and begged for this album since the band announced their hiatus. Even as a kid, I fell in love with the band's energy and spunky music, and I can't wait to hear their new stuff. If you haven't heard it yet, check out Settle Down below, and let me know if you're pumped for the release of Push and Shove on September 25th.

Evan

Fall First Look: Taken 2

Sometimes, a movie comes along that shouldn't be a hit. It doesn't seem like the kind of movie that would earn a lot of money at the box office, it shouldn't have such a big following, and it shouldn't make an action star of it's middle-aged lead character. Yet, this was the case with Taken, the 2009 hit that grossed over $145 million in the early winter months. The film gained buzz throughout it's run and reestablished the aging Liam Neeson as a bonafide action star. The film was about an ex-CIA agent who reactivates after his daughter is kidnapped during a European vacation. By the end of the film, Neeson's daughter is returned and reunited with divorced mom (Famke Janssen) and dad. It's surprising, then, to see a sequel to this story. Yet, on October 5th, audiences will once again join this badass world with the release of Taken 2. This time, the tables are turned on Neeson's character, Bryan, as him and his ex-wife are kidnapped during a family vacation to Istanbul. Not only that, but it appears that the kidnapper is none other than the father of one of the men that kidnapped Bryan's daughter, Kim, in the first movie. This time around, Bryan is going to need to rely on Kim to help him and his ex-wife escape certain death at the hand of a vicious man with revenge on the mind. Not much else is known about the movie, including if Maggie Grace, who plays Kim, will get more screentime and become the action star of the movie, but that won't stop audiences from flocking to the movie. Three years after it's release, Taken is still a cult hit and fans have been on edge for a sequel. Still, there are battles ahead for the movie. The original was released in the dead of winter, where hits are far and few between, but when a movie strikes gold, it really succeeds. In the fall, most major releases are expected to perform very well. Additionally, Taken 2 will suffer from competition with a far more interesting and intricate action film that debuts a week earlier, Looper, which I covered a while ago. Finally, the movie is coming out on a very crowded date, although luckily it doesn't look to suffer any competition from similar movies. Still, it would be a sure bet to say that Taken 2 will certainly see some success this fall. Check out the trailer below for Taken 2:

Evan

Billboard Hot 100 Update - Week of September 1st

It's hard to believe that through all of her triumphs, success, and awards, Taylor Swift has yet to have had a #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. But, as of today, that is no longer true! Yes, a little over a week after it's release and #72 debut on the Billboard Hot 100, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together is now the #1 song in America. Although it's placement on last week's chart reflected only two days of sales and airplay, Taylor's spot at #1 is really a fair judgment of the song's success in it's first week. After year's of "almosts" like You Belong with Me (2009, #2), Today was a Fairytale (2010, #2), Mine (2010, #3) and Love Story (2008, #4), Taylor has now notched her first #1 on the Hot 100 after a massive first week for her first single off her new album Red, due October 22nd. The main reason for the song's success is it's monstrous first week sales. According to SoundScan, the song sold 623,000 copies in it's first week, the highest one-week digital sales total for a female artist (beating Kesha's post-Christmas week sales of her first single TiK ToK) and the second-highest one-week digital sales total for any artist, only be trumped by the February 2009 debut of Right Round by Flo Rida and featuring Kesha, which sold an untouched 636,000 copies in it's first week. Previously this year, Justin Bieber had a huge first week with his first single Boyfriend which sold 512,000 copies in it's first week, but Swift's easily beats that as the best debut this year. Interestingly, with Swift's debut, there are four songs in the Top 10 best-selling weeks of all time from 2012, more than any other year on the list. The #1 debut of We Are Never also marks Swift's fourth #1 on the Digital Songs chart. On the airplay charts, Swift's first full week marked an impressive #14 debut, especially since radio does not catch onto hot digital songs for a few weeks after their peak. The song should maintain healthy sales and airplay and has potential to go even bigger when Swift performs at the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony on September 6th.

Last week's #1, Whistle by Flo Rida, fell to #2 even after peaking at #8 on the airplay charts. However, the gargantuan sales of Getting Back Together led to a fall on the Digital Songs chart from #1 to #2. If Swift can slow down after a big first week, it's possible Whistle could reclaim the top spot, but if her song keeps at it, it looks to be one and done for Flo. After two weeks at #2, Lights by Ellie Goulding falls to #3, putting another blemish on the song's chances of reaching the #1 spot (if Whistle can get a week at #1, it would be a true crime to see Lights not get the same achievement). Still, the song is hotter than ever on radio, so hope cannot be lost just yet. Regardless, Ellie's chances at getting another song to the top are looking good as Anything Could Happen, her first single from her next album, Halycon, just became available for purchase on iTunes this week. If it shadows Lights' performance, we may not see it for a while. Reigning pop princess Carly Rae Jepsen's inescapable Call Me Maybe fell once again to #4 after last week's fall to #3 after nine weeks at #1. Still, Carly should be a top 10 staple for a few more weeks, and even further beyond with the climbing success of Good Time, her duet with Owl City, and the imminent release of her new album, Kiss. Rounding out the top 5, Katy Perry falls further from Cloud Nine as her summer single Wide Awake slips one spot.

This week's big success story is Swift, but the bottom half of the Top 10 also deserves huge accolades. After jumping into the Top 10 last week, Some Nights by fun. climbs two more spots to #6, thanks to a #5 to #3 jump on the Digital Songs chart and a massive push from #30 to #19 on the airplay charts. With airplay sure to increase and sales rising steadily, a Top 5 peak seems likely, but can the song match the success of it's predecessor, We Are Young? Maroon 5 has double the reason to celebrate this week! While their single Payphone falls two spots from $5 to #7, it now officially ties Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's One Sweet Day and Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling for most consecutive weeks in the Top 15 (that's 17 weeks, in case you forgot). But while one Maroon 5 song falls, another rises. Yep, the band's recent successes continue as their new album, Overexposed, produces another Top 10 hit in One More Night, as it makes a huge jump from #15 to #9. After jumps in both sales and airplay (#7 to #4 on Digital Songs, #43 to #25 at radio), the song is now a legitimate hit, the third one in a row for the band, which has become a Hot 100 staple after the gargantuan performance of Moves Like Jagger featuring Christina Aguilera last fall.

Perhaps you noticed a whole between the two Maroon 5 songs on the chart. Who is #8? It's none other than...the Biebz! After a #12 to #8 jump, As Long As You Love, Justin's latest from his new album, Believe, Bieber now has four Top 10 songs. Also, this is Big Sean's second Top 10 (he's featured on the song). It's all thanks to a #8 to #6 jump on the Digital Songs chart and a major #33 to #18 push on the Airplay charts. Now the pressure is on to see if the song can match or even better the success of his last single, Boyfriend. Finally, the growing performance of David Guetta and Sia's Titanium saw a moment of weakness as it falls #7 to #10 this week. Hopefully the song can keep up some momentum and push back up the charts. It's been praised as one of the best dance songs in recent history.

Also falling this week is the song of the spring, Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye featuring Kimbra. The song takes it's first major spill and lands outside of the Top 10 for the first time since March, still a huge feat! Also falling is Pink's Blow Me (One Last Kiss) which falls one spot to #12 and has yet to push past it's second week peak of #9. With Pink's album headed for release in September, in addition to her announcement that she would perform a new song at the VMAs, it's time for Pink to move on from this song. After reaching a peak of #13 last week, Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen...do nothing. Kidding, but not really. Good Time, their duet, stayed still at #13 this week, but TV exposure and the release of Owl City's new album this week should give the song a solid bump next week, but will it be enough to hit the Top 10? Another song on the rise surely seems to have a good chance of getting there next week too. Everybody Talks from Neon Trees rises three spots from #17 to #14 this week after huge gains in airplay and a Top 10 perch on iTunes. The song is definitely a slow-burner: it's been on my iPhone since last December. And while we're on the subject of burning, Rihanna is definitely no longer on fire with Where Have You Been as it slips 5 spots from #10 to #15 after a major decrease in sales. Still, radio loves Rihanna so while the song probably won't head back to the Top 10, it should stick around the Top 40 for a while longer.

A surprising fall this week comes from Cher Lloyd and her debut US single, Want U Back. While the song is hotter than ever on iTunes and radio, it continues to inexplicably fall down the charts, here slipping two spots from #14 to #16. Hopefully the song doesn't prematurely slip out of the charts, especially with Lloyd's US album release just around the corner. After peaking at #9 for two weeks due to Olympics exposure, Phillip Phillips' Home took an expected tumble this weak to #17. Now that Olympics hoopla has died down, so have sales for the song. Still Phillips should be very happy with the short success of the song which seemed dead in the water after it's American Idol debut. Falling two spots from #16 to #18 is Demi Lovato's Give Your Heart a Break which also declined in sales this week. She should be able to maintain a spot in the Top 20 again next week, but she'll probably start falling a little more as we head into fall. While Demi is busy at work on a fourth studio album, her label would be smart to release a third single for radio (may I suggest Unbroken?), just to ensure Demi's star doesn't fade by the time her next album is ready. Kanye West and his league of rapper friends push up one spot from #20 to #19 with Mercy, but the song's sales is falling so I'm going to assume it's all radio airplay. Finally, up one spot from last week, Alex Clare's Too Close makes it's Top 20 debut as sales for the song saw a strong push this week.

Elsewhere on the charts, Nicki Minaj's Pound the Alarm jumped up seven more spots from #29 to #22 as sales and airplay continue to increase. She'll definitely be making a Top 20 spot next week and the song looks to be one of the hottest hits of the fall. Two country stars make big gains this week: at #29, Hunter Hayes and his song Wanted push up from last week's high of #34, and, interestingly enough, his tour partner, Carrie Underwood, reaches a new high with her single Blown Away as it advances 8 slots to #30. While Hunter's airplay is getting bigger, Carrie's sales are reaching new highs. Chris Brown makes another big push with Don't Wake Me Up, jumping twelve spots from #53 to #41. Radio airplay is starting to heat up, but sales are steadily increasing, and this song, which didn't have a big impact upon release, could end up being a fall jam. Kelly Clarkson's momentum with Dark Side took a tumble this week, falling 3 slots to #45. Interestingly, this is the second week in a row where Dark Side and Kelly's biggest hit, What Doesn't Kill You (Stronger), have charted side by side.

Train's new single, 50 Ways to Say Goodbye, hits a new high at #52 and without any real support at radio just yet, it's just relying on sales. But given the success of Hey Soul Sister and Drive By, radio should support this new song very soon, taking it to new highs. Ed Sheeran, Britain's newest import, makes a ten slot jump from #85 to #75 with his first single, The A Team (which is about nothing you think it's about). The balladeer is making a good impression and could live to see some radio success in the USA, unlike other foreign stars. At #90, David Guetta's collaboration with Lil Wayne and Chris Brown, I Can Only Imagine, makes a re-entry onto the charts as it begins it's radio journey. The sales aren't big at all yet, but early radio airplay is encouraging. Guetta's biggest hits lately have been with rap stars (Where Them Girls At, Turn Me On), so maybe this is his shot at climbing to the top again. That's it for this week, check out my update next Wednesday/Thursday to see where your favorite song charted! Meanwhile, leave your thoughts in the comments section below :)

Evan

Fall First Look: NBC Thursday Night Comedies

While NBC Thursday nights have always been very influential in pop culture, this year is a big one for the network. Months ago, it was announced that 30 Rock would have a shortened 13-episode seventh season that would also mark the end of its' run. Now, word comes today that NBC's highest-rated scripted series The Office will end this spring after nine seasons. So what exactly does this mean for the network's new season of shows? How will this affect not only 30 Rock and The Office, but their Thursday night mates Up All Night and Parks and Recration, and to a further degree, all the new NBC comedies and future pilots for the 2013-2014 TV season? Told ya it was a big year for the network, didn't I?

First, let's talk about how The Office and 30 Rock plan on going out with a bang this year. As many fans of the show will tell you, the quality of The Office has severely declined in recent years. Some point at the departure of original showrunner Greg Daniels after Season 5 as the show's darkest hours, while some blame the lack of funny on the loss of leading man Steve Carell after Season 7. Regardless, now seems to be the best time to end the show, which won the Emmy for Best Comedy Series in 2006. Heading into the last season, Daniels is taking over once again and working on rewarding, artistic episodes for the fans. He tells Entertainment Weekly, "We're planning a very big exciting last season. We're going to have a lot of faces coming back...All questions will be answered this year." Pertaining to that last part, that means that, yep, we'll finally see who's behind the camera! With new and exciting creative possibilities, returning characters, and new faces (including the severely underrated Jake Lacey and Greek's Clark Duke), it's possible The Office could jump back from it's ratings slump and rebound in it's final season. Over at 30 Rock, much less has been said about the show. With only thirteen episodes, creator Tina Fey has expressed interest to write episodes she'd always dreamed about (although she did say a Bugsy Malone inspired episode would probably never happen, darn!). In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fey says this final season "will be about [her character Liz's] road, potentially, to motherhood." Additionally, she said this season will include many of her favorite guest stars from the past including Dean Winters, Isabella Rossellini, Michael Sheen, and Fey's ultimate "get" Selma Hayek, whom Fey says has agreed to try her best to fit another episode in. Finally, the final episode of 30 Rock will be an hour-long episode, but when it will air is anybody's guess. While the season premieres in October, a finale may not come around until January or (if NBC plans correctly) February sweeps.
But enough about those two shows! What about NBC's other Thursday comedies? Up All Night is planning a bit of a reboot after an uneven first season. While the show certainly had star power (the three leads are all Emmy nominated: Christina Applegate (who actually won her Emmy), Will Arnett, and Maya Rudolph), it failed to find it's tone at first. Between juggling Applegate's job working as a producer on Rudolph's show and Applegate and Arnett raising a child, the show never found the right balance. With that in mind, Rudolph's show has been scratched for season two and her focus will be as a support system for Applegate and Arnett. Additionally, a new series regular has been added for this season: Luka Jones, who will play the younger, divorced brother of Applegate. Finally, Will and Grace's Sean Hayes will join the show for a few episodes as a friend of Ava's. NBC certainly has faith in the show, putting it between 30 Rock and The Office. But NBC's best comedy is now poised to become it's biggest comedy.
Despite an egregious snub for a Best Comedy Series nomination at the Emmys this year, Parks and Recreation had a phenomenal fourth season and is getting ready for a road trip in the season premiere. Amy Poehler's character, Leslie, is taking a trip to visit her boyfriend, Ben (played by Adam Scott) in Washington DC with some of the team from the Parks and Rec department. Shooting on location has also allowed the show to get actual politicians to guest star on the show including Senators Barbara Boxer (California), John McCain (Arizona), and Olympia Snowe (Maine). Additionally, the show set itself up last year for two really exciting storylines: Leslie's election onto the City Council, which will still allow her to work for the Parks department and interact with the rest of the cast, while still making time for new characters to be introduced through her work on City Council; and Andy's possible enrollment in police academy, which any fan of the show will tell you just sounds really freakin' awesome. It should definitely be a big year for Parks!
Of course, it's hard to not see that 30 Rock and The Office are going to leave a big hole in the NBC programming schedule, and it'll need to rely on it's newest comedies to really come out strong. A few weeks ago, I predicted that while Animal Practice probably wouldn't be a good player for NBC, their best chance of a new hit was the Matthew Perry comedy Go On. Also coming up this fall is Ryan Murphy's latest The New Normal, the Jimmy Fallon developed Guys with Kids (but don't worry, it looks pretty bad), and returning comedies Whitney (yikes!) and Community (yippee!). Saved for midseason is Washington DC-set 1600 Penn, the Dane Cook starrer Next Caller (which only got a 6 episode pick-up), and the Anne Heche question mark Save Me. With two major holes in it's programming, NBC could really use a hit right now. Regardless, the network is already preparing for the 2013-2014 season! Yesterday, NBC announced, a full year ahead, that it had picked up a full season of a new comedy project from executive producer/director Will Gluck (films such as Fired Up, Friends with Benefits, and one of my all time favorites, Easy A) starring Michael J. Fox. When NBC announced their new schedule at Upfronts in May, they said they were very committed to comedy, and it seems now more than ever that commitment will be very useful.

Evan

Fall First Look: The Truth About Love by Pink/The Origin of Love by Mika

September 18th should be a Lovely day! Two well respected pop musicians will be releasing their next albums, both with the word Love in the title (add in Carly Rae Jepsen's Kiss and it's a very romantic day for music!), and I've got the exclusive scoop on both albums. After seeing success with two new tracks of her Greatest Hits album (Raise Your Glass and Perfect), Pink claimed her place as one of pop music's leading ladies when she released her newest single Blow Me (One Last Kiss) in early July. The song peaked at #9 on the charts and is still going strong as anticipation for Pink's sixth studio album builds. After only having three original songs on her Greatest Hits album, Pink is giving fans a whole lotta new music this time around. With thirteen tracks on the regular album, the delxue edition adds four more originals, but the iTunes delxue edition is the real steal, with two more tracks, adding up to nineteen songs! Pink worked with all-star producers Max Martin, Shellback, and Greg Kurstin. Additionally, Pink has announced three collaborations on this album: Just Give Me a Reason with fun. frontman Nate Reuss, True Love featuring Lily Allen, and, most surprising of all, Here Comes the Weekend, a collab with Eminem! With this new album, Pink can easily climb back to the top of the music charts.
On a slightly different path, Mika will release his third album, The Origin of Love. He has stated in interviews that the album will be "less child-like and more serious," and "more simplistic pop, less layered than the last one." In June, he released Celebrate, the first single off the album, which features Pharell Williams, who is not the only artist lending a hand on this album. It has been confirmed that Billboard, Hillary Lindsey, British import Ellie Goulding, Benny Benassi, Martin Solveig and Greg Wells are all involved with the album (I know I'm certainly interested to see if Ellie Goulding is working as a writer, producer, or guest vocalist). Mika's dedicated fans should definitely be pumped for this new release! Let me know in the comments section which album you are most excited for! In the meantime, check out the first singles from each new album below:

Evan

Fall First Look: American Horror Story - Asylum

Every once in a while, a TV show comes around that inspires heated conversation: What the hell kind of a show is this? Who thought of this idea? Do you love it or do you love to hate it? Easily, last October, FX's new drama American Horror Story became the latest watercooler topic, twisting minds and storylines every episode. It wasn't afraid to play mindgames and tease its' audience. Some called it bad, others called it genius. Either way, Entertainment Weekly still called it "the most twisted, terrifying series you've ever seen," and that's quite a title to hold. Yet there is still much speculation when it comes to the next season of the show. See, it's hard to define the next season as a "season," per say. Earlier this year, AHS creator Ryan Murphy argued that his series could be defined as a mini-series for Emmy contention, an argument he (to the chagrin of some viewers) won. Seventeen Emmy nominations later, AHS became one of this season's most decorated shows. Murphy's argument for considering AHS a mini-series is that each season of the show will have a completely different storyline, with completely new characters, but some of the same actors will continue on the show. And in case you haven't heard, this season gets a new title: American Horror Story - Asylum. So what is there to know about this season of AHS? Well, you've definitely seen the last of Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, and Taissa Farmiga, who played the sexually twisted Harmon family last year. But there are still plenty of familiar faces sticking around: American Horror Story MVP Jessica Lange, my personal favorite Evan Peters, Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, and Sarah Paulson. In addition, a plethora of new faces are joining this season: Maroon 5 leading man Adam Levine (in his debut acting role), Jenna Dewan (Mrs. Channing Tatum), Lizzie Brochere, James Cromwell, Chloe Sevigny, Joseph Fiennes, Chris Zylka, Mark Consuelos, Clea DuVall and Franka Potente. Last year's theme was infidelity. This year, we get sanity, which means the horror will definitely be a little creepier this time around. Instead of modern-day Los Angeles, this season will now take place in an asylum for the criminally insane in the year 1964. Lange's character will run the asylum. Beyond that, not much else is known, but for a show like American Horror Story, it is totally so much more fun to see it unfold before your eyes. This week, FX has been releasing cryptic teasers that, at least for me, are a lot creepier than anything we saw last year. Check out a few below, and get ready for the premiere of American Horror Story - Asylum in mid-October, just in time for Halloween!

Evan

Fall First Look: Kiss by Carly Rae Jepsen

After topping the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, gaining teen king Justin Bieber's seal of approval, getting four simple lines stuck in our heads all summer long, and inspiring thousands of spoofs on YouTube, pop music's latest sensation, Carly Rae Jepsen, is ready to show us what else she has to offer. It's important to start at the beginning, where the story starts much earlier than anyone really knows. Starting out as just a coffee house singer, Carly auditioned for Canadian Idol in 2007 and placed third that season. Shortly thereafter, in September 2008, Carly released her first album, Tug of War, which gained some success. Same month, three years later, Carly released new original music for her second album, Curiosity. The song was called Call Me Maybe, and it signaled a change of sound for Jepsen, as she moved from coffeehouse music to strictly pop. Luckily, her critics didn't mind the change, and noted that it was fun pop that wasn't cringe inducing or stale. The song became a hit in Canada, but it was only just the start. That Christmas, teenage dream Justin Bieber was visiting home for the holidays with his girlfriend, teen actress Selena Gomez, and heard this infectious song on the radio. All it took was one tweet, "Call me maybe by Carly Rae Jepson [sic] is probably the catchiest song I've ever heard lol" from the singer and Jepsen's song gained a new legion of fans. Yet, it wasn't until February 18, 2012 that the song really took off. That night, Carlos Pena, an actor and one-fourth of the band Big Time Rush, uploaded a video onto his YouTube channel of himself, the rest of his BTR crew, Bieber, Gomez, Ashley Tisdale, and some other famous friends dancing around to Call Me Maybe. The video skyrocketed overnight and Jepsen was suddenly a new star in the United States. As the video gained more views, the song's U.S. sales rose and the song gained airplay on American radio.  By the end of June, Carly Rae Jepsen had the #1 song in America, a spot she wouldn't give up for a record-breaking eight weeks. Call Me Maybe became the hit of the summer, and Jepsen was the new "It" girl in music. In late June, Jepsen and alternative artist Owl City released a duet titled Good Time which also saw much chart success, peaking (at least as of right now) at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sure, it was one thing to have two major successes, but many wondered if Jepsen could produce a whole album that was just as good as her hits. On August 8, fans were greeted with news that Jepsen's third album, Kiss, would be available September 18th. In an exclusive statement to her fans, Carly stated, "These are lyric and song ideas that I have been collecting over the years...The record is pop. It's inspired by Robyn, The Cars, Madonna, and believe it or not, James Taylor. I can't wait to share it with everyone!" The star worked with big-time producers Max Martin, LMFAO's RedFoo, Toby Gad, and of course, Josh Ramsay, who produced Call Me Maybe. Fans are anxiously awaiting the album, which will be out in a little less than a month's time. It's fair to say this should be one of the fall's biggest releases, granted that Jepsen delivers as expected. In the meantime, check out Jepsen's first two hits, as if you haven't already heard them enough:

Evan

Emmy Nomination Analysis: Best Directing for a Drama Series/Best Writing for a Drama Series

CATEGORY: Best Directing for a Drama Series

NOMINEES: "Episode 7" for Downton Abbey (directed by Brian Percival), "Face Off" for Breaking Bad (directed by Vince Gilligan), "The Other Woman" for Mad Men (directed by Phil Abraham), "Pilot" for Homeland (directed by Michael Cuesta), "To The Lost" for Boardwalk Empire (directed by Tim Van Patten)

ANALYSIS: I had not previously seen any of these episodes. Although I have complained about Downton Abbey in the past (the lack of screentime for its' stars, multiple storylines, etc.), my complaints really work in its' favor here. Directing a show like this, particularly an episode like this with so many important plotlines that so easily intertwine, is no easy feat, so a win is possible, especially since the Emmys just really love Downton Abbey. Face Off didn't have visually grand shots or anything, but the intensity of the show mainly relies upon the show's directing. Love for Breaking Bad and Vince Gilligan could lead to a win here. The Other Woman was a very good episode of Mad Men, but nothing really stood out about it, except for the final scene with Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss. It's got a much better shot at winning Best Writing. Pilot is a fantastic episode, and it's a first episode, which Emmys love rewarding. It sets up the storyline well and gets the story rolling, all while really digging into the grittiness of real life, not to mention the fantastic shots throughout the episode. It's a frontrunner. Finally, To The Lost is visually very entertaining, total eye candy. If it's winning any Emmys, it has the best chance here.

WHO SHOULD AND WILL WIN: Pilot has been hailed as one of the best TV pilots in years, and that is certainly deserving of an Emmy award. The only caveat: will it win Best Directing or Best Writing? Or (cue gasps) can it win both?

RANKINGS:
1. Pilot - Homeland
2. Face Off - Breaking Bad
3. To The Lost - Boardwalk Empire
4. The Other Woman - Mad Men
5. Episode 7 - Downton Abbey

CATEGORY: Best Writing for a Drama Series

NOMINEES: "Commissions and Fees" for Mad Men (written by Andre and Maria Jacquemetton), "Episode 7" for Downton Abbey (written by Julian Fellowes), "Far Away Places" for Mad Men (written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner), "The Other Woman" for Mad Men (written by Semi Chellas and Matthew Weiner), "Pilot" for Homeland (written by Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon, and Gideon Raff)

ANALYSIS: Again, I had previously not seen any of these episodes. Starting once again with Downton Abbey, the same argument that could be used for a Best Directing win also occurs here. With so many different plotlines to juggle and trying to fit in all under one roof with mingling of plots, it's really a feat to make it all work as well as the show does. Plus, this episode was written by the man behind the whole show, so that adds some brownie points. As I've already stated, the pilot for Homeland is amazing and the confidence in it's writing is something truly remarkable. While the story is great, it's the smaller, quieter moments that pack the biggest punch. This category has not one, not two, but three Mad Men nominations, but which one stands out above the rest. Far Away Places is interesting, dealing with hot topics like female dominance and LSD. It's certainly intriguing and I can see why it's nominated, but it's up against two much stronger episodes of Mad Men, not to mention the choppy segmentation of the episode (the first third deals with Elisabeth Moss' character, the middle third deals with John Slattery's, and the last third deals with Jon Hamm's). The Other Woman is written by the same team that wrote Far Away Places, and it is a far superior episode that relies on simple scenes between two or three characters left with nothing but the words. Matthew Weiner, creator of Mad Men, co-wrote both of those episodes, yet he's not behind the third Mad Men nominee, Commissions and Fees. While this episode does deal with the normal office drama, it really becomes one of the most excellent character studies in recent history, dealing with the downfall of a man after he is fired. I already expressed my feelings about Jared Harris' superb performance in this episode, but the writing definitely elevates him. The scene in the beginning of the episode when he is fired is awesome, and it's just him and Jon Hamm in a closed office. It's a very good episode, and it was written by previous nominated husband-and-wife team Andre and Maria Jacquemetton.

WHO SHOULD WIN: While I have a bias towards the pilot episode of Homeland, I think three nominations for Mad Men (plus three previous wins in this category) gives it the edge, although some may argue that votes could cancel out and lead to a Homeland or Downton Abbey victory. If a Mad Men episode deserves to win, it's Commissions and Fees, just a great episode of what I've seen as an overrated series (sorry!).

WHO WILL WIN: Emmy voters love giving this award to Mad Men, but specifically Matthew Weiner. He's nominated twice here, but The Other Woman is the stronger episode, thus gaining the edge.

RANKINGS:
1. The Other Woman - Mad Men
2. Commissions and Fees - Mad Men
3. Pilot - Homeland
4. Far Away Places - Mad Men
5. Episode 7 - Downton Abbey

What do you think? Will double nominated episodes Pilot (for Homeland), The Other Woman (for Mad Men), and Episode 7 (for Downton Abbey) make an impact in these categories? What about the loved Breaking Bad or the eye candy of Boardwalk Empire? Will Emmy love for Matthew Weiner continue or can the Jacquemetton's take their first Emmy? Let me know what you think in the comments section below!

Evan

Fall First Look: Looper

Every fall, we see the same old trend happening in movie theaters. While most releases underperform or deliver on expectations, there are always those small films that no one sees coming that blows up at the box office and becomes what is now regarded as a "sleeper hit." Certainly, this potential is tied to the new action thriller Looper. Scheduled for release on September 28th, it's hard to put a simple one-sentence summary of this movie together. Taking place in the year 2072, experts are sent into the past to kill those who may cause harm in the future. Joe (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is one of these "loopers," as they are called, and the movie follows his latest and most challenging mission to date: Joe must deal with an older version of himself (Bruce Willis) who was sent from the future to close the loop. Sounds completely crazy, right? But with the dawn of hits like Inception, audiences are now craving fun action movies that are high-concept and really make them think, and certainly when a man's mission is to kill a younger version of himself, that's gotta involve some thinking, right? Gordon-Levitt, one of Hollywood's biggest new stars, is coming off of a meaty role in The Dark Knight Rises and audiences haven't seen Willis be a total badass in a long time. Tying up the cast is Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels, Covert Affair's Piper Perabo, Paul Dano, and Raising Hope's Garret Dillahunt. Rian Johnson, the writer and director of the film, only has two other films under his belt, a small indie named Brick and The Brothers Grimm, starring the late Heath Ledger. Neither were highly successful films, but that could all change with his third attempt. Early feedback on the movie has been wonderful, and the cast has praised the movie over and over again. For example, Blunt has revealed in interviews that she agreed to be in the movie after reading only half the script and didn't even know what part she was being offered. She's also gone on to say this is the best movie she's ever been a part of. Quite a lot of talk, so here's hoping it lives up to the hype! To find out if it does, see Looper in theaters starting September 28th.

Check out the trailer for Looper below:

Evan

Billboard Hot 100 Update - Week of August 25th

Hello everyone,

If you're a big music fan like I am, then you know the Billboard Hot 100 is the country's biggest music chart. While a new chart comes out every Wednesday, I only decided today (Friday) to start doing this feature, so don't harass me for being a few days late. So, let's start (regrettably) from the top, where we have a new #1: Whistle by Flo Rida. BARF!!! I really liked Flo Rida's old stuff when he was still rap/hip-hop, but now I just think he's a talentless singer who makes hits by stealing other people's song or getting artists with actual talent to sing the chorus of the song. There, I said it. Anyway, I do not like Whistle at all, although whether that's because of the song or Flo Rida, who's to say. I know the song is #2 on the iTunes chart, but I barely hear it on my local radio station, so I don't quite get why it's so popular. Regardless, I really hope this is it's only week at the top because there are much more deserving artists, like...Ellie Goulding, whose sudden hit Lights is stuck at #2 again this week! In it's 34th week on the chart, Ellie is once again blocked getting to the top position. The song is still very hot on radio (it plays about every hour on my station), but it's falling on iTunes, but there's still hope for a bounce to #1, a spot Carly Rae Jepsen is surely missing. Yes, after nine weeks on top of the world, Call Me Maybe has fallen from #1 to #3 this week. It was inevitable, as sales were going down and radio airplay wasn't increasing for the first time in a long time. But Jepsen shouldn't be upset. She's got Good Time with Owl City still gaining traction, and her album Kiss comes out one month from tomorrow.

Katy Perry's Wide Awake is even with last week, and I think it's safe to say that the song probably won't be reaching it's former height of #2 and going up and beyond to #1. Her record label tried it's sneaky old tactic of lowering the price of the song to 69 cents, but it didn't work this time. The song is now lingering in the teens of the iTunes top 100, and radio airplay is stalling a little bit. Still, Katy's had an amazing run with Teenage Dream and it's rerelease, The Complete Confection, so she shouldn't be upset. The same can be said for Maroon 5, whose lead single for their new album Overexposed, is still kicking in the top 5 even though it never hit #1. Yes, it's hard to believe Payphone never spent even a week as the top song in the country, but it always charted between second or third for fifteen weeks. Last week it fell to #5, where it remains this week. But Maroon 5's got One More Night headed on the way up (more on that later), so I wouldn't be worried. Also even with last week is Gotye's unescapable Somebody That I Used to Know. Now that iTunes sales have been slowing down, the song is mostly riding the success of radio, which refuses to let this song go. Up one spot from last week is David Guetta's latest hit, Titanium. I've known this song for over a year now, and the success is much deserved, it's probably my favorite Guetta song and Sia sounds awesome on it. Hopefully, the song can reach new highs, but it's iTunes sales are falling, but radio is still increasing, so keep an eye out!

Making it's Top 10 debut is Some Nights, the second single from the breakout band of the year (so far, at least), fun. Some Nights is a personal favorite of mine, so I'm glad to see it finally made the top of the crop. With iTunes sales still increasing and radio just beginning to really latch on, this song should be making it's way to the top very fast, but will it be able to match the success of the band's debut single We Are Young? Speaking of debut singles, Phillip Phillips sure is happy to see his making it's mark on the Top 10. After important placement during the Olympics coverage of Team USA gymnastics, Phillips' single Home is making a home in the Top 10, charting at #9 for the second week in a row. It's hard to tell what will happen now. Sales were just starting to fall as of Wednesday, and there hasn't been a whole lot of radio impact just yet, so this could be a case of overnight exposure that goes away just as fast as it came on. Finally, to round out the top, Rihanna's Where Have You Been falls three spots from #7 to #10. Out of every song in the Top 10, Rihanna's got the lowest iTunes placement, and radio airplay has stalled, so I wouldn't expect to see this song in the Top 10 again next week.

Beyond the Top 10, there is a lot more action going on! Pink's Blow Me (One Last Kiss) dipped out of the Top 10 after a drop in sales this week, coming in at #11. A huge sales push vaulted Justin Bieber and his new single As Long As You Love Me (featuring Big Sean) to #12, and this is probably the first single of his I wouldn't mind seeing go higher and higher, I really like the song. Owl City and Carly Rae are back up one spot this week to #13 with Good Time, and with lots of promotion coming up in the end of August, the song could finally make it's way to the Top 10. Regardless, I think we've proved that both artists are not one-hit-wonders. Want U Back by Cher Lloyd actually fell on spot this week to #14, and I have a hard time figuring that one out. She's still in the iTunes top 10, above a lot of the songs on the Billboard Top 10, and her airplay is still going hard, at least in my area. Maybe it's just a fluke way and she'll be back on her game next week. Maroon 5 jumps fifteen spots to #15 with their next single One More Night, which gained in both airplay and sales this week. It has a shot at making the Top 10 next week, but it'd be a long one.

Demi Lovato's Give Your Heart a Break jumps two spots to #16, a new peak! Hopefully, she can go a little higher, although her sales are slowing down. Also hitting a new peak is Neon Trees' Everybody Talks, which jumps two spots from #19 to #17, helped by a gain in sales. Taking a six spot tumble from #12 to #18 is Usher's Scream, which is definitely on it's way down. Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's Let's Go falls two spots from #17 to #19, and the song isn't really that big around here, so I can understand the fall. Finally, Mercy featuring Kanye West, Big Sean (making his second appearance in the Top 20), Pusha T (who?), and 2 Chainz falls #16 to #20. Alex Clare's Too Close and Little Big Town's Pontoon hit new highs at #21 and #22, respectively, while Mumford and Sons' new single I Will Wait debuts at #23. Impressive! Nicki Minaj's new single Pound the Alarm made a huge jump from #50 to #29, after it's music video debuted last week, improving sales and airplay. It should climb even higher next week. Also benefitting from the release of a video is Carrie Underwood and her new single Blown Away, which jumps #47 to #38. It's also climbing in sales, and hopefully pop radio will start adding the song, because it's pretty freaking awesome fits the fall tone that is coming soon. Kelly Clarkson's Dark Side is slowly rising, gaining two spots this week from #44 to #42. Here's hoping the song gets a big push soon or else the success might start to fade. Chris Brown's Don't Wake Me Up made a #68 to #53 jump this week, likely boosted by a bump in sales. Finally, after two days of release, Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together makes it's debut at #72. Remember, that's only after two days of sales and airplay. Next week will be the real indicator of it's success, and I predict at the very least, a Top 5 debut. That's it for this week though! Check back next Wednesday/Thursday for more!

Evan

Emmy Nomination Analysis: Best Directing for a Comedy Series/Best Writing for a Comedy Series

CATEGORY: Best Directing for a Comedy Series

NOMINEES: "Baby on Board" for Modern Family (directed by Steve Levitan), "Duckling" for Louie (directed by Louis CK), "Palestinian Chicken" for Curb Your Enthusiasm (directed by Robert B. Wiede), "Pilot" for New Girl (directed by Jake Kasdan), "She Did" for Girls (directed by Lena Dunham), "Virgin Territory" for Modern Family (directed by Jason Winer)

ANALYSIS: Previously, I had seen the Modern Family episodes and the New Girl pilot. "Baby on Board" was the very good finale, and my favorite part of the episode was the mexican soap opera spoof, which was coordinated perfectly here and fit so well into the episode. Levitan, one of the show's creators, did a really good job here, but there's nothing too extraordinary about the episode. The second episode, "Virgin Territory," was a pretty funny episode, but nothing too grand about it. There were no standout moments (except the sight of Manny driving that car which is a riot), so I don't think it's in the race that much. The New Girl pilot was very strong, in my opinion, and because of the limited ensemble, it did a great job getting us familiar with the cast, even smaller characters like Cece, who was only in two scenes the whole episode. The Academy loves rewarding pilot episodes in one of these two categories, so don't count out this one. "Duckling" is an hour-long episode that deals with Louie going to Iraq to entertain soldiers. This was my first episode of Louie, and I really enjoyed it. CK had such a good idea of the tone he wanted for the episode, and it was very interesting to watch. He's a frontrunner. Also a frontrunner is the new Emmy It girl, Lena Dunham, for her direction of "She Did." It's the season finale, and emotions are heightened, yet it doesn't feel like everything is on the line. In particular, the last five minutes are really beautiful. If Dunham's not winning Best Comedy Series or Best Actress in a Comedy Series, she's got a real good shot here. Finally, there's Palestinian Chicken. As I expressed in my analysis of Best Actor in a Comedy Series, I was not a fan of this episode. I found David to be very shrewd and I just wasn't a fan, so maybe I was biased by not giving it a very good chance here.

WHO SHOULD AND WILL WIN: "She Did" and "Duckling" kind of stand out from the rest of the crowd, which is ironic considering the directors of each episode are the most-nominated individuals at the Emmys this year. In a perfect world, each of them will take home at least one, and I think "Duckling" should do that for Louis CK.

RANKINGS: 
1. Duckling - Louie
2. She Did - Girls
3. Pilot - New Girl
4. Baby on Board - Modern Family
5. Virgin Territory - Modern Family
6. Palestinian Chicken - Curb Your Enthusiasm

CATEGORY: Best Writing for a Comedy Series

NOMINEES: "The Debate" for Parks and Recreation (written by Amy Poehler), "Pilot" for Girls (written by Lena Dunham), "Pregnant" for Louie (written by Louis CK), "Remedial Chaos Theory" for Community (written by Chris McKenna), "Win, Lose or Draw" for Parks and Recreation (written by Michael Schur)

ANALYSIS: Previously, I had seen both Parks and Recreation episodes, and "Remedial Chaos Theory." Easily, "The Debate" is the funnier of the Parks and Rec episodes, while "Win, Lose, or Draw" has the heart that fans adore the show for having. But last year's winner, "Caught in the Act" from Modern Family, was all about the laughs, so "The Debate" has the upper hand here. Also, "The Debate" was written (and directed) by Amy Poehler, so if she should lose the Best Actress in a Comedy Series award, this could be her consolation prize. "Remedial Chaos Theory" draws the same reaction from everyone when they watch it: impressed. The episode considers six different timelines that occur when a different member of the study group goes to pick up pizza. There are reoccurrences and running jokes, but it's amazing how every last detail is perfected in the script. This is Community's first major nomination, and in a just world, they'd already have a lot more Emmys. With this episode, they certainly stand a good shot at winning the gold for the first time. "Pregnant" is a very funny episode dealing with a range of topics from children to pregnancy to friends. CK's voice comes through loud and clear here, and it's a really funny episode that could stand a shot at winning. However, the buzziest episode here is the Girls pilot. Critically lauded when it first premiered, Dunham has been praised for so accurately captured the voice of this generation, and that's so apparent in the script for this first episode. Also reassuring is how fast the show finds it's tone, something comedies struggle with for the first few episodes.

WHO SHOULD WIN: Community is deserving of more Emmy love than it gets, so a win for this genius episode would make up for those egregious snubs.

WHO WILL WIN: The pilot for Girls is undeniably one of the strongest scripts for a comedy in quite some time. If CK is going to win directing (like I predict), then Dunham should take this award.

RANKINGS:
1. Pilot - Girls
2. Remedial Chaos Theory - Community
3. The Debate - Parks and Recreation
4. Pregnant - Louie
5. Win, Lose, or Draw - Parks and Recreation

What do you think? Will CK and Dunham prevail in these important categories, or can Parks and Recreation, Community, or New Girl, three shows snubbed in the Best Comedy Series category, pull through for a win? Am I underestimating Curb Your Enthusiasm and Modern Family? Let me know in the comments section below!

Evan