Celebrity Today

This is one I logged in to buy over on iTunes as soon as it was available last night. The third album by 30 Seconds To Mars, This Is War, was released today in the US. The band is led by Jared Leto, who some might remember for one of his many acting roles over the years. The last two years though he put his focus into the music and creating this record. A record that was almost not made at all. The band faced a lawsuit from its record label. A lawsuit where they were sued for $30 million dollars. That finally came to a peaceful conclusion in April, and work began on this record that was originally set for release in September, then October, then November. Yes, this one had a few delays, but all of those are now done.

This twelve track CD opens with Escape, a song Leto says is about freedom. The first single off the record was Kings & Queens. This Is War and 100 Suns also made their way out before the records release. This Is War was included as part of the soundtrack for a new video game, Dragon Age. The band has been out touring to support the release of the record. With powerful vocals and strong lyrics, it is clear this record was meant to be epic. It has a big sound that makes you think of U2, which makes sense because one of the producers on the record worked with that iconic band in the past.

One of my favorite tracks on the CD is Vox Populi (A Call To Arms). On this track, you can hear a chorus of voices singing along with Leto. This voices are the fans of the group that joined him at special summits in Los Angles, eight other cities and even online digitally. By following directions of what was wanted, they joined their voices together. Another powerful track on the record is Stranger In A Strange Land. Kanye West had also been set to appear on the record on a track called Hurricane. A strong release from 30 Seconds To Mars.

Fans of the band have been waiting for a new release since the August 2005 release of their last record, A Beautiful Lie. Check out Vox Populi and the video for Kings & Queens below. The record is now available in stores everywhere.

Looks like it is a bit of a Bon Jovi weekend here on Celebrity Today. Yesterday, I talked about their new world tour and the premiere of their documentary on Showtime, When We Were Beautiful, which is also the title of one of the songs on their new album The Circle. I admit fully to being a fan of this rock band from Jersey. I have been a fan of theirs practically since the beginning. I remember hearing Runaway on the radio, even if I was only eight years old. Twenty-five years, Jon Bon Jovi has worked hard to put his vision out there with his band mates. He is their leader, and this band was his vision.

In this documentary that first premiered at Tribeca back in April, takes us into their lives for a brief period of time at the end of their last tour for their record Lost Highway. We see them on the road and on stage as they talk candidly about their lives and what it is like to be in a rock band. Jon himself calls it a lonely existence. He and his bandmates are taken from their families each and every tour for weeks at a time, and at the end of the day all they want is to go home to their families. Jon is married and the father of four kids. His band mates have families of their own.

When We Were Beautiful takes us on a journey through their lives, and we see being a rock star isn’t all glamour and perfection. It is a lot of hard work, and Jon Bon Jovi is the one in control of it all. An intimate look at the man and his friends that have been by his side from the very beginning, and if it was even possible it made me love this band I already love even more.

I have been a fan of Supernatural since episode one of the first season.  I began to watch because of Jensen Ackles, who I have always been a fan of. Now here we are waiting for season five to start, and if word is correct, this may be the last season. We’ll know more as the season goes on! The DVD boxset for the fourth season hit store shelves this week, and contained on set are all of the episodes with season four. This includes extended and unaired scenes that didn’t quite the original cut when the episodes aired on CW. There are also more special features - a gag reel among them. The off-camera antics of these Ackles and Padalecki are something to watch, and they always earn a laugh or two.

Supernatural has been compared to The X-Files, only for a younger generation. Week after week, the Winchester boys go after all that is scary and unexplained. Everything from strange creatures, demons, ghosts, and in this season - angels. Season four of Supernatural dealt with Dean’s return from Hell. Apparently, he spent a good forty years down in hell, while on Earth it was only a few months that passed. He did unexplainable things while in hell, but an angel and God rescued him from those depths. For what purpose though? With this season, we get to see that, and the release is just in time for the premiere of the fifth season on September 10th.

This year, Supernatural will not only go up against Grey’s Anatomy in its time slot, but Fox has moved Fringe to the same Thursday night time slot. This will definitely make it difficult to decide what to watch in that time slot! You can head out to stores today to pick up your copy of The Complete Fourth Season of Supernatural. What do you think of the series?

Friday means new movie releases, and this week I ventured out to see a new movie myself. My trip to theaters took me to see The Time Traveler’s Wife with Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. The movie, based on the novel of the same name, tells the story of a love that somehow survives the interruption of time. Henry, played by Bana, is a time traveler. He has it in his genetic code to travel from one point in time to the next without thought. It just happens. During his travels, he is always drawn to one specific meadow, and this is where he meets his future wife. He first meets Clare Abshire when she is six years old, and over the years he meets her in that meadow time and time again until they finally find each other in the present.

When they do meet in the present finally, he has no idea who Clare is, but she knows who he is quite well. He is her best friend and the love of her life. He just needs to catch up to her a bit. For the rest of the movie, we see how they deal with his traveling, try to build a life together, and try to have a family. Apparently, he can pass on the gene of time travel to his off spring, and this makes carrying a pregnancy to full term hard for Clare. However, they finally manage to have a child, but their time is short. We learn that he doesn’t live passed the age of his mid-forties, around 43. He eventually figures out what date he does die, and this gives him the chance for one final good-bye with his love.

Yes, this movie is a tear jerker. Having read the book myself, I knew what to expect, but the movie did take liberties as well. There is a lot from the book that was left out of the movie, and the ending in the movie isn’t like the ending in the book. Having talked to a few others that have seen the movie on Friday, the reviews for the film are mixed. Some loved it. Some hated it. One I spoke to wanted to see some of the scenes that didn’t make the movie and was hoping for some kind of true to the book alternate ending. I would agree with that. We will have to see if we get that when the DVD is released.

As for this movie, I found myself completely involved in it. There were so many well done scenes that just tugged so hard at the heart strings. Every time Henry sees his mother just touched me. The one specific scene in the subway where he sees her, and she has Henry at home waiting at the age of three. He uses this time to tell her about Clare in his own way. The wedding scene is another that stands out. This movie was well acted and stayed true to the book for the most part. A true love story here that I thoroughly enjoyed personally and would recommend to anyone. What did you think of The Time Traveler’s Wife if you went to go see it?

Friday has rolled around, and that means new movies have hit theaters. One of this week’s offerings is the latest release from Judd Apatow - a dramedy about the life of a stand-up and comedian called Funny People. In this one, we are introduced to a fictional funny man named George Simmons just as he finds out he is possibly dying from a form of cancer. We see him try to get back into  stand-up, hire a new and upcoming comic to write jokes for him.

We see the friendship develop between these two for nearly two hours before we see George recover from his illness thanks to an experimental treatment. He then realizes what he wants in life the girl he let get away. He tries to reconnect with her, but she has moved on, married and had two kids in the twelve years since they parted ways. It looks like George might get what he wants, but in the end he is left alone, but not completely alone. The focus on this movie is not on the love story between George and the woman he lost, but on the friendship he develops with the younger comic, Ira.

Adam Sandler plays George Simmons here, and while this might not be his best work, it is a good role for him. We see the mix of comedy and drama, and he has excelled at both in his career. Seth Rogen, as Ira, also stands out in this one. Leslie Mann plays the love of George’s life, and Eric Bana plays her husband. Bana’s role although brief added most of the added drama to this movie. His character is the one we see with the most range of emotion. George, even dying and a comedian, is stoic almost throughout the movie. We are taken inside the world of comedy to see it isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. Comedians take from the pain in their lives and use it to make it people laugh. We are shown this throughout the movie.

While not the biggest fan of Apatow and his past work, this one had a lot of humor and enough of a mix of drama to make this movie enjoyable. Good jokes, strong characters from the main players with a solid supporting cast made this a strong movie and one that I recommend you check out.What did you think of Funny People if you’ve seen it?

Last night I was able to attend The Fray concert here in Phoenix, Arizona. The group performed at Dodge Theater with Jack’s Mannequin and Meese opening for them. Many might remember The Fray for their single How To Save A Life, which was used in an early episode of Grey’s Anatomy.

The song and the popularity of the series at the time brought the group popularity. Late in 2008, they released their second album, a self titled effort. The record with singles such as You Found Me and Never Say Never have only increased the group’s popularity.

Last night’s concert was one of the best live shows I’ve seen in awhile. The Fray took the stage just a bit before 9:30, and they remained on stage until just after 11pm. They performed most of their hit songs, and they even threw in a cover of Kanye West’s Heartless, which they made their own song in my eyes.

This was one of the best shows I’ve ever attended, and with my seat in the second row I was right there for it all. If you have a chance to see The Fray live, I wouldn’t hesitate in telling you to take it.

Twenty-five years ago, James Cameron brought Terminator to the big screen. A movie that brought us into a world where one day the world would be overtaken by machines and mankind would have to fight for their lives before they are terminated one by one. That first movie starred Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and it was the first in the series of now four movies. Yesterday, Terminator Salvation was unleashed in theaters, and we finally are allowed to see the epic battle between mankind and machines that has been talked about for twenty-five years. If you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now.

Christian Bale takes on the role of John Connor in this one, and we see him go through fight after fight as the leader of the resistance, even though he doesn’t have that rank. Those that work alongside him see him as their leader, and that is all that matters. In this one, we see one man sell his body to Cyberdyne systems, and this man becomes the first human/robot hybrid. Something before the T-800 that comes out looking just like Arnold.  Marcus’ mission unknown to him is to bring John and Kyle, John’s father as we know, to Skynet for termination. Something he ends up doing unknowingly.

We see Marcus find out what was done to him, and in the end fight against it, letting his human side rule. He helps Connor find Kyle, saving the humans that have been taken hostage by Skynet before destroying Skynet Central in San Francisco. However, this is not the end of the war. We still have two more movies to go, and this movie pretty much wiped the third installment in the series right out. The characters were all well acted, but I think the rest of the cast stole the show from John Connor. Marcus and Blair Williams were something to watch on screen. What did you think of Terminator Salvation?

In case you have been living under a rock the last year and a half, the new Star Trek movie by JJ Abrams is now out, and Trekkies around the world can now rejoice as they rush out to buy their tickets and see just how JJ has managed to revive the old series. What did JJ do to bring it back to life and make it possible for a cast of new faces to slip into the roles of our favorites? If you don’t want to be spoiled, I suggest you stop reading now.

For this story, we have a re imagining for the world created by Gene Roddenberry. Nero, a Romulan played here by Eric Bana,  has seen his world of Romulus destroyed, and he is set on revenge. He wants the man he feels responsible for the end of his world to suffer that same loss. That man is none other than Spock, and he goes back in time in hopes of trying to capture Spock and make him watch his world destroyed.

Nero has a wait to do this though. A twenty-five year long wait. In the meantime, he destroys the USS Kelvin, killing Kirk’s dad in the process, and with his trip back in time, he changes Star Trek history forever. This is now an alternate reality where everything that happened in the universe of Trek we know of has been wiped out. This is a completely fresh start for the series. JJ has made it so that he can have all new adventures with the characters we have loved since the 1960s. This movie is fresh and funny.

The casting for the main parts of the movie was spot on. We see some skin. We have some romance even. There are fights, and everyone from the original cast is brought together before the end. We have a villain in Nero that we could actually almost sympathize with. A man that lost all he loved and all that he knew while he was off world trying to earn a living to raise a family. That is basically what Nero was in the end after all.  However, his thirst for revenge clouded his judgment.

We also see Two Spock’s, new and old, and Quinto came in and did well here. In fact, I will even say Pine made a terrific Kirk. For a reboot to a long lived franchise, I want to see more of Abrams’ Star Trek. What did you think?

One of the big movies of the summer is now out. We won’t know just how well the movie has done until the box office estimates come out on Sunday, but something tells me this one is headed straight to the top of the box office charts. Seeing an almost full theater for the first showing of the day yesterday gave me that feeling, even with the film being leaked online a month before it hit theaters. If you don’t want to be spoiled for the movie, stop reading here.

In this one, we see how Wolverine came to be. A man that is made indestructible by metal alloy attached to his skeleton. We see him as a child, the son of a beast like Sabretooth character, who he kills before he finds out the truth of his parentage. From here he learns of his brother Victor, and the two fight side by side, never growing old as they fight through several wars together.  While Logan is the more moral and level headed of the two, Victor is wild and a killing machine that shows no remorse for his actions.

The two are stopped in Vietnam. However, when they are put to death by a firing squad and don’t die, they catch the attention of William Stryker. He is forming a special team. The two brothers join, but once Logan sees just what the team is doing, he walks away from the team and leaves his brother. He finds a life as a lumberjack in the Canadian Rockies, and he finds love. Six years pass before Victor starts killing members of the old team one by one. Logan is also on his list, but in order to get to Logan, he kills his girlfriend instead. This leads Logan towards revenge, and he wants Victor.

For the rest of the movie, we see Logan look for Victor, changed into Wolverine we know of today, and learn secret after secret revealed about his life. All of this while we watch Stryker make the ultimate mutant soldier with the powers of the mutants he has stolen powers from. Wolverine meets up with others along the way, and we see a young Charles Xavier come in to rescue the mutant children Styker has taken.

For a little over an hour and a half, we have non-stop action. The appearance of Gambit was something that excited me. This movie was fun and fast paced. Definitely one to go see if you get the chance. Those missing X-Men get their well needed fix here. What did you think of the movie?

Fast & Furious hit theaters on Friday, and this was billed as the movie that brought back the original cast to the big screen in the true sequel to The Fast & The Furious from 2001. Well, it certainly did that. We saw Vin Diesel finally return and team up with Paul Walker with one thing on his mind: revenge. This one also brought back Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster, but we don’t see much of Rodriguez in this one. Stop reading now if you don’t want to be spoiled.

In this one, we see Rodriguez’s character, Letty killed as she tries to clear the name of her lover Dom. When he finds out she was killed, his mind is only on one thing - payback. He returns to Los Angeles, where he once again meets up with FBI Agent Brian O’Connor, and the two need to race it out in order to get inside the organization Letty was working for when she was killed. They both get inside, but there is more to it. As always.

Brian has been trying to take down this one organization for awhile now, but Dom could care less about that. He just wants to kill the man that killed his woman. The two team up together. Brian promising that Dom will have his name cleared of all charges if he helps him bring the big man in charge down. Dom doesn’t care about him. His eye is on the man below him. By the end of the film, Dom gets what he wants, and Brian gets the same.

This movie is over ninety minutes of non-stop action with a killer soundtrack. We have fast cars, races, fights and some good acting. It was good to see Diesel and Walker together again on the big screen. I was just sad to see Rodriguez’s character killed off in order to do it. All in all, Fast & Furious is a good film that stayed true to the original characters and brought the franchise back on track. Word has it a fifth film in the franchise is already being discussed and planned. Will we see Diesel and Walker team up again?