Voltron Fan Event TONIGHT!

In celebration of THQ’s release of VOLTRON: Defender of the Universe (NOW available on XBox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network), Twitch.TV will be live streaming the Form Voltron Fan Event!

Watch live video from THQtv on www.twitch.tv

HOST: Ultimate Fangirl Clare Grant (‘The Guild,’ ‘Team Unicorn,’ ‘Robot Chicken’)

WHO: Geek-aratti Celebs
Team Unicorn (Michele Boyd, Milynn Sarley & Rileah Vanderbilt)
Seth Green (‘Robot Chicken,’ ‘Family Guy,’ Sex Drive)
Alex Albrecht (‘Diggnation,’ ‘Legend of Neil’)
Adam Green (Hatchet, Frozen, Chillerama)

Voice Talent from the 80′s Original Animated Classic TV Series
Commander Keith & Pidge (Neil Ross)
Lance & Sven (Michael Bell)
Princess Allura & Haggar (B.J. Ward)

THQ Game Producers, Russell Brock & Adam Affrunti
World Event Productions (WEP) Producer Jeremy Corray (‘Voltron Force’)

VOLTRON, himself!

WHEN: 7:00 PM PACIFIC TIME

WHERE: http://www.twitch.tv/thqtv

WHAT: LIVE Streaming Event with Gameplay, Giveaways, Trivia, Talent Interviews & More!

 

SONY MASTERWORKS RELEASES SOUNDTRACK OF THE IRON LADY

ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSED BY THOMAS NEWMAN FOR THE FILM
STARRING MERYL STREEP IN THE ROLE OF MARGARET THATCHER

Soundtrack Recording Available December 20, 2011

Sony Masterworks is pleased to announce the release of the soundtrack of The Iron Lady on Tuesday, December 20, 2011.  Award-winning composer Thomas Newman created the original music for the soundtrack recording.  The Iron Lady opens in theatres on December 30, 2011.

The Iron Lady tells the compelling story of Margaret Thatcher, a woman who smashed through the barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male-dominated world. The story concerns power and the price that is paid for power, and is a surprising and intimate portrait of an extraordinary and complex woman.

The film stars Academy Award-winners Meryl Streep as Lady Thatcher and Jim Broadbent as Denis Thatcher.  Their young selves are played by Alexandra Roach and Harry Lloyd. The rest of the cast of family and friends, politicians and advisers, is made up of the very best of British acting talent, including: Olivia Colman, Anthony Head, Richard E Grant, Iain Glen, Susan Brown, Nicholas Farrell, Roger Allam and Michael Pennington.

The original soundtrack is the work of Thomas Newman, one of the most respected composers in the movie business, who has scored over fifty feature films. Newman has been nominated for an Academy Award on no less than ten occasions, nine times in the category Best Original Score and once for Best Original Song. He has won a BAFTA, two Grammys and an Emmy, and has also been nominated for a Golden Globe. Born in Los Angeles, Yale-educated Thomas Newman comes from a prominent Hollywood musical dynasty: his father, brother, sister and uncle have all composed for the movies, and the singer-songwriter Randy Newman is his cousin.

His first major work in movies was in 1984 for Reckless. In 1999 Newman composed the score to Sam Mendes’ first feature film, American Beauty, and has written the music for all but one of Mendes’ later films, as well as Erin Brockovich and The Good German for director Steven Soderbergh, and such hits as Finding Nemo and The Horse Whisperer. Newman has also composed for TV, including the theme music for Six Feet Under, which won him Grammys for Best Instrumental Composition and Best Instrumental Arrangement, and has been commissioned to write orchestral concert music, for example for the Cleveland Bicentennial in 1996 and for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

The film was written by award-winning writer Abi Morgan (The Hour, Shame, Sex Traffic, Brick Lane), directed by Phyllida Lloyd CBE (Mamma Mia) and produced by Damian Jones (The History Boys, Adulthood).  It is executive produced by Francois Ivernel and Cameron McCracken for Pathé, by Tessa Ross for Film4 and by Adam Kulick for Goldcrest.

 

UPCOMING GUESTS ON “THE LATE LATE SHOW with CRAIG FERGUSON” ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK, 11/29-12/8

(Monday through Friday, 12:37-1:37 AM, ET/PT,

Following Broadcasts of the “Late Show with David Letterman”) 

(*Denotes changes and/or additions to previous schedule, (n) Denotes new broadcast)

 

Tuesday, Nov. 29      Comedian Margaret Cho; author Michael Connelly; with Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff (n)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 30 Author David Sedaris; music by NEEDTOBREATHE; comedy by Jeff Cesario; with Tom Lennon as the voice of Geoff (n)

 

Thursday, Dec. 1      Actress Kristin Chenoweth; Entertainment Weekly writer Ken Tucker (n)

 

*Friday, Dec. 2         Actress Ana Gasteyer; actress Beth Behrs from the CBS comedy series “2 Broke Girls” (n)

 

Monday, Dec. 5        Actor Justin Long; actress Noomi Repace (n)

 

*Tuesday, Dec. 6      Actress Valerie Bertinelli; music by Black Dub(n)

 

Wednesday, Dec. 7  Musician Trace Adkins (n)

 

*Thursday, Dec. 8    Actor Pierce Brosnan; author Laura Lippman (n)

 

On the Web:  www.cbs.com/latenight/latelate/

RATING:  TV-14-D (Rating may change on day of broadcast due to specific subject matter.)

 

UPCOMING GUESTS ON THE “LATE SHOW with DAVID LETTERMAN” ON THE CBS TELEVISION NETWORK (November 30-December 16, 2011)

Monday through Friday, 11:35 PM-12:37 AM, ET/PT

(*Denotes changes and/or additions to previous schedule

(n) Denotes new broadcast)

Wednesday, Nov. 30 Actor/musician Justin Timberlake; actress Jennifer Esposito from the CBS drama series “Blue Bloods”; musical guests The Civil Wars

Thursday, Dec. 1 Actor Adam Sandler; musical guest Peter Gabriel

Friday, Dec. 2 Comedian Jerry Seinfeld; musical guest Lykke Li

Monday, Dec. 5 Actor Jonah Hill; actress Kristen Johnston; musical guest Ryan Adams (n)

*Tuesday, Dec. 6 Guests TBA (n)

*Wednesday, Dec. 7 Actress Jessica Biel; comedian Tom Dreesen; musical guests The Black Keys (n)

*Thursday, Dec. 8 Actress Charlize Theron; actor Kevin Nealon; musical guests Blitzen Trapper (n)

*Friday, Dec. 9 Comedian Hugh Fink; musical guest Young Jeezy (n)

*Monday, Dec. 12 Julie Chen, host of the CBS daytime talk show “The Talk” (n)

*Tuesday, Dec. 13 Journalist/talk show host Barbara Walters; musical guests Wild Flag (n)

*Wednesday, Dec. 14 Actor Robert Downey, Jr. (n)

*Thursday, Dec. 15 Musical guests My Morning Jacket (n)

*Friday, Dec. 16 Actor Jude Law; comedian Bob Sarlatte; musical guest Gary Clark, Jr. (n)

RATING: TV-PG (Rating may change on day of broadcast due to specific subject matter.)

Official CBS Web site: http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_show/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Letterman

Twitter: http://twitter/#!/Late_Show

CBS Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/CBSTweet

 

“BARBARA WALTERS PRESENTS THE 10 MOST FASCINATING PEOPLE OF 2011″ AIRS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 ON THE ABC TELEVISION NETWORK

“Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011″ will air as a 90-minute ABC News special highlighting some of the year’s most prominent names in entertainment, sports and popular culture, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 (9:31-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Hosted by Barbara Walters, the special includes: American Reality Royalty, the Kardashian family; the always provocative Simon Cowell; breakout stars from television’s hit comedy, “Modern Family,” Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet; MLB star and New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter; American business tycoon/author/television personality Donald Trump; pop singing sensation Katy Perry; and quite possibly the most famous sister in the world — Pippa Middleton. The Number One Most Fascinating Person of 2011 will be announced on the program.

Now in its 19th season, “Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People” has consistently been one of the highest rated specials of the year.

“Barbara Walters Presents the 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011″ is executive-produced by Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie. Bill Geddie also directs the program.

 

MORE PERFORMERS ANNOUNCED FOR NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN’ EVE (December 31, 2011)

PITBULL AND HOT CHELLE RAE TO JOIN LADY GAGA AND JUSTIN BIEBER LIVE FROM NEW YORK ON “DICK CLARK’S NEW YEAR’S ROCKIN’ EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2012″

Jenny McCarthy Returns to Report from Times Square

Jenny McCarthy and Fergie to Host NYRE 40th Anniversary Party

Pitbull and Hot Chelle Rae will join previously announced Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber as performers, live from New York, on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012.” Jenny McCarthy will once again join the celebration by reporting live from Times Square with hosts Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest, celebrating 40 years of “Rockin’ Eve” history on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31 on the ABC Television Network. Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas will return to host the Los Angeles-based portions of the specials.

The bi-coastal celebration will include over 5 1/2 hours of special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe, as well as the American tradition of Dick Clark counting down to midnight from Times Square in New York City.

To mark the 40th anniversary of the cherished New Year’s Eve celebration, the festivities will begin at 8:00 p.m., ET with a special two-hour event hosted by Jenny McCarthy and Fergie entitled “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve: The 40th Anniversary Party.”

The complete lineup beginning Saturday night, December 31 on ABC is:

“New Year’s Rockin’ Eve: The 40th Anniversary Party” (8:00-10:00 p.m., ET)

“Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012″ (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET)

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012, Part 1″ (11:30 p.m. – 1:08 a.m., ET)

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012, Part 2″ (1:08-2:11 a.m., ET)

“Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2012″ is a presentation of dick clark productions, inc with Dick Clark, Ryan Seacrest and Orly Adelson serving as executive producers. Larry Klein produces.

About Jenny McCarthy
Jenny McCarthy is an actress, host, best-selling author, activist and entrepreneur. She recently reprised her recurring role on “Two and a Half Men,” and her next book, Sinner: Confessions of a Recovering Catholic, will be published in Fall 2012.

About Pitbull
Pitbull’s sixth studio album, “Planet Pit,” features a host of pop music luminaries including Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias, Jamie Foxx, Chris Brown, T-Pain and Kelly Rowland, as well as star-studded producers Dr. Luke, Max Martin, David Guetta and Benny Blanco. The knockout smash “Give Me Everything” featuring Ne-Yo, marks Pitbull’s first No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and Pop charts and is also a Top 10 hit in 15 countries. Pitbull’s latest single, “International Love” featuring Chris
Brown, is already making its way up the charts. Pitbull has also collaborated with some of music’s biggest stars, including Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias, Usher and Shakira, to name a few. Even with the new album, Pitbull still found time to introduce Voli, his own line of premium, low-calorie vodka, and a partnership with Sheets, the dissolvable energy strip. These entrepreneurial ventures are the latest for Pitbull, who has inked major sponsorship deals with blue-chip brands like Kodak, Dr Pepper and Bud Light.

About Hot Chelle Rae
Riding high with the announcement of their win as “Sprint Best New Artist” at the American Music Awards last week and the massive success of their two irresistible pop hit singles, “Tonight Tonight” and “I Like It Like That,” Hot Chelle Rae released their brand new album, “Whatever,” in stores yesterday, November 29 on RCA Records. Declared “one of the catchiest pop-rock anthems of the summer” by USA Today, “Tonight Tonight” crashed into the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in July, shot to No. 1 at Hot AC radio in September, and was certified double-platinum in the U.S., and platinum in Canada and Australia. The band’s brand new single, “I Like It Like That,” which Entertainment Weekly called “bubbly elasti-funk” and an “official fall-resisting battle cry,” is climbing the Top 40 radio and Hot AC charts, while the song’s documentary-style video racked up over 1 million views in its first 3 days on VEVO.

 

Eyeshield 21 vol. 37 by Riichiro Inagaki and art by Yusuke Murata (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

The final volume of “Eyeshield 21″ features the conclusion of the matchup between Japan vs. the United States in the World Youth Cup. Strategist vs. strategist, brawn vs. brawn, speed vs. speed and skill vs. skill… These two teams are evenly matched, so who will win the tournament?  A fitting conclusion to this fantastic football manga series, “Eyeshield 21″ fans will not be disappointed.

© 2002 by Riichiro Inagaki, Yusuke Murata. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: Eyeshield 21 vol. 37

STORY BY: Riichiro Inagaki

ART BY: Yusuke Murata

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shueisha, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

RELEASE DATE: October 4, 2011

Final Volume! Ready Set Hut In this action-packed final volume, Team USA and Team Japan face off in a bid for the title of best youth football team in the world. Rivalries within Team Japan are put aside as Hiruma and Agon execute a complicated formation. Can smart strategy overcome the sheer physical dominance of the American team? Seeing his teammates hurt, Sena bolts in and Team Japan seems set for victory. But the final five minutes of the game takes a surprising course as the earth-shattering rivalry between the two teams continues…

The final volume of “Eyeshield 21″ is here!  Japan vs. the United States…who will win in the end?

In Japan, American football may not be too popular compared to the international futbol (soccer), but there are a few high schools that have football teams and the NFL does have a game played in Japan, helping to spread the game’s popularity.

But in 2002, writer Riichiro Inagaki and illustrator Yusuke Murata introduced American football to a broader audience through their manga “Eyeshield 21″ which has been featured on the very popular Weekly Shonen Jump, has led to several videogames and also a 145-episode anime series which lasted from 2o05-2008. And with 37 volumes, “Eyeshield 21″ will now commence with this final volume and for one last time, entertain the masses through its manga series currently available from Viz Media as part of their Shone Jump Advanced line.

“Eyeshield 21″ revolves around a young teenager named Sena Kobayakawa who has passed his entrance exams at his local high school, Deimon Private Senior High School. The school where his childhood friend Mamori Anezaki attends. Both Sena and Mamori are close because all throughout his life, Sena has been bullied and Mamori has been there to protect him.

Living his life as a gopher for other friends, Sena hasn’t had any true friends until he meets the devil-looking Yoichi Hiruma and the very huge Ryokan Kurita who try to get Sena to join their football team.

Of course, Sena doesn’t know how to play football but being the new kid at school, once again, he gets bullied but this time, the huge Kurita ends up taking care of them. Out for revenge, the bullies start to pick on Sena once again but Sena is sick and tired of getting beaten up and when they go after him, he demonstrates a skill which he has had for a long time, speed. Because Sena has lived his life running away, he is very quick and immediately, Hiruma wants to utilize him on the Deimon High School Devil Bats football team.

Sena just wants to become a team manager but Hiruma wants Sena to be the team’s running back. And because Hiruma wants to make sure that no one can steal him for their high school, he plans on a disguise that no one but he, Sena and Kurita will know and that is putting an eyeshield on a football helmet and giving Sena a #21 jersey and the nickname “Eyeshield 21″.

Earlier in the series, we have watched as the Deimon Devil Bats grow as a team and do all they can to make it to the Christmas Bowl.

This time around, the storyline focuses after the Christmas Bowl and in which both Sena and Monta hear about the Youth World Cup. This is where the best high school football players, the all-stars are grouped together as one team and compete against teams around the world.

With the United States team, known as the Pentagrams, being the team to defeat, Sena, Monta, Hiruma, Shin and others try to recruit Japan’s best, but with some players with major ego’s, can Japan have an all-star team ready to compete at the Youth World Cup?

With Vol. 36 of “Eyeshield 21″, the Youth World Cup begun with Japan’s best takes on America’s best. But can Japan’s best have a chance against American players Mr. Don, Clifford D. Lewis, Tatanka, Bud Walker and Patric Spencer (Panther)?  The game begins and it’s a pit between Japan’s best football strategist Hiruma vs. America’s Clifford D. Lewis. But also, we finally get to see the matchup that people have been waiting for… Eyeshield 21 vs. Panther and Shin vs. Panther.  But so far, America has been to dominant and for some of the players of the Japan team, their ego’s are getting in the way to the point where teamwork is not happening.

Does Japan have a chance against the dominant American team?

Here is a spoilerless summary of “Eyeshield 21″ vol. 37:

• CHAPTER 325: Double Devil- With Japan behind, Hiruma and Agon decide to pull of the “Flying Dragon”.
• CHAPTER 326: Yoichi Hiruma’s and Clifford D. Lewis’ Lesson in Playing Cards -  America leads 35-13 and Hiruma will get to see Clifford’s upcoming strategy.
  
• CHAPTER 327 – If There is a Way – 35-20 and America is still in the lead.   Don calls out Shin.
• CHAPTER 328 – TAG MATCH – Gao vs. Don, can Gao overpower America’s mighty Don?
• CHAPTER 329 – One Scum Star – With Shin’s injury, the mummy must take his place…and the mummy reveals his true identity.
• CHAPTER 330 – The Eyes of a Man – America leads 42-34 and can Sena stop Panther?
• CHAPTER 331 – My Dream - With two minutes left, can the Japan team score a touchdown and get a 2-point conversion to tie the game?
• CHAPTER 332 -Do you want to kiss your sister? – The conclusion of the game.  Who won?
• TOUCHDOWN – READY SET HUT – A look at what the players have done since the Youth World Cup and now preparing for college football.

The end of the manga series “Eyeshield 21″ has come and gone and as I reflect on the journey, I can tell you that the time invested in this manga series (including the anime series and video games) was all worth it!

I have been a big fan of sports-based manga and in Japan a lot of their sports manga and anime are big hits. From the soccer-driven series “Captain Tsubasa”, the basketball series “Slam Dunk”, the baseball series “Touch”, the tennis series “Tennis no Oujisama” (Prince of Tennis) and many of them have this underdog vs. the better team type of mentality.

Yes, there is a banality when it comes to sports manga series but there is often this side of supernatural element that an athlete has. A super kick, a special tennis serving or hitting ability and with “Eyeshield 21″, what makes the series so exciting is that every team has its special individuals with unique talents. But when it comes to the Deimon Devil Bats (the protagonist team), these guys are like a group of misfits put together in hopes to accomplishing their goal of making it to the Christmas Bowl. But they are surely talented. Sena (Eyeshield 21) has this special ability of his running and in this latest volume, he hones that talent and makes himself even better. We also see new characters pop up and joins the team and definitely see how everyone works together, faces adversity together as a team.

Similar to other sports anime in which there is an underdog getting involved with sports and displays a tremendous skill, “Eyeshield 21″ definitely showcases that into the storyline but with the characters, in this case the team is more like the “Bad News Bears” and with the “The Devil Bats”, the team consists of characters that are just wild and crazy. Actually, all teams have characters that are wild and crazy and I suppose that is what makes “Eyeshield 21″ so interesting and enjoyable.

Of course, the dynamics of “Eyeshield 21″ has changed since the Deimon Devil Bats accomplished their goal to make it to the Christmas Bowl and winning it. But one may have wondered, what will Riichiro Inagaki have left? As many people did read for the overall underdogs to take it all the way.

The final volume of “Eyeshield 21″ was a battle between strategist, a battle between brawn and it was a true athletic competition that had an intriguing conclusion.  While the majority of the chapters did focus on the Youth World Cup, I’m gladd that Inagaki left the final chapter to explore the characters one final time as they prepare for college football.

If anything, it made me wonder if Inagaki and Murata would return once more maybe for a “Eyeshield 21″ special because with college football, the players from high school now went on to different schools and suffice to say, that means that the team members we watched on the Deimon team are now rivals in college football?  That would have made an intriguing story but for the manga series conclusion, it was rather fitting.

Everything about”Eyeshield 21″, from its characters, the gags, to the storyline is well-done and for those who enjoy American football or have knowledge about the sport will definitely be entertained by this series. Even if you don’t know about football, the game also helps the beginners understand the sport.

But for those who have stood with the manga series from beginning to end, “Eyeshield 21″ was an awesome and entertaining series from beginning to end and for those who are curious if they want to start reading the manga and also have a love for U.S. football, then definitely check out this sport manga series, “Eyeshield 21″.

 

The Inbetweeners Movie (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

The music soundtrack of “The Inbetweeners” features a balance offering of rock, pop and electronic tracks plus audio clips from the sexually-charged British film.  If you loved the film and loved the music, you’ll want the soundtrack!  

TITLE: The Inbetweeners Movie

LABEL: Sony Music

DURATION: 1:09:23

RELEASE DATE: November 29, 2011

1. Quicksand – Miles Kane
2. No Problemo – Mike Skinner
3. Mental Holiday (From the Inbetweeners Movie) – James Buckley as Jay
4. Gimme Love – The vines
5. Blow [Circut Remix] – Ke$ha
6. Introdce Yourself (From the Inbetweeners Movie) – James Buckley as Jay and Blake Harrison as Neil
7. We No Speak Americano (Radio Edit) – Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP
8. Nothing But Love (Readio Edit) – Axwell feat. Errol Reid
9. Fernando’s theme – Mike Skinner
10. You’re a Virgin (From the Inbetweeners Movie) – Simon Bird and Laura Haddock as Will and Allison
11. Twenty Euros – Mike Skinner
12. Waving Not Drowning – Mike Skinner
13. He Shoots He Scores (From the Inbetweeners Movie) – James Buckley as Jay
14. Clunge in a Barrel – Mike Skinner
15. Twenty Miles – Deer Tick
16. Feel So Close (Benny Benassi Remix) – Calvin Harris
17. Smack in the Balls (From the Inbetweeners Movie) – Joe Thomas as Simon
18. We are Go (feat. Laura Vane) – Mike Skinner, Laura Vane
19. MY,KZ, YR, BF (Grum Remix) – Everything Everything
20. Monatronic 5000 – Mike Skinner
21. Whatever it Takes – The D.O.T.
22. Two Man Job (From the Inbetweeners Movie) – Blake Harrison as Neil
23. Do It – Mike Skinner
24. Party All Night (Sleep All Day)(Album Version) – Sean Kingston
25. Gone Up in Flames – Morning Runner
26. Pussay Patrol – Mike Skinner
27. To the Pussay (From the Inbetweeners Movie) – The Inbetweeners

In the UK, the award-winning, British adult comedy television series “The Inbetweeners” was popular as it featured four Sixth form students (Will McKenzie, Simon Cooper, Jay Cartwright and Neil Sutherland)  as they prepare for their A-level examinations.

The main character Will relocates to a state school after attending private school because of financial problems and he is bullied.  But he manages to meet three new friends as they try to become sociable and talk about them wanting to have sexual exploits.

The three season series (6 episodes each, 2008-2010) ended with the guys finishing school and going their own separate ways.

With series creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris wanting a fitting ending for the four young men, a movie was developed a film which was released in theaters in the UK in August 2011.

The film focuses on the four young misfits who have finished their A-levels and vacation in Malia, Crete (Greece) to get away from what troubles they are having currently in life.  And while on vacation, the four teens meet Alison, Lucy, Lisa and Jane.  Will these four misfits finally score?

With the release of the film, the soundtrack of “The Inbetweeners Movie” has been released.

The soundtrack features music from The Streets Mike Skinner who provides ten tracks to the soundtrack.  While many are familiar with the hip hop beats of the Streets, for Skinner’s contribution to the soundtrack, most are electronic dance club style of tracks, while the track “Waving not Drowning” uses a piano composition.

The notable tracks on the soundtrack for rock music are former The Rascals frontman Miles Kane with his upbeat rock track “Quicksand”, “The Vines” sexually enthused rock track “Gimme Love” and Deer Ticks “Twenty Miles”and Morning Runner’s “Gone Up in Flames”.

And as those comprise the rock tracks on the soundtrack, there is also pop tracks such as Ke$ha’s Circut Remix of her song “Blow”, the early 2011 popular charting hit “We No Speak Americano (Radio Edit)” from Yolanda Be Cool & DCUP and Sean Kingston’s “Party All Night (Sleep All Day) (Album Version)”.

And then there are the dance tracks such as Axwell feat. Errol Reid’s “Nothing But Love”, Calvin Harris’ “Feel So Close (Benny Benassi Remix)”, Mike Skinner and Laura Vane’s “We Are Go” and Everything Evertyhing’s “MY KZ, YR BF (Grum Remix)”.

Also, included in the soundtrack are seven short audio clips from the film as the guys discuss sex.

The CD insert features several pages of photos from the film and track listing/production credits.

“The Inbetweeners Movie” soundtrack will no doubt entertain fans of the film and it does try to balance rock, pop and electronic music.  But it’s quite subjective of what one wants to hear.  I found myself listening to the rock tracks quite a bit and “We No Speak no Americano (Radio Edit)” most of the time but this is one of those soundtracks that tries to please everyone with a balance of different musical genres.  But overall, a decent soundtrack.

 

a href=”http://www.nt2099.com/J-ENT/goto/amazon.php?k=The Inbetweeners+Soundtrack” target=”_blank”>

 

Chaos;Head Complete Series (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

Sometimes a series needs more than 12-episodes to effectively tell a complex story.  “Chaos;Head” based on the popular PC/XBOX 360 visual novel is one of those anime adaptations that could have benefited from more episodes.  Featuring beautiful animation and cool characters that can kick some major butt, “Chaos;Head” is a twisted, complex sci-fi, action anime series worth checking out.

Image courtesy of © 2011 FUNimation Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Chaos;Head Complete Series

ANIME RELEASE DATE: 2008

DURATION: 300 Minutes

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:78:1), DolbyTrue HD 5.1, Japanese DolbyTrue HD 2.0, English subtitles

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

Release Date: November 29, 2011

Directed by Takaaki Ishiyama

Series Composition by Toshiki Inoue

Screenplay by Toshiki Inoue

Music by tOkyO

Original Character Design by Mutsumi Sasaki

Character Design by Shuichi Shimamura

Anime Production by Madhouse Studios

Featuring the following voice talent:

Eri Kitamura/Carrie Savage as Rimi Sakihata

Hiroyuki Yoshino/Todd Haberkorn as Takumi Nishijō

Ayumi Tsuji/Kara Edwards as Kozue Orihara

Chiaki Takahashi/Colleen Clinkenbeard as Yua Kusunoki

Hitomi Nabatame/Clarine Harp as Sena Aoi

Kenta Miyake/Mark Stoddard as Gen’ichi Norose

Ui Miyazaki/Brittney Karbowski as Nanami Nishijō

Yui Sakakibara/Stepanie Sheh as Ayase Kishimoto

Takumi is an anime-obsessed recluse with a fetish for two-dimensional girls. His dirty little cyber secrets land him in real-life trouble after a chat room encounter with the mysterious General leads him to the scene of a gruesome murder. In the blink of an eye, Takumi goes from a caffeine-addicted gamer to a paranoid murder suspect caught up in something called the New Generation madness.

Between the police and a gang of girls with giant holographic swords, someone is watching his every move. As the world constructed around him begins to unravel, Takumi will discover that nothing – not even his own life – is what it appears to be. Welcome to Chaos Head. Can you survive reality?

In 2008, “Chaos;Head” was released as a Japanese visual novel by 5pb. and Nitroplus.  As with the other popular titles that come from 5pb. games and visual novels, a manga adaptation followed a month later, followed by two more manga adaptations that year.

With the popularity of the visual novels and manga adaptations, the 12-episode anime adaptation was created by Madhouse Studios and would air from October through December 2008.

To keep things in continuity with the visual novel, the same voice talent were used and the series would be directed by Takaaki Ishiyama (“Karura Mau”, “MapleStory”, “Sakura Wars” OAV), a screenplay by anime legendary writer  Toshiki Inoue (“Case Closed”, “Dragon Ball” series, “Fist of the Northstar” series, “Dirty Pair” series”, “Ranma 1/2″ series) and character designs by Shuichi Shimamura (“Angel Sanctuary”, “Honey and Clover”, “Saber Marionette”).

“Chaos;Head” takes place in 2008 in Shibuya and focuses on anime otaku Takumi Nishijo.  Takumi has become more withdrawn with social life and stop going to Suimei Academy that he focuses on watching anime and playing eroge MMORPG’s.    He has become a hikikomori and his sister Nanami is very concerned about him but he pushes everyone out of his life.  Just barely attending school in order to fulfill the minimum he needs to graduate.

In his mind, he talks to his favorite anime character Seira and tries to repeat to himself that he has no interest in the 3D world (reality) and to stay bottled up in a storage room which he has made to a home.

Meanwhile, brutal murders have been taking place in Shibuya and it has been dubbed the “New Generation” murders.  While on the chat room, one day an online friend named Misumi tells him about the New Generation events and while online, an anonymous person tells him to click on a link.  At first Takumi doesn’t want to but by accident, he clicks on it and what he sees is a man pined up with stakes.

Bothered by what he had seen, Takumi fears that something bad is going on and decides to use the Internet cafe.  While walking home, he happens to walk into a dark alley and finds steel stakes.  As he picks one up, he walks by to see a man being pinned by stakes. What he saw on the link has now come true and to make things worse, some girl with pink hair stands next to the man, stained with blood.  She happens to be wearing a Suimei Academy uniform and says his name.

Afraid of what he has seen, he escapes and ends up runing into a blonde girl named Yua who tries to become close with him because they share the same otaku interests.  She tells him that she likes the same anime and wants him to accompany her to an anime store to purchase a Seira figurine.  Once again, Takumi thinks his mind is working against him and there is no way a beautiful blonde girl who is into anime can exist.  But as he keeps reminding himself to stop falling for 3D’s, he gives in and agrees to take her to an anime store.

Afraid of what he saw the day before, when Taku attends school, he starts spazzing out when he sees the pink hair girled named Yua sitting next to him.  Yua and Takumi’s friend Misumi tells them that they have been friends for a long time and went out together days earlier, but Taku is surprised because he never met this girl in his life.  Is he losing his memory?  What is happening to him?

The only conclusion that Takumi can think is that the girl is there to kill him.

Meanwhile the police have found footage of a student holding a stake running from the scene of the crime.  The image is of Takumi and now the police plan to investigate the students at Suei Academy.

As Takumi goes to take Yua out to the anime store, he starts to wonder if she likes him.  But as they talk, she accidentally drops a binder and inside are details of the New Generation murders.  Scared to see those clippings, Yua changes from the friendly person to a threatening person.  She wants to know why the stakes were in his room and she asks him if he has the power of precognition.  The reason being is that he has had images of deaths that did not happen in his computer before it they even happen.

Takumi claims that he someone online told him about the death of the man through links but Yua tells him that with her investigation, it shows that only one person accessed the computer that night and it was him.  Yua believes that the person that Takumi is talking about is actually himself and he doesn’t know it.  She wants to help him seek professional help and not kill anyone again.

The day after, the talk about precognition brings Takumi a flashback.  When he was young, his parents forbid him to attending a school field trip and one day, he drew a picture of the school bus and ripped it in half.  Right after that happen, his mother received a call that something tragic happened to the school bus that Takumi was supposed to ride for the school trip.  The school bus was ripped in half and there were casualties.   That was the first day in which Takumi dreamed something would happen and it coming true.

As Takumi is back home, he receives an image of him running with a stake.  He now knows that the police are after him.  Later that night, Misumi wants to help Takumi liven up, so he takes him to a live concert of the rock band Phantasm and to see their beautiful vocalist FES.  But while watching, Takumi hallucinates and sees FES looking directly at him and coming towards him with a sword.

When he wakes up to the hallucination, FES looks at him and says, “Whose eyes are those eyes?”

Takumi thinks that hallucination was too real that he leaves the concert.  While leaving, he discovers another girl with a sword.  No one is able to see it but him? Is he seeing things right or is his mind playing tricks on him?

Who are all these mysterious youn ladies with swords and why can he see them and no one else can?  Also, who is committing these “New Generation” murders, can it be him or someone else?   What is real and what is not real…or is Takumi losing his mind?

VIDEO:

“Chaos;Head” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:78:1). There is a lot of detail featured in the art backgrounds, especially of Shibuya. A lot of detail is featured on the characters with very good detail and shadowing.  And one thing you notice about the series is how it uses a lot of close-up shots of the character.  Overall, animation and character design was pretty good for a TV series (as picture quality and detail are usually showcased moreso for the OVA’s or feature films) and I detected no  banding or artifacts but at times, I felt there was some edge enhancement that can be seen from time-to-time.

But scenery depicting city landscapes, crowds and action sequences were well-animated and well-painted, Madhouse Studios did a great job with this series and paying respect to the original visual novel.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Chaos;Head” is another series in which the Japanese soundtrack is given a 2.0 lossless track while the English version is given the better Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mix.  I started out watching the series in Japanese but found myself switching to English because it uses the surround channels much more.  During the action sequences, there is a good amount of effects coming from the surround channels but it was obvious that the English dub track was going to be more immersive.  With that being said, as much as I try to watch anime via Japanese, with “Chaos;Head” I actually enjoyed the English dub for the overall series.

Where the emotional acting was well-done on the Japanese end, the English dub was well-cast and the acting was very good!

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Chaos;Head” comes with only a textless opening and ending theme.

EXTRAS:

“Chaos;Head Complete Series” comes with both the Blu-ray and DVD’s of the series.

Dark, twisted and featuring ladies that can kick ass!  “Chaos;Head Complete Series” may be about its otaku protagonist Takumi but  the characters that really keep this anime series exciting are its female characters. The female characters of “Chaos;Head” are bold, strong and definitely not ladies you want to mess with!

While I enjoyed “Chaos;Head” for its sci-fi twists and its characters and includes a touch of your usual harem-faire and yes, even a bit of sis-con situations, the only thing that I found quite irritating is the character of the main protagonist Takumi.  It’s one thing to have your usual anime otaku or hikikomori, but his constant whining is almost near the upper echelon level of Shinji (for “Neon Genesis Evangelion” fans).  He is often being saved by the female characters, he is often being defended or frightened by the female characters and I was slowly growing irritated that the character would not develop any guts (that is until you get to the last 2-3 episodes) and develop courage to save those he cares about.

And while the visual novels are beloved by fans of the “Chaos;Series” and the fact that you can have branching storylines depending on what the player is interested in, with only 12-episodes, you do get a conclusive storyline with so many plot twists that you find yourself having to rewatch certain episodes.

Also, FUNimation Entertainment tends to give you that little extra, especially when it comes to English dubbed commentary.  Tthe fact that they didn’t add any commentary to this series, was a bit surprising.  As if the series wasn’t worth the time to put in an audio commentary track.

While I am happy that “Chaos;Head” the anime series has finally been released in the United States, it’s still disappointing that the video games have not been released.  5pb.’s “Chaos;Head” and “Steins;Gate” are two titles that fans have been waiting for.

Overall, “Chaos;Head” is probably a series that needed more than 12-episodes to better explain the overall storyline.  With 12-episodes, things felt a bit rushed and certain characters are a bit underdeveloped and even the Japanese were a bit critical towards the animated series.   The good news is that the followup series “Steins;Gate” (which takes place a year after “Chaos;Head” and has been well-received in Japan) is 24-episodes long and has been licensed by FUNimation Entertainment.

Otherwise, an anime series still worth checking out.

 

DON’T MISS ANOTHER DOUBLE ELIMINATION AND A PERFORMANCE BY RAPPER TINIE TEMPAH ON “THE X FACTOR” RESULTS SHOW THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1

THE X FACTOR Top Seven Finalists Perform LIVE

on Wednesday, November 30

British rap star Tinie Tempah will perform his latest hit, “Pass Out,” on THE X FACTOR results show, Thursday, Dec. 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), on FOX. The episode will also feature another shocking double elimination that will leave only five acts in the competition.

London-born rapper Tinie Tempah has already achieved superstar status in the U.K., where his double platinum debut album “Disc-Overy” debuted at No. 1 and produced four Top Five singles, including two No. 1’s, as well as winning him a pair of prestigious BRIT Awards and establishing him as the top-selling British debut act of 2010. The charismatic 22-year-old artist has now gone global with “Disc-Overy’s” release in the United States. His infectious, message-driven platinum debut single, “Written In The Stars,” has quickly emerged as a major U.S. hit, making it clear that Tempah is on his way to becoming the first British rapper to achieve major stardom in America.

Tomorrow night, on a Michael Jackson-themed show, the Top Seven Finalists including Girls – Melanie Amaro, Rachel Crow and Drew; Boys – Astro, Marcus Canty and Chris Rene; and last remaining Over 30s finalist Josh Krajcik will continue to battle it out for America’s votes, THE X FACTOR title, a $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music and an iconic Pepsi commercial. Don’t miss the Top Seven Finalists perform LIVE on Wednesday, Nov. 30 (8:00-9:30 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX.

 

Immediately after the performance show, fans will be able to vote via 1) Twitter at twitter.thexfactorusa.com; 2) Verizon Touch Voting on The Xtra Factor App on Verizon Android devices; 3) toll-free calling; 4) text messaging for Verizon Wireless customers; and 5) online at TheXFactorUSA.com. Fans with valid Facebook accounts can also vote at Facebook.com/TheXFactorUSA.

 

Tune in the following night, Thursday, Dec. 1 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), to the LIVE results show, for a performance by Tinie Tempah, and to witness a double elimination that will leave only five acts in the competition. Be sure to watch this can’t-miss night on THE X FACTOR, as America finds out which finalists move on in the competition and which are sent home.

 

Visit www.TheXFactorUSA.com for up-to-the-minute news, videos and information. Become a fan of THE X FACTOR on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheXFactorUSA. Follow the series on Twitter @TheXFactorUSA and join the discussion at #XFactor. Also, follow the judges: @SimonCowell; @PaulaAbdul; @LA_Reid; and @NicoleScherzy.

 

THE X FACTOR was created by Syco Television and is produced by Syco Television and FremantleMedia North America. Rob Wade and Siobhan Greene are executive producers for Syco Television. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, Richard Holloway and Andrew Llinares serve as executive producers for FremantleMedia North America.

 

ABOUT TINIE TEMPAH:

Tinie Tempah began rapping at the age of 13 and began writing and recording before he was out of his teens. He had an early brush with success when the first song he ever wrote, “Wifey,” became an underground hit in Britain in 2006. The following year, he made a significant mark on the U.K. hip-hop scene with his smash mixtape “Hood Economics Room 147: The 80 Minute Course,” which yielded the underground hit “Tears.” By 2009, he’d signed with Britain’s legendary Parlophone label, and the momentum hasn’t let up since. In 2010, Tempah released his first major label single, “Pass Out,” which debuted at No. 1 on the British charts. Its follow-up, “Frisky,” quickly rose to No. 2. “Written In The Stars,” featuring Eric Turner, returned Tempah to the No. 1 slot on the U.K. pop chart. His debut album “Disc-Overy” is a double-platinum smash in his homeland and has led to over three million track sales globally, two BRIT awards and a prestigious Ivor Novello award for his songwriting. For the U.S. release of “Disc-Overy,” Tempah partnered with Wiz Khalifa on the track “Till I’m Gone.”

 

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