The Beastie Boys are back and they’ve brought their old-school demeanor with them with the release of their eighth album “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.”

Originally planned for a 2009 release, “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two” was formerly known as “Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1,” but after a band member was diagnosed with cancer and changes were made to a couple of songs, it was released under the name “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.”

It’s said that the material intended to be released for part two is likely to be released as “Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1” sometime in the future.
Despite the confusion that comes with the title, “Hot Sauce Committee Part Two” is a great addition to the band’s discography.

Especially in the age of auto tune and cheesy pop music, it’s a good refresher to see the old-school genres make a comeback, and the original rap pack that is the Beastie Boys does it flawlessly.

The 16-track album opens with a three-minute song that sets the tone right off the bat.

Titled “Make Some Noise,” it showcases the originality that the Beastie Boys possess and have been displaying for so many years.

It begins with the lyrics “Yes, here we go again, give you more, nothing lesser/ Back on the mic is the anti-depressor,” and uses a keyboard and a wah-wah pedal to bring us back to the band’s early years.

“Too Many Rappers” is a remix of a single that was released in 2009 during the Bonnaroo Music Festival, and it features the rapper known as Nas.

Featuring the lyrics, “I been in the game since before you were born/ I might still be emceeing even after you’re gone,” it’s obvious that the Beastie Boys think highly of themselves, especially when they’re surrounded by today’s current artists.

And they have every right to think so highly of themselves because they have been in the hip hop/rap rock industry far longer than most artists these days.

But this doesn’t stop them from stepping outside of their comfort zone.

Perhaps one of the most interesting songs on the album is titled “Don’t Play No Game I Can’t Win,” and it features the singer Santigold.

What makes this song so interesting is the fact that the Beastie Boys let Santigold do most of the vocals while they serve as backup.

The result is a smooth, reggae inspired tune with a great head-bopping beat.

“Hot Sauce Committee Part Two” ends with a fifty-second song titled “The Lisa Lisa/ Full Force Routine” that reminisces on the work that came from the band’s fourth album “Ill Communication.”

In general, the Beastie Boys still manage to preserve the originality that they created for themselves even after 30 years of working together.

 

Three years have passed since Augustana released their last album “Can’t Love, Can’t Hurt,” but time hasn’t kept the band from releasing their newest, and probably best, album to date.

Primarily known for their hit songs “Boston” and “Sweet and Low,” the band has been creating a fairly respectable name for themselves since 2005.

Now, six years later, the band is currently on tour promoting their new, self-titled album, “Augustana” and working hard to maintain the name that they created for themselves.

Thankfully, they don’t have to work too hard because “Augustana” is doing most of the work for them.

The easy-listening rock style that has always come so naturally for the band continues into their next album all while incorporating other influences and genres as well.

“Augustana” opens with a powerful song titled “Steal Your Heart.” With a bit of influence coming from The Killers and Kings of Leon, this song blends the drums, guitar and tambourine into a great mixture that compliments the equally impressive lyrics.

“Shot in the Dark” is another song that utilizes the influence of other bands, and for this song, it’s Coldplay.

The chorus and instrumental accompaniment sounds like the second chorus of Coldplay’s “Death And All His Friends,” and it’s a good sound for Augustana.

Those who are fans of the band’s earlier work will take a liking to “Counting Stars,” which bears resemblance to “Boston.”

With a similar piano-driven opening and the same vocals coming from lead singer Dan Layus, this song reminds us why we enjoy Augustana so much.

On the other side of things are the songs “Borrowed Time” and “Hurricane,” which have a clear southern influence.

While most artists fail when they try to incorporate the blue-grass genre, Augustana manages to do it without overdoing it.

The only thing that’s flawed on this album is “Wrong Side of Love” because of its uncanny similarity to Tom Petty’s “Runaway Train.”
Augustana’s song has the lyrics “Keep running baby don’t look back/ Keep running down a one way track.” These lyrics are comparable to Petty’s lyrics “Runaway train never goin’ back/ Wrong way on a one way track.”

The similarities are too close for comfort, and had they been avoided, “Wrong Side of Love” could have been a great original piece.

Despite that minor imperfection, “Augustana” is still a great step forward.

While staying true to their original sound, Augustana learns to integrate something entirely new and it works to their advantage.

Overall, “Augustana” is a smooth and successful continuation for the band, and with several musical influences, they have compiled a great collection of tracks that are certainly worth listening to.

 

“What’s your favorite scary movie?”

We all know and love this famous line made by Ghostface from the 1996 film “Scream,” but what we didn’t know was that it would make a comeback over a decade later in the franchise’s fourth chapter: “Scream 4.”

The original “Scream” film was perfect. It was funny, it was scary and it was filled with mystery. It had a great, twisted ending, and it was something we had never seen before.

Then followed “Scream 2” and “Scream 3.” As sorry excuses for sequels, the two films flopped. They were mediocre, weak and didn’t have the same appeal as the original one did.

So when eleven years passed, and rumors of a fourth installment spread, there was some apprehension.

Would this film be as good as the original, or would it be as awful as the others?

Thankfully, “Scream 4” proves that director Wes Craven is capable of making a movie just as great as the first “Scream.”

Because it’s a part of a series known for their big opening scenes, it’s no shock that “Scream 4” begins with a gruesome, yet hilarious, murder made by Ghostface in the small town of Woodsboro.

Not so surprisingly enough, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) returns to Woodsboro at just the right time to hear all about the murder.

This reunites her with Dewey (David Arquette) and his wife Gale (Courteney Cox), as they try to solve the mystery behind these murders.

While Sidney tries to protect herself, she also tries to protect her younger cousin Jill (Emma Roberts).

A student at Sidney’s old high school, Jill experiences the horror that her older cousin went through as a teenager.

History repeats itself when she and her friends start receiving phone calls from Ghostface and watch as innocent people die all around them.

Simply put, “Scream 4” is phenomenal. It has the right amount of laughs and horror and has an unpredictable ending that will leave your jaw dropped.

In addition, it does a great job at keeping the satirical point of view in tact. Because let’s face it, if you’re a fan of “Scream,” you know not to take the movies too seriously.

The fact that some of the killings are over exaggerated and that Ghostface is one of the most inexperienced killers in the history of horror films is exactly what makes the “Scream” movies so irresistible.

Campbell, Arquette and Cox step back into their original roles effortlessly and the new cast members offer a different approach on things with Roberts as the innocent cousin, Hayden Panettiere as the best friend, and Erik Knudsen and Rory Culkin as the horror movie geeks.

Each of the cast members play a significant part in the movie and bring forth a new edge along with a new generation.

Although the first film is still the best, “Scream 4” is obviously a close second. With experienced cast members and several unexpected twists, this film is worth every penny.

 

Some things are meant to succeed exponentially while other things are meant to stay in the minds of thirteen-year-old boys.

Director David Gordon Green’s newest movie, “Your Highness,” falls into the latter.

“Your Highness” is best described as a bad parody of all great medieval movies that have ever been made.

It’s like “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” with Cheech and Chong, or “The Princess Bride” with sex and drugs.

The bottom line is that it has the potential to be good, but it ends up being awful.

“Your Highness” follows Fabious and Thadeous on a quest to capture Fabious’ fiancé Belladonna from the evil wizard Leezar.

Played by James Franco, Fabious is a successful and handsome prince who is next in line to succeed his father’s throne.

Thadeous, played by Danny McBride, is Fabious’ lazy and selfish brother who would do anything to be just as worthy and desirable as he is.

Their journey is filled with odd creatures and several sword fights until they meet Isabel, played by Natalie Portman, who is on a quest very similar to theirs.

With the help of Isabel, the princes continue their quest in order to save Belladonna from her doom.

While the plot of the movie seems somewhat bearable, the overall representation and obscenity of it does not do it justice.
In fact, there’s only one word to describe this movie: vulgar.

Constant swear words are thrown around carelessly in an attempt to substitute the lack of creative thinking, the weird characters introduced throughout the film are obnoxious and repulsive and the horrid jokes about nudity and sex are taken so far, they end up losing all respect.

There’s a huge difference between being funny and being crude, and the creators of “Your Highness” weren’t able to distinguish the boundary.

And it’s a shame because there were some great ideas that just weren’t executed properly enough to make them the least bit interesting.

Despite the mediocre script, “Your Highness” excels at one thing, and that’s casting.

Franco and McBride work quite well together. They’re naturally funny separately, but the fact that they have each other to pull themselves up makes the not-so-great scenes a little bit tolerable.

Portman is also a great performer worth mentioning. She dominates as a strong warrior girl full of vengeance and spunk and plays the part just as well as the boys do.

Unfortunately, the cast can’t carry the weight of “Your Highness” all by themselves.

Much like the “Scary Movie” parody saga, this movie is a great example of lowbrow comedy targeted towards adolescent audiences.

Sure, there are a few good laughs throughout the movie, but most of them are due in part to the fact that everything is so juvenile and ridiculous; it’s hard not to stifle a pity laugh.

 

Noah and the Whale may not be in your iTunes library right now, but after hearing their newest album “Last Night On Earth,” it might be time for a quick update.

Originally from London, Noah and the Whale released their first album “Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down” in 2008, which is still one of the band’s most well-known and well-liked albums.

Immediately following the release of this album, Noah and the Whale became one of London’s top bands while slowly emerging in the United States.

However, scandal brewed when female member Laura Marling, who was dating fellow band mate Charlie Fink, left the band to pursue her romance and vocal career with Marcus Mumford of the folk rock band Mumford & Sons.

As many artists do, Fink used this bad breakup to inspire the band’s second album “The First Days of Spring.”

Still a hot topic, this incident adds a certain amount of irony to the fact that “Last Night On Earth” is coming out shortly after all the attention that Mumford & Sons has received since their memorable performance at the 2011 Grammy Awards.

Fortunately for Noah and the Whale, Mumford & Sons isn’t taking the entire spotlight from them because “Last Night On Earth” has proven to be a great addition to their discography.

“Life Is Life” starts the album off with a positive note. With a 30 second melodic beat at the beginning of the song, it incorporates lyrics that proclaim that change will occur and that this change will be valuable.

In a way, “Life Is Life” foreshadows the entire album because although it’s a little different than the band’s previous albums, it’s definitely worthwhile.

Take for example the third track titled “L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.” Released as the album’s first single, this song has an upbeat tempo that encourages foot tapping.

Plus, there’s strong audience participation when the phrase “life goes on” gets spelled out repeatedly.

There’s obviously something about spelling out words in songs that makes it so much more appealing.

“Paradise Stars” is another great song not because of its lyrics, but because of its simplicity. Only lasting a minute and thirty seconds, this melody showcases the purity and ease of the piano, making it the perfect intermission for the middle of the album.
While some songs are great, there are also some that fall below the rest.

It’s clear that the songs that have an up-beat tempo are pleasing to the ear, but the more slow-paced songs are boring and not that exciting to listen to.

Case in point, the songs “Wild Thing” and “The Line” are exceptionally slow and the lyrics are not that extraordinary.

When all is said and done, “Last Night On Earth” proves to be a solid masterpiece for Noah and the Whale. Although some songs may fall a bit short, others step in and pick up the slack to make up for it.

 

Amid a long line of romantic teenage dramas, “Beastly” confirms that the tacky Twilight generation that we are currently stuck in will not be subsiding any time soon.

Adapted from the novel of the same name, “Beastly” is one of many remakes of the classic Disney film “Beauty and the Beast.”

But this adaptation takes a bit of a different approach, as it was obviously made with tween girls in mind since it spotlights good looks instead of good acting, much like the Twilight Series.

Kyle, played by British actor Alex Pettyfer, is a high school student that focuses more on outward appearances than inner beauty, thus giving him a not-so-pretty personality.

Raised by his equally egotistical father, Kyle uses his good looks to get whatever he wants in life—including the spot as the president of the school’s Green Club.

Living is easy for Kyle, but when he angers the school’s witch, played by Mary-Kate Olsen, his good looks disappear and he is given a year to find someone to love him or he’ll be stuck looking beastly forever.

Pulled out of school and forced to live in a remote apartment with a housekeeper and a tutor with a visual impairment, Kyle searches for love through former classmate Lindy, played by Vanessa Hudgens.

Kyle turns obsessive, and a little creepy, as he tries to win Lindy’s heart by delivering her favorite candy to her doorstep and building a greenhouse just to impress her.

The rest of the movie follows Kyle’s journey of self-discovery and his many attempts to persuade Lindy to fall in love him.

The overall plot of the movie is great and the storyline could have been something spectacular, but the combination of terrible acting and silly, unnecessary scenes causes “Beastly” to falter.

As a fairly new face to Hollywood, Pettyfer’s lack of experience in front of the camera is evident when he fails to properly hide his accent and display any type of emotion past anger. However, his blonde locks and perfect teeth conceal his poor acting.

Like Pettyfer, Hudgens’s good looks help mask her limited acting. In many of her scenes, she tries too hard to be funny, while in others she doesn’t try hard enough to be moody. She either goes over the top or falls short, making the film a little too cheesy.

What truly carries the movie is Neil Patrick Harris’ performance as the tutor. His jokes are hilarious and every line that he delivers makes each scene a little less awkward.

Olsen isn’t bad either. There are times in the movie where she looks like she’s going to kill someone, but that’s what her character calls for. Although she has a minor role, she proves that she has come a long way since her days as little Michelle Tanner.

Sadly, Harris and Olson couldn’t carry the entire movie by themselves.

With better writing and more experienced actors, “Beastly” could have been a clever masterpiece. Unfortunately, this adaptation of the Disney classic has zero potential.

 

Awards season finally came to a close on Sunday with the funny, yet not-so-memorable 83rd Annual Academy Awards.

Hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, this year’s Oscars strived to appeal to the younger generation. The duo joked about it at the beginning of the show about how “young and hip” they both looked.

However, by the end of the show the question wasn’t if they succeeded in appealing to the younger demographic, it was more centered on whether or not Franco was high or drunk.

Throughout the ceremony it seemed like he was in his own world as he stared off into space and, on occasion, looked like he was in physical pain.

Hathaway, on the other hand, was a pleasure to watch. She had her share of embarrassing moments, but those moments are what humanized her and made her so charming.
From her song-and-dance number about Hugh Jackman, to her instructions for everyone at home to take a drink when she messed up a line, Hathaway was definitely the more likable of the two.

The night included a completely unnecessary look at films from the past, a series of awkward jokes and an In Memoriam video that failed to include Corey Haim from “The Lost Boys.”

Although there were a few flubs here and there, the moment that 94-year-old Kirk Douglas staggered onto stage with a cane in hand was when the real fun started. Douglas knew exactly how to work a crowd when he made fun of Australians, fought over his cane with one of the stage ushers and kept putting off the announcement for the winner of best supporting actress.

The award went to Melissa Leo for “The Fighter” who, by the way, delivered a speech that included the f-bomb, which barely got bleeped out in time.

Christian Bale won best supporting actor for “The Fighter,” but it probably should have gone to Geoffrey Rush for his role in “The King’s Speech.”

“The Social Network,” which was expected to win a large portion of the awards, won three for best film editing, original score and adapted screenplay.

“The King’s Speech” and “Inception” were the two big winners, each taking home four awards—although the only “big” Oscar worth mentioning for “Inception” was best cinematography.

“The King’s Speech” won four of the most prestigious awards including best picture, best original screenplay, best director, which went to Tom Hooper and best actor in a Leading Role, which went to Colin Firth. Natalie Portman won the much-deserved award for best actress in a leading role for the “Black Swan,” and “Toy Story 3” received the Oscar for best animated feature film.

The three-hour long broadcast ended with the children’s chorus of PS 22 in Staten Island singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The winners of the night came on stage to sing along as they held their Oscars high. It was a little cheesy, but it was an appropriate end to the “young and hip” show.

 

After receiving two Grammy awards in 2009 for her debut album “19,” British singer Adele continues to further her success with the release of her second album “21.”

Separating herself from other British singers like Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen, Adele made a hit from the very beginning with hit singles “Hometown Glory” and “Chasing Pavements” from her first album.

Reportedly inspired by a bad break up, “19” was a great start for the then 19 year-old songwriter.
The mellow piano-driven album helped Adele convey an emotion that she had been struggling with for so long, all while shooting her into the world of stardom.

It would seem the first album wasn’t enough for Adele to liberate her inner quarrels, because “21” is, in a way, a continuation of the memories and feelings she had three years ago.

“21” opens with “Rolling in the Deep,” the perfect song to set the stage for the rest of the album.

It begins with nothing but the plucking of hushed guitar strings when Adele’s soulful voice enters with the opening line, “There’s a fire starting in my heart / Reaching a fever pitch and it’s bring me out the dark.”

Shortly after the introduction, a tambourine, drum and piano come in, tying the song together, making it a favorite.

Next comes “Rumor Has It,” a ballad that illustrates the same heartbreak and despair, but instead has a gospel/southern rock twist to it.
With lyrics like “She is half your age / But I’m guessing that’s the reason that you strayed,” the sassy song shows the complexity of Adele’s songwriting that keeps the album on the right track.

The only song that seems to fall short is “Set Fire to the Rain.” Although a very good song, it’s somewhat overproduced.

Any fan of Adele would say that she’s at her best when there’s nothing but the sound of her voice and a piano. “Set Fire to the Rain” adds too much percussion that simply isn’t needed.

But Adele knows exactly how to redeem herself with one of the last ballads on the album, “Someone Like You.”

Painting the picture of a woman who is trying to come to terms with the fact that the man of her dreams has married another women, this song stands out from the rest.

While many of the other tracks off the album are punchy and aggressive, this one is simple and expresses her feelings in an entirely different, yet effective, way.

Although it’s hard to pinpoint anything bad in an overall impressive album, there’s one thing that Adele can work to improve on; versatility.

While Adele doesn’t seem quite as pathetic as Taylor Swift does when singing about her breakups, it’s probably best that she doesn’t stick to one just one specific theme.

All in all, “21” is an impressive arrangement that sets Adele’s powerful and soulful voice free.

For someone so young, the vocal and lyrical maturity that she possesses separates her from many other young artists.

 

“Lady Gaga is dead and she needs your help!”

Last week, singer Alicia Keys started Hollywood’s Digital Death Campaign in honor of World AIDS Day.

The campaign declared that Hollywood would die a “digital death” until a casket full of cash was raised. This meant no Twitter, Facebook, blogging or any other form of social networking.

The goal was to raise $1 million for the Keep a Child Alive AIDS research.

It seemed like a good idea until six days had passed and everyone was still “dead.”

Every person involved thought it would take 24 hours to get the full donation, but it turns out that these celebrities overestimated the power they have over their supporters.

Fans had only raised $450,000 within the first few days. The fundraiser was not going at the rate that Keys’ and the other participators had expected, and there was certainly a great amount of frustration brewing by the end of the week.

Finally, seven days into the campaign, billionaire businessman Steward Rahr came to the rescue with a $500,000 donation, raising countless celebrities from their digital death.

So why did the movement take so long to achieve its $1 million goal?

Part of the problem was that donators were asked to contribute a $10 minimum donation, which may be a bit too pricy for some people.

Also, the egotistical campaign ads used to advertise the foundation were far more tasteless than they were inspirational. Does a shot of Kim Kardashian in a coffin really do anything to help raise money for those in need?

Probably not.

Furthermore, the process could have been a lot more productive if fans were linked to a site explaining the campaign. Instead, they were flooded with comments about how their favorite celebrity was still digitally dead and they needed to donate money to save them.

How is this productive?

Who cares if Justin Timberlake and Ryan Seacrest aren’t tweeting their every move?
Sure, it’s a clever idea, but how is this going to encourage someone to donate money?

We need to be informed of the reason behind the program. It’s more effective if we’re notified of the facts about HIV and AIDS prevention instead of being bombarded with pitiful comments from “dead” participators.

Do they really expect someone to be motivated enough to donate something if they don’t know anything about the campaign in the first place?

Celebrities were taking advantage of their stardom and weren’t using it to the best of their ability. Having to beg a billionaire to donate $500,000 is a little pathetic.

If they truly cared about this cause, they would wait it out.

It’s not like anyone is going to actually die if they don’t update their blog every two seconds.
It’s probably best that these celebrities remain digitally dead in order to hide their faces of embarrassment.

 

It’s been three years since the debut of Natasha Bedingfield’s first album “Unwritten,” but time hasn’t stopped her from releasing a remarkable fourth album.

Bedingfield worked her way to the top in 2004 when she released her top singles “These Words” and “Unwritten.” Featured in countless movies and television shows, the UK singer had a great start in the music industry.

The pop artist was then honored with a Grammy nomination three years later, which ultimately launched her music career in a successful direction.

That direction led her straight to the development of “Strip Me.”

Bedingfield’s newest album is similar to her earlier albums in that they have the same genre and overall message of independence and bliss, but there are also a few noticeable differences.

This album is more developed and better constructed. Also, instead of expressing the importance of freedom in the cheesy feel-good way that she has done in her previous albums, she has taken a different route.

Instead, each song on “Strip Me” evokes the needs that so many people need to hear in a time of stress or worry.

Although the title of the album may seem a bit provocative, the songs reflect the underlying message of conviction that Bedingfield firmly believes in.

The album opens with the subtle beat of a drum and the strum of a guitar in “A Little Too Much.” This is the anthem that anyone who has gone through a tough time has been longing to hear.

The lyrics “Everybody hurts just a little too much/ Everybody hurts but it’s never enough” proves that Bedingfield is rooting for strong survivors.

Bedingfield collaborates with Kevin Rudolf in “All I Need,” an up-beat song with a strong tempo. The collaboration is obvious too, because it sounds similar to Rudolf’s “Let It Rock.” But what separates “All I Need” from “Let It Rock” is the difference in genres.

Bedingfield’s song is more pop-based whereas Rudolf’s song is more rock.

Then there’s the title song “Strip Me,” a powerful number that exudes the confidence that Bedingfield has been waiting years to shout.

With lyrics like, “I don’t need a microphone/ To say what I been thinking/ My heart is like a loudspeaker/ That’s always on eleven,” it’s evident that she’s willing to stand up for anything she wants regardless of the consequences.

One of the more mellow songs on the album is “Break Thru,” which combines Bedingfield’s soothing voice with a melodic beat that fits perfectly with the lyrics. The overall peaceful tone of the song proves that it’s something you could easily fall asleep to late at night.

This album proves that Bedingfield is willing to take risks, all while maintaining the same personality that she created so many years ago with her first album. She’s able to productively jump from a relaxing melody to a powerful anthem without making it sound too unnatural like some artists do.

Overall, “Strip Me” is an outstanding album. It displays Bedingfield’s voice as successfully as her previous albums, all while adding a new style that captures her progression over the years.