Written by Kirk Baird
Even as Lincoln’s
12 Academy Award nominations made the Civil War drama the prohibitive favourite
for the Feb. 24 Oscars, Sunday night’s 70th Annual Golden Globe
presentation might have shaken things up.
The Iran hostage drama Argo
took the Golden Globe for best motion picture as well a trophy for the film’s
director, Ben
Affleck, who was not nominated for an Oscar. Lincoln and director Steven
Spielberg were Golden Globe nominees in both categories.
Daniel
Day-Lewis, as expected, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama for
his powerful and moving performance as Lincoln.
Overall, Lincoln
was nominated for 7 Golden Globes but won only one.
While Spielberg’s film stumbled at the awards show, the
lavish musical Les Miserables triumphed.
In addition to Hathaway’s expected win, the adaptation of the stage musical
based on Victor
Hugo’s 1862 French historical novel won for best musical or comedy and best
actor in a comedy or musical (Hugh Jackman).
Jessica
Chastain won the best actress in a drama for Zero Dark Thirty. And Jennifer
Lawrence won the best actress in a comedy or musical for Silver Linings Playbook.
Rounding out the film winners as voted by the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association, Brave
won for best animated feature, Amour won best foreign language film, and Adele’s
“Skyfall” won for best original song in a film.
For television, Showtime’s espionage drama Homeland
was the big winner, winning best television series drama, best performance by
an actress in a TV series drama ( Claire
Danes), and best performance by an actor in a TV series drama ( Damian
Lewis). HBO’s new series Girls
took trophies for best television series comedy or musical, and best
performance by an actress in a TV series comedy or musical ( Lena
Dunham), while Don
Cheadle from Showtime’s House
of Lies won best performance by an actor in a TV series comedy or
musical.
Best miniseries or motion picture made for television went
to HBO’s comedy-drama Game
Change, about the 2008 GOP presidential campaign, and to the film’s
star Julianne
Moore as Sarah Palin for best performance by an actress in a miniseries or
motion picture made for television, and to co-star Ed
Harris as John McCain for best performance by an actor in a supporting role
in a series, miniseries or motion picture made for television.
Written by Jon Williams
With 2012 behind us, it’s time to take a look at what 2013
will have to offer. In both music and audiobooks, it looks to be a big year,
with big name musicians and authors releasing titles that your patrons will be
excited to get their hands on.
Audiobooks
Also in May, Charlaine
Harris waves goodbye to Sookie Stackhouse and friends in Bon Temps with Dead Ever After, the final novel in the Southern Vampires series that
spawned the popular HBO show True Blood. Horror master Stephen
King has two novels coming out in 2013. The first, in June, is Joyland, about an amusement park
serial killer. Then, in September, comes Doctor Sleep, the long-awaited sequel
to The Shining. King’s son Joe
Hill, a bestselling author in his own right, releases his third novel, NOS4A2, in April. And if you enjoy the
macabre, look for Neil
Gaiman’s latest, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, in
June.
June will also bring a new novel from Colum McCann, who
follows up his National Book Award-winning Let
the Great World Spin with Transatlantic. Literary heavyweight Thomas
Pynchon will also deliver a new novel in 2013, Bleeding Edge, although a publication date has not yet been set.
And of course, what would a year be without a handful of
posthumous releases? In February, look for one from Maurice
Sendak, My Brother’s Book. In
March comes The Tragedy of Mr. Morn,
a play written by Vladimir
Nabokov in 1923. With a movie based on his work staying strong at the box
office right now, a new release from J.R.R.
Tolkien comes in May. Leaving behind the world of Middle-earth, The Fall of Arthur deals with Arthurian
legends and was edited for publication by the author’s son, Christopher.
Music
There are plenty of new releases to look forward to in the
music world as well. In the world of pop, Miley
Cyrus, Katy
Perry, and Justin
Bieber all have new albums coming out sometime in 2013, as does Beyonce,
who will also be performing for the Super Bowl halftime show. The current queen
of pop music, Lady
Gaga, will release ARTPOP this
year as well. Paws up, little monsters!
Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z,
will have some new tunes coming this year as well, as he works on Watch the Throne 2 with Kanye
West. Staying in the rap game, Eminem
will release an album to follow up 2010’s Recovery. His protégé, 50
Cent, drops his latest, Street King
Immortal, on February 26.
Two current American
Idol judges have releases coming in 2013. Nicki
Minaj says Pink Friday: The Pinkprint
will have its basis in rap more than pop. Mariah
Carey will also have a new CD out this year, which will feature her most
recent single, “Triumphant.” No word on a new release from Keith Urban,
although he will appear (as will Taylor Swift) on fellow country music
superstar Tim
McGraw’s album Two Lanes of Freedom, which comes
out February 5.
Look also for new releases from a few music legends. In
late March, Cher
will release her first new album since 2001’s Living Proof. On his 66 th birthday earlier this week, David
Bowie released a new track (complete with video), “Where Are We Now?” His
first album since 2003, The Next Day,
comes out in March as well. In April, look for a new release from Black
Sabbath, complete, believe it or not, with Ozzy Osbourne back on vocals for
the first time since 1978. Another stunner, an album of new material from Jimi
Hendrix, drops on March 5.
Also, Justin Timberlake
announced today that he is in the studio recording some new tunes of
his own. The first track, featuring an appearance from the
aforementioned Jay-Z and produced by Timbaland, could be available as
soon as next week. That being the case, the likelihood of the album
being available sometime this year is pretty decent. This would be JT's first new album since 2006, as he's spent the past few years focusing on the acting side of his career.
This is just a very small sampling of all the great
audiobook and music titles we’ll see in 2013. What are you looking forward to
in the year to come?
Written by Kirk Baird
David Ellis, a longtime stuntman turned director best known
for his work behind the camera on Snakes on a Plane and The Final Destination,
died Monday in South Africa, where he was in pre-production for a new film. The
cause of death is unknown, his agent David Boxerbaum told the Los Angeles
Times. Ellis was 60.
Written by Kyle Slagley
On the way to work yesterday I heard a news story about
Lenovo’s IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC. If you just re-read that sentence while
simultaneously thinking or saying “Huh?” trust me, you’re not alone. Though not
much was heard about this gadget when it was being developed, it’s basically a
tablet computer that can be laid down on a tabletop and used by up to five
people at the same time.
At 27 inches and a larger version on the way, the tablet is
about the same size as a small flatscreen television. Since it’s able to handle
multiple users at once, some bloggers are speculating that it may bring back
the golden days when a family actually gathers around a table to interact
together like real people, instead of texting “Plz pass the potatoes kthx :)”
As I listened to this news story, I realized it was yet
another classic example of fictional-futuristic technology made real. I was
reminded of a scene in the James
Bond movie Quantum
of Solace, when M, James, and M’s assistant Tanner use a large touchscreen
table to discuss… well, spy stuff. While Quantum
of Solace isn’t an old movie, it
got me thinking about all the technology introduced in “old” sci-fi that has
since become real, normal, everyday technology. Let’s explore some of these
no-longer-futurist technologies, shall we?
The Internet – Let’s face it, you are addicted to the Internet.
I, too, am addicted to the Internet. I Internet when I wake up, at work, at
home, and in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep. You’re Internetting
right now! Believe it or not, this simultaneously sinister yet magical
connective web of computing devices was once an idea that originated in science
fiction. The novel that really detailed the Internet the way we know it today
was Neuromancer
by William
Gibson. Gibson’s novel put the ‘cyberpunk’ sci-fi subgenre on the map in
1984 and was the first book to win the sci-fi “Triple Crown”: the Hugo Award, the
Nebula Award, and the Philip K. Dick Award. Remember what computers were like
in 1984? The Internet was a freaky-futurist idea back then.
Android robots – “Droids” have been a staple in sci-fi since
before sci-fi was even a genre. Lost
in Space, Star
Wars, Star
Trek, Fahrenheit
451, The
Jetsons – droids in every single one of them. The book commonly credited
with coining the word ‘android’ was published in 1886! Fast-forward to today,
and the Defense Department is creating robots that can catch their balance and
decide on their own whether to step on or around something. First, the decision
whether to step over or around Mr. Whiskers; tomorrow, the world…
Indestructable metal (aka Adamantium) – X-Men
is futurist in a lot of ways - mainly that whole mutated-genes-that-equal-superpowers
thing. If you thought Wolverine’s
indestructible claws were impossible, though, better think again. Modumetal,
made by a company of the same name, is lighter and stronger than steel and as
close to indestructible as we’ve got. I’ve read the explanation on the company website.
It’s got a lot of big science-y words that I don’t understand, but let’s just
say these guys are closer to Adamantium than ever. The weird thing about
Modumetal? Parts aren’t manufactured, they’re “grown.”
Auto-drive cars – We saw this back in 2002 with Minority
Report, and we saw it again in I,
Robot: cars that drive themselves at high speeds on the freeway and take
you exactly where you want to go. While we’re not exactly there yet, we do have
cars that can parallel park themselves, cars that beep at you when you’re about
to back into something, and cars that yell at you to wake up if you’re falling
asleep at the wheel. Cars that actually do drive themselves are currently in
testing. Cars that develop road rage are presumably the next step.
Written by Wyndham Wise
Despite rumours to the contrary, 2012 was not a particularly good year for Canadian film. Consider this: the top four films in terms of audience appeal and weeks played in the Greater Toronto Area, the largest market for English-Canadian films in the world, were all 2011 releases: Jean-Marc Vallée’s masterful Café de Flore (at 19 weeks); Philippe Falardeau’s Oscar-nominated Monsieur Lazhar (17 weeks); David Cronenberg’s psychological drama A Dangerous Method (14 weeks); and Sarah Polley’s romantic comedy Take This Waltz (13 weeks).
The longest-running new release was Paul W.S. Anderson’s Canada/German co-production Resident Evil: Retribution 3D at 9 weeks. It’s the fifth in the franchise from Toronto producer Don Carmody and a sure bet for the 2012 Golden Reel Award. At eight weeks was Cosmopolis, a second film by Cronenberg that received his worst reviews since eXistinZ; Michael Dowse’s hockey bruiser, Goon, making it the most well-received English-Canadian hockey film, and a relief after the box office failures of Breakaway and Score: A Hockey Musical; and Deepa Mehta’s sumptuous epic, Midnight’s Children.
The Oscar-nominated Canada/Poland co-production, In Darkness came in at seven weeks, the personal documentary Stories We Tell, another Polley film, at six weeks, and Jennifer Baichwal’s documentary based on text by Margaret Atwood, Payback, clocked in at five weeks. Ruba Nadda’s unsatisfactory political thriller Inescapable and Guy Maddin’s eccentric Keyhole both did four weeks each.
At three weeks were Brandon Cronenberg’s debut feature, Antiviral, Nathan Morlando’s biopix on Toronto’s most notorious bank robber, Edwin Boyd: Citizen Gangster, Xavier Dolan’s gay romance Laurence Anyways and Michael Bassett ‘s Silent Hill: Revelation 3D, another Carmody co-production. Four documentaries round out the features that played more that two weeks at any one theatre in the GTA: Jesse Mann’s Material Success (4 weeks), Steve Suderman’s To Make a Farm (4 weeks), Peter Mettler’s End of Time (3 weeks) and Léa Pool’s Pink Ribbons, Inc. (3 weeks).
In total, 50 Canadian features were released in the GTA in 2012, and as usual the majority (60 per cent) don’t play beyond two weeks. This is typical of any year, and the ones that didn’t make the two-week cut include films from Québec, documentaries, indie features and films that have been funded by Telefilm, which require a theatrical release before heading straight to cable, DVD or VOD.
This year, Kim Nyguen’s Rebelle (which played two weeks at the Bell Lightbox) is on the short list for the final five nominated for the Foreign-Language Oscar, making it the third year in a row that a Québécois film has landed on the short list. Both Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies and Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar made it to the final five, but neither won. The last time a Canadian film won in that category was Denys Arcand’s The Barbarian Invasions in 2004.
Written by Jon Williams
On January 3, legendary record producer George Martin celebrated his 87th birthday. He began his career recording classical music before moving on to produce comedy and novelty albums. In 1962, he began looking to capitalize on the rock n’ roll craze sweeping Great Britain. He struck gold on May 9 of that year when he signed the Beatles to his Parlophone label. He would go on to produce all of their albums (with the somewhat complicated exception of Let It Be). Later in his career, he would oversee production of their Anthology project in the mid-‘90s, as well as remixing songs for Cirque du Soleil’s Love performance in 2006.
Throughout his long and illustrious career, Martin has been, understandably, best known for his work with the Beatles. He is even one of several people often referred to as the “fifth Beatle.” However, he worked with a number of musicians and produced many successful albums (yes, including solo albums from both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney). Here is a look at just a few of the albums Martin produced.
Ringo Starr – Sentimental Journey
America – Holiday
Cheap Trick – All Shook Up
Little River Band – Time Exposure
Paul McCartney – Tug of War*
Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace*
Tommy Original Cast Recording
Celine Dion – Let’s Talk About Love
*These McCartney albums are currently unavailable, but are set to be reissued as part of the McCartney archive collection.
Written by Kyle Slagley
Now that the New Year has dawned, we can all take a deep breath and mentally regroup. Often times as we move into January, the water cooler talk has to do with the normal slew of resolutions: diets, workout routines, quitting a bad habit, or the time spent cutting coupons in an effort to save more money.
Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great that Bob from accounting cut 750 calories out of his diet just by giving up his nightly pint of Cherry Garcia ice cream, really I do! I’m sure you’re thrilled to hear that I’ve made it to day three of my decision to do the P90X Yoga routine every day. The fact remains that in two months, when Bob is once again making the yacht payment for the Ben & Jerry’s CEO and my Yoga X disc has been buried underneath the first four seasons of That 70’s Show, we will all be wondering one thing: Now that Twilight is finished, what will be the next Twilight?
It’s a legitimate question! At some point we’re going to have to have another fictional hunk for America to love, so we’d all best be on the lookout. I’ll need something to do with that hour-I’m-not-using-for-yoga anyway. Here’s my shortlist of contenders.
Warm Bodies – I mentioned this title a few days ago in my 2013: Year of the Zombie blog. The basic premise is that a zombie falls in love with a human girl and finds that love may actually be the cure to the disease that turned him into a zombie in the first place. The book really is its own Cinderella story; author Isaac Marion initially self-published the novel and it was later picked up by Atria Books. Marion has now announced a sequel that is currently in the works, and the movie starring Nicholas Hoult is due out February 1.
Beautiful Creatures – Written by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, this series first appeared in 2009 and has been on the “Next Twilight” shortlist ever since. In the first (of four) novels, the two lead characters Lena and Ethan become inexplicably linked. Lena is a Caster (of magic) and Ethan is a normal high school sophomore. Swirling with mystery, romance, and the supernatural, this series has already been received well by critics and readers alike and, with the movie due out on February 13, it is a leading candidate to fill the void in the hearts of Twilighters. The three other books in the series are Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos, and Beautiful Redemption.
The Mortal Instruments – There are currently five novels in this series by Cassandra Clare, with the sixth due out in 2014. The first novel, City of Bones, was published in 2007 and is a YA urban-fantasy tale about a secret society of tattooed-teenage demon hunters. This series is a hit already with those that like their urban-fantasy fierce, rugged, and not-overly-sappy—it reminds me a lot of the Borderlands short-story series that originated in the ‘80s. The movie is due out on August 23, but with romance taking a backseat in the series kickoff, the crowd may differ somewhat from that of Twilight.
Divergent – This trilogy by Veronica Roth, already loved by many, will continue to grow this year and probably subsequent years. It’s not quite a fantasy-romance like Twilight, but will attract many of the same readers and moviegoers as The Hunger Games because of its dystopian future-Chicago setting. The first installment was published in 2011, the second – Insurgent – just last year, and the unnamed conclusion is scheduled for release this fall. The movie adaptation of Divergent is currently in pre-production with director Neil Burger; it’s listed for tentative release in March 2014 and will be distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate (who also distributed The Hunger Games).
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