Will I.Am and Britney's 'Scream And Shout' - Youtube FaceOff

Live Lounge is great and all but what I love most is trawling through Youtube to find the best cover versions of my favourite songs by unsigned artists. If you put the time in, you'll find so many different and innovative interpretations of the biggest hits right now... but who has the time for that I hear you say? Have no fear for that's what our Youtube FaceOff is all about.

Whatever Happened To RnB? - Tweet

Remember when Aaliyah ruled the charts and Toni Braxton was still relevant? In this weekly feature, I’m going to take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what they’re up to nowadays.

Previous posts have focussed on John Legend, Amerie, Jamelia, Christmas RnB classics and Macy Gray. Today, it’s Tweet's turn!

Hey Tweet!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

'Ready Player One' is the debut sci-fi novel from screenwriter and spoken-word artist Ernest Cline.

Xbox 360: Why I Love Dishonored

'Dishonored' was released in October 2012 to widespread acclaim and enjoyed healthy sales from the get go. Expectations had been high for the game as it was created by designers who had worked on classics such as 'Deus Ex' and 'Half-Life 2' but luckily, it didn't disappoint. In fact, 'Dishonored' ultimately became my favourite game of 2012, beating off strong competition such as 'Far Cry 3' and 'Mass Effect 3'. So what makes this potential new franchise so special? 

Life of Pi and Other 'Unfilmable' Books That Became Popular Adaptations

We've all been there. You've just heard that one of your favourite books of all time is going to be adapted into a movie. How do you feel? Well if you're anything like me, you'll be crazy excited to begin with. "Oh my god! How cool would it be to see so and so do this on screen?" But then the doubts begin to sink in. "But who's going to direct it? And how are they going to pull off (insert key moment here) without ruining it?"
 

Sega Megadrive: Why I Love Sonic & Knuckles

Segaaaaaaaa! That one word takes me back to a whole era of classic gaming on the Sega Megadrive (or Genesis to you Yanks). The Sonic series defined that console for me and I loved playing every single game that featured the little blue hedgehog. While on Xbox Live recently, I spotted 'Sonic & Knuckles' amongst the downloadable games and I just couldn't resist. I remember renting it from Blockbusters back in the day and getting frustrated that I could never quite complete it in the time I had before the game had to be returned. Aaargh! So why do I love 'Sonic & Knuckles' so much?  

Be Careful! Your Hand! Top 10 Songs of 2012

 

It's pretty much impossible to pick only 10 songs that represent the best of 2012, without leaving out a whole host of brilliant songs, so some great singles like Of Monsters And Men's 'Little Talks', Aiden Grimshaw's 'Is This Love?' and Lana Del Rey's 'National Anthem' didn't quite make the cut. However, you can hear these tracks in my list of 2012's Top Ten Albums right here. The songs that made it to the top 10 include everything from k-pop and American rap to country pop and piano based ballads.

So let's take a look at what made it into the number ten spot.

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Animated Film.

 

This award has only been going since 2001 when Shrek won. It was a poor year for animated films but since then the winners have included Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, stop-motion British film Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, and not to mention six Pixar films. This year sees a large collection of different animated films from all over the world, but who will get nomianted and who will win?

 

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Original Song.

 

The best original song category has seen some interesting winners in the past, giving music artists their chance to add Oscar winner to their list of achievements, but it's not easy. The Academy has some stretched rules for this category: "original and specifically written for a motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyrics and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits" Ok, is everyone clear? Good, lets take a look at the possibilities.

 

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Supporting Actress.

 

The Best Supporting Actress category has seen some interesting winners in the last decade, including two winners from musicals as well as seeing more comic roles then the traditional dramatic ones that we normally see in the best actress category. Previous winners include Penelope Cruz, Renee Zellweger and last year, Octavia Spencer, for her brilliant performance in The Help. But who will be joining this list of talented woman this year? Let's have a look.

 

Be Careful! Your Hand! Top 10 Films of 2012

Amidst all the generic sequels, prequels, reboots and Adam Sandler comedies, 2012 has been another fantastic year for cinema. As always, it's been tough to pick only ten favourite films and so some great movies had to fall by the wayside - sorry Magic Mike! - but after much deliberation, here is the final selection. There's a mix of arthouse cinema here alongside some blockbusting crowd pleasers but surprisingly, there is a noticeable lack of world cinema in the list. I'm not sure if this reflects poorly on the biggest foreign releases of the year or just whether English language cinema has been particularly strong in 2012. Finally, this list is part of a blogathon titled 'Best of the Best', which is hosted by the site 'A Potpourri of Vestiges'. Find out more about the blogathon by clicking here.

Anyway, let's get started with the film in the number ten slot.

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Supporting Actor.

Today I'm having a look at the men up for the best supporting actor prize. This award has previously  been won by the likes of Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and last year by Christopher Plummer for his wonderful perfomance in 'Beginners'. This year the race seems to be between a group of previous winners, but who will get their greedy hands on the Oscar? Lets take a look.

Be Careful! Your Hand! Top 10 Albums of 2012

2012 has seen some great releases from every genre of music and so it's been extremely hard to choose the ten albums that represent the very best that the year has had to offer. There have been some suprises - hello Steps reunion! - and also some lows - sorry Christina Aguilera - but what remains constant is the never ending stream of mind-blowing music that is being produced year by year, even if half of it never even gets a look in on the main charts. Just remember that these choices are my own personal preferences and if you don't agree with them all then... tough s**t.

So with that in mind, let's start off at number ten.  

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Original Screenplay

 

Today I'm taking a look at who's in with a shot at receiving a nomination in the field of Best Original Screenplay. The award was won last year by the great Woody Allen, who holds the record for most wins in this category with three and most nominations at fifteen, pretty impressive. But what films this year have the chance to join Woody Allen as a winner for the 2013 Best Original Screenplay, shall we take a look?

 

 

The Hound of The Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

 

Everyone knows who Sherlock Holmes is; the Victorian era London detective with his iconic cap and pipe has inspired countless film adaptations, including the current series starring Robert Downy Jr, as well as TV series, computer games and even a board game... that I love by the way. When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created this character over one hundred years ago, I doubt he had in mind the high levels of fame Holmes would reach. Doyle has written over 50 cases for his most famous creation to solve. 

 

Oscar predictions 2013: Best Adapted Screenplay

 

The possible contenders up for this years Best Adapted Screenplay Ocsar is what I'm taking a look at today. For me, the best writing categories in the past have sometimes been given to the film that should have won best picture but wasn't necessarily the safest option, making this category a bit more interesting. The award had been previously won by The Social Network and The Descendants. But who could win this year?

 

Tom Odell - Songs From Another Love EP

 

Tom Odell has been generating some serious buzz. After landing a supporting gig for both Jake Bugg's and Michael Kiwanuka's upcoming tours, Odell's popularity has continued to rise and his debut EP has been acclaimed by critics and bloggers alike. Hailing from Chichester originally, the singer songwriter cut his teeth working the live circuit in Brighton 

 

Argo Review

 

If you'd have told me ten years ago that Ben Affleck would have directed, produced and starred in one of the best films of the year, an Oscar front runner no less, I would have told you to go jump back up your mother. But blow me down, he's only gone and bloody done it. Over the last few years, Ben Affleck has carved himself a credible career as a brilliant director and Argo may be his best outing yet.

 

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Actress

 

They say the same thing every year, that there just aren't enough good roles out there for women, but this year I just don't think thats true. With a large range of dramatic roles over possibly the widest age range in the academy awards history, there is everything from a superb perfomance by a 9 year old girl to a brilliant performance from an 85 year old actress. But whose names will be called out when they reveal the nominations in January? Let's take a look a possible contenders...

 

Macy Gray's 'I Try' - Youtube FaceOff

BBCs Live Lounge is great and all but what I love most is trawling through Youtube to find the best cover versions of my favourite songs by unsigned artists. If you put the time in, you'll find so many different and innovative interpretations of the biggest hits right now... but who has the time for that I hear you say? Have no fear for that's what our Youtube FaceOff is all about.

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Actor.

 

Today it's time to take a look at the gentlemen who are in the running for the Best Actor Oscar, which has been won previously by Tom Hanks, Sean Penn and last year by French man Jean Dujardin in The Artist, but whose performace this year will be called out come Oscar night in February? It's been a great year for actor roles - isn't it always? - with a diverse range of characters to make the academy voters choice that little harder to makechose. Shall we take a look?

I Love The 90s: Disney

When Disney made 'The Little Mermaid' back in 1989, they began what would become their second golden age, known as the Disney Renaissance. After a few decades of films that weren't up to their usual standards of excellence, 'The Little Mermaid' changed Disneys fortunes around, making animated musicals more popular than ever before, both critically and commercially. What followed was a string of some of the best animated films that have ever been made,  that would help to define a generation of children. And I'm happy to say I'm one of them, I love Disney. 

 

Oscar Predictions 2013: Best Picture

It's that time of year again when everyone and their mum is making their opinions on what should be nominated, what will get nominated and what will win at this years Oscars. So I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring. Over the next week, I shall be taking a look at the categories and the potential film nominees, starting today with Best Picture, an award previously won by The Kings Speech, The Hurt Locker and Titanic.

Whatever Happened To RnB? - Macy Gray

Remember when Brandy ruled the charts and the word 'Tweet' just referred to the singer? In this weekly feature, I’m going to take a look back at some of the best RnB artists of yesteryear, sharing their signature videos and underrated hits, as well as looking at what they’re up to nowadays.

Previous posts have focussed on John Legend, Amerie, Jamelia and Christmas RnB classics. Today, it’s Macy Gray's turn!

Hey Macy!

Viva Forever! The Musical

 

After the huge worldwide success of Mamma Mia and the very popular We Will Rock You, the juke box musical is as popular as ever, with everyone and their mum throwing their back catalogue of tunes onto the stage and while some prove to be hits, others haven't fared so well. Now, the beloved Spice Girls have thrown their hat into the ring, in the hope that they can have a West End smash on their hands.

Top 5 Alternative Christmas Films

 

It's Christmas and so it's the perfect time to crack out all the classics; 'Muppets Christmas Carol', 'It's A Wonderful Life'...'Deck The Halls'!? You see the problem is that once you've watched the Christmas greats, there aren't actually many good Christmas films left out there. And that's when the alternative choices come to the fore. Why watch 'Jingle All The Way' or 'Christmas With The Kranks' when there are so many other amazing Christmas films out there? You've just got to know where to look. Let's start with my first recommendation in the number 5 slot;

Sightseers...The Perfect Date Movie?

 

'Sightseers' is the latest film from Brit director Ben Wheatley, who gained critical acclaim for his cult horror 'Kill List' in 2011. The premise for this follow-up is simple but genius; a slightly odd couple plan a caravan holiday across Britain but are constantly beset by annoying strangers... who they end up killing in a variety of gruesome ways. The potential pitfall with this film of course is that such a bizarre concept hinges on the likeability of these crazed murderous characters. Luckily, both of the lead performances are just incredible and what's even more amazing is that both stars actually wrote the film as well! Let's start with Chris.   

A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin

 

I find murder fascinating, not in a 'you should be worried' way but in 'a what the hell was going through their minds to make them actually kill someone' kind of way. Will they get away with it? And will they ever kill again? of course they always do, Agatha Christie taught me that. I'm always on the look out for a new murder mystery to sink in to. A Kiss Before Dying was written by Ira Levin and tells the story of a young man who has his eyes on a young girls inheritance and will go to any length to get his hands on it and I mean anything.

 

Les Miserables: Trailer and Clips

The much beloved musical has finally made its way from the West End to Hollywood. It's only taken what? Over 25 years? Ok, so it took Chicago about the same amount of time to make the transition, but like Chicago, can Les Miserables duplicate its critical and commercial success? Can Tom Hooper, the Oscar winning director behind 'The Kings Speech' keep the spirit of the classic musical while still making it accessible to the cinema-going public?

 

 

With no reviews out just yet, all we've got to go on is the trailers, so lets have a look shall we?